Meet the world’s oldest female barber: Shitsui Hakoishi is 108 years old, but the slender, white-haired Japanese woman has no plans to retire anytime soon. She has dedicated 94 years to her profession and continues to serve her loyal clients. On March 5, Hakoishi received the prestigious recognition from Guinness World Records at a ceremony in Nakagawa, where she still operates her barbershop. The ceremony was attended by her children – her son, who followed in her footsteps as a barber and wrote a book about her life and her daughter, who supports people with disabilities while living with cerebral palsy herself. Hakoishi said, “I’m truly overwhelmed with happiness. I’m grateful to everyone in the community. Life has been full of hardships since my youth, but now I’m truly happy. I will continue as long as I can.”

She shared a guiding principle that has helped her remain positive through life’s challenges: “Hold no grudges, feel no jealousy and engage in no quarrels.” Her career began in 1931, when she left her hometown for Tokyo to become an apprentice at a small salon. By age of 20, she obtained her barber’s license. In 1939, Hakoishi and her husband opened their own barbershop in Tokyo. However, her life took a tragic turn during World War II when she lost her husband and their salon was reduced to rubble in an air raid. Undeterred, she rebuilt her life, returning to Nakagawa in 1953 to open another barbershop, where she continues to serve. “I have no plans to stop working,” she affirmed.

In 2020, she was chosen as a torchbearer for the Tokyo Olympics, preparing rigorously by walking more than 1,000 steps daily while carrying a pole of equal weight to the Olympic torch. Reflecting on the moment, she shared, “At the moment when I raised the torch, I felt truly alive.” She attributes her longevity and sharp mind to maintaining a balanced diet of light food and a disciplined exercise routine that includes walking, shoulder movements, and leg stretches each morning.

(Picture Courtesy: GWR)