Rain or shine, it seems the streams of men and women who fill the bustling streets of the metropolis are always perfectly styled, permed and coloured; and we aren't even talking about the outrageous and trendy Harajuku area.

With more than 16,000 hair and beauty salons strewn across Tokyo (particularly in city districts like Shibuya, Harajuku, Aoyama and Daikanyama), it is as obvious as a bouffant how seriously the Japanese view grooming.

A survey conducted by a major hair and beauty product manufacturer last year revealed that the Japanese use more shampoo than any other nationality, washing their hair an average of 6.4 times a week.

Another survey showed that close to 70 per cent of Japanese women colour their hair.

Japanese celebrities like singer Hamasaki Ayumi, model Ebihara Yuri and even the handsome actor Kimura Takuya determine what's hot and what's not when it comes to hairstyles.

An article in the International Herald Tribune reported, "If Ayumi changes her hair colour from chocolate blonde to teddy bear brown, you can bet there will be a rush the next day."

In Tokyo, a carelessly tied ponytail, fading highlights or flat hair will certainly set you apart; but not in a good way.

Trends are closely followed; new styles continuously conceived.

To showcase the 2008-2009 Autumn/Winter trends, a team of hair and make-up experts from the Shiseido Beauty Creation Centre- Masa-took centre stage at the auditorium of the Shiseido Academy of Beauty and Fashion in Itabashi, Tokyo. Attended by more than 200 hairstylists, salon operators and media from Malaysia, Thailand, South Korea and Singapore, the Masa team of seven prominent Japanese stylists unveiled Vague, the hairstyle of the coming season.

Lead Masa creator Hirofumi Kera and the six other master stylists (Kazunori Miyasaka, Tadashi Harada, Miki Terunuma, Yoshiko Jinguji, Kenji Toyota and Yuka Ishizuka) demonstrated how to execute the 'vague' look on models.

It was like a runway fashion show complete with runway stage and mood lighting, except that this was hairstyles.

With a mix of Western rock and pop music playing in the background, the stylists fashioned a range of looks, from everyday styles to avant-garde dos in front of the mesmerised audience.

Kera explained that the Vague style was essentially wavy and airy, "as if it (the hair) was lifted by a breeze from below". The look was achieved by perming a medium to long layered bob.

"The word vague refers to the state of being ambiguous or unclear. What we at Masa had in mind was the idea of a mysterious, elusive and alluring woman," said Kera.

Twice a year (for Spring/Summer and Autumn/Winter), the Masa team announce the 'seasonal look', which they conceive.

"These (seasonal looks) draw a lot of industry attention because they represent the cool look for the upcoming season," shared Kera.

She said trends in hairstyles go hand in hand with fashion trends.

For Autumn/Winter 2008, Kera noticed that fashion trends have moved from feminine styles to an elegant, cool look. Colours are monotone with a lot of black and greys.

"As such, our proposed hairstyles have also shifted from feminine to cool."

A huge influence when forecasting trends, added Kera, was the every day person on the street.

"Apart from fashion shows, we also observe women in the street and from our impressions, we make our predictions," he said.