Famous blondes such as Marilyn Monroe or even Pamela Anderson might be the symbol of idolization for many young women around the world - but not in Japan, where women prefer darker, more sophisticated hair colors.

It was only ten years ago that fair-haired women were seen all over the streets of Tokyo and on newsstand fashion magazines, but that trend is now a thing of the past. The only-fair haired women now are foreign models.

Even Ayumi Hamasaki, the Japanese pop answer to Madonna, has dyed her trademark platinum locks sleek black to stay ahead of the curve.

"What's seen as attractive now is to look well groomed and cute," says hairdresser Yuko Shimizu of the afloat-f salon in Tokyo's trendy Aoyama district. "People want natural-looking shiny hair, whereas dyeing it blonde tends to damage it."

While platinum blonde is out, hairdressers say few fashion-conscious Japanese women are prepared to go completely natural, since many feel poker-straight black hair is unflattering.

Kenichi Uehara, a veteran stylist at the Double salon in Harajuku, an area popular with young people, says, "Black hair simply doesn't suit Japanese women any more, because their complexions are fairer than they used to be.

"Magazines put forward the idea of black hair, but women aren't actually taking it up," he adds. "The idea is to find a color that's not too light but not too dark."