Foreign, Technically- Tokyo Again, Part Two
A change of address changes everything.
Ginza has the pulse of Tokyo without the noise.
Where I Stayed
The Edition Ginza — a deliberate change of pace after Shibuya. Ginza has energy during the day but quiets considerably by evening. One block from Ginza's main shopping street. Ideal location.
Where I Went
The Tokyo Gyoza Festival at the Olympic Park — a last minute decision that turned out to be the right one. Golden Week had just begun, the park had a distinctly local energy, and poodles in strollers were everywhere.
The gyoza selection was extensive. Standouts: a wasabi-infused version that was actually green, and a vegetable gyoza with what I can only describe as a Malay spice crust — crisp, aromatic, unlike anything I’d had before. We left with dumpling merch. No regrets.
The Dior Bamboo Pavillion sits quietly on a residential street in Daikanyama. The giant store simply appears, which is part of its charm. The interior is as considered as the location. I fell in love with several pieces exclusive to the store and left without all of them. The Japanese garden outside is just as impressive as what’s inside.
What I Did
After weeks of planning and a mood board with no common thread, the Nail Sucre appointment finally arrived. Happy delivered for us — three sets, three completely different directions.
One: extra long talons with lace detailing and two hoop nail piercings. One: high gloss black lacquer with purple 3D flowers. Mine: a nude sparkle base with 3D flowers, pearls, and a rhinestone French tip. After, a head massage and hair treatment at Tokyo Headspa.
Later in the week, I went back to Laforet Mall in Shibuya, one of my favorite stops — floors of Harajuku fashion, customizable trinkets, and accessories that make perfect sense there and nowhere else. The food court alone is worth the visit; one kiosk sells nothing but flavored milk.
What I Bought
Impulse buys: 80s death metal inspired press-on nails, ear seeds shaped like lollypops, and a pair of sunglasses with custom piercings. Yes, another pair — Japan simply has the best sunglasses and Harajuku has a way of making everything feel immediately necessary. I almost left with a series of fluffy stuffed animal rings but practiced restraint at the last minute.
Full Refa haul: a blowdryer equipped for global use (dual voltage, internal converter), Premium Gold Paddle Brush, viral Heart Brush in matte black, and the Aile Brush Ray.
Itoya in Ginza: a stationery destination worth knowing if you don't already. Twelve floors of pens, pencils, notebooks, and the particular kind of focused silence that comes from a room full of people trying pens. Myself included.
Back at Don Quijote: viral peach soap (iykyk), foaming toothpaste, Medicube PDRN face masks in bulk, a mascara remover I quite like, steaming eye masks.
Restock of Quijto jeans and an Okinawan clay mask from Coverchord plus a few Japanese-inspired plushie toys for my dogs from Snobbish Babies - both in Nekameguro.
Grocery store finds worth noting: hot mustard, toothache plant in spice form, and Tokyo Banana — a non-negotiable at this point.
What I Ate
Espresso martinis at One by One Coffee House in Ginza — a place that takes coffee seriously enough to make the cocktail version worth ordering.
A 23-course omakase at Hakkoku in Ginza — the kind of meal that recalibrates your understanding of what sushi can be.
Dinner at Rice & Circus, a restaurant specializing in exotic meats — tarantula, bugs, gecko, snake. I ordered vegan gyozas and appointed myself content creator for the evening. Someone had to document it.
A selection of izakaya favorites — black cod, udon, tempura — at Gonpachi Nishi-Azabu, known to most as the Kill Bill restaurant. Packed, loud, and exactly right for a final night in Tokyo.
Pizza Marumo in Shibuya — one of the world’s best, and a necessary stop every time I’m in Tokyo. 10/10.
What My Dogs Did
Couldn’t tell Tuesday from Friday. The countryside will do that.
Notes from Paris, to follow.