# restaurants in tokyo & beauty shops



## queenbiged

Dear friends,

My husband and I are coming to visit Tokyo during the Christmas vacation and I was wondering if we could get a few hints on eateries/restaurants to explore while visiting Tokyo, you know specially those restaurants that only locals know and that are precious to the city. We will be staying in Shinjuku area.

Also, I am a big fan of japanese hair products, especially the oils for hair growth and enrichment. I was wondering where I can find them in Tokyo.

Thanks in advance for all of your help & I look forward to reading your suggestions.

Best regards,

QueenBiged


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## larabell

queenbiged said:


> ...especially those restaurants that only locals know and that are precious to the city. We will be staying in Shinjuku area.


I'm not sure what you mean by "precious to the city". I don't know very many famous places but I do have some favorites.

There's a good kushiyaki place called "Ohta" in Ogikubo -- one of the best I know of. From Shinjuku you would take the Marunouchi line all the way to the end, exit at the far end of the station, then walk about 5~10 mins down a shopping street until you cross Kanpachi Highway. The address is Minami Ogikubo 4-20-10 in Suginami-ku. The guy speaks only Japanese and it's a small place -- usually very crowded on Fri and Sat after 8pm.

In Shinjuku there's a very good shabu-shabu place in the basement of the iLand building. The food there is very good but it's not very well known and that part of Shinjuku is mostly high-rise office towers so the restaurant is almost never full in the evenings.

Across the hall from there you'll find a good (but not excellent) sushi place with an all-you-can-eat plan. That one is well known because there aren't all that many all-you-can-eat sushi places in Japan (or elsewhere for that matter) which serve decent quality fish.



> Also, I am a big fan of japanese hair products, especially the oils for hair growth and enrichment. I was wondering where I can find them in Tokyo.


Probably a drug store is your best bet. There are several on the East side of Shinjuku station. Head for the "Subnade" underground shopping area -- as I recall there are several shops down there that carry hair care products.


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## Joppa

queenbiged said:


> Also, I am a big fan of japanese hair products, especially the oils for hair growth and enrichment. I was wondering where I can find them in Tokyo.


Your biggest challenge is to decipher labelling, which is all in Japanese. There are 100s of products with a big choice, and finding the one that suits your need and pocket won't be easy, even if you read Japanese. Also almost all hair products are specially formulated for Japanese hair type, which is very different from westerner's. Thicker, straight oriental hair requires a lot of support to keep its shape, so products tend to be rich in oil and setting agents, which you may find too thick for your hair. Unfortunately, few shop staff speak or understand English well enough to advise you on subtle differences between products. Even if you find something that looks similar to what is available in your country, the formulas are almost certain to be different.
But I'm sure you will still find it great fun to browse and shop in Tokyo.


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