TOKYO, Japan (CBS) -- Japan unveiled the latest in concept hairstyles featuring everything from light bulbs, broken glass pieces, and bottles at the Splash International 2013 on Tuesday.
Over the course of two-and-a-half hours, models sporting a range of outlandish hairstyles took to the stage.
There was a part of the show where 11 stylists representing their respective salons were given just 25 minutes to style the hair of models from scratch to runway-presentable.
"Through this event, we want people to realize that the stylists themselves not only possess great skill, they are creative as well. We also want people to know that the world of hair styling is great," said Toshiyuki Kuramochi who organized the event.
The event started in 1998 and has been happening yearly with the exception of 2011 when Japan suffered its largest earthquake, a massive tsunami that swept away the northeast coastal region and the meltdown of a nuclear reactor.
Around 2,000 mostly young and well-dressed people attended the event, many of them working in the industry.
"The content was great and the show was much better compared to other years," said 28-year-old hair stylist Rui Ito.
Japan, along with New York and London, has led the world in hair fashion.
Japan had more than 200,000 beauty salons and 470,000 hair stylists as of March 31, 2012, according to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare.
Japanese hairstylists have started going into China and expanding with new salons where they charge a 'Japan premium' to cut hair following the trend in Tokyo.