Exploring Black identity in Japan isn’t easy, especially when it comes to hair

It wasn’t until he moved to Tokyo for college that Michael Nakano began to experiment with his hair.

Growing up in Osaka, his “very, very local” high school had strict rules on hair, just as many public schools in Japan do. The 20-year-old recalls monthly tōhatsu kensa or “head hair checks,” where school staff examined his hair.

He was often asked to cut it, and he’d get it trimmed by his mother at home.