Sunday, November 14, 2010

Salon for Black (Brown) Girls (Women) in Tokyo

Dear Readers,

I have been on a hiatus...I know. So finally, I have good news for black women/brown girls living in Japan (Chiba, Funabashi, or Tokyo area) who need a reliable, professional, and amazing hair salon.

HAYATO New York
"Simple and Natural for Your Hair"

The salon uses amazing products. My stylist is Japanese and she was able to take my hair from a natural state to bone straight.  The prices are very affordable and reasonable. It was less than what I paid on the US military base and much closer to my home.

Address
3rd Floor 5-9-3 Minami Aoyama
Minato-Ku, Tokyo 107-0062

Telephone: 03.3498.9113
All Staff Members Speak English

Email:tokyo@hayato-ny.com

Also this salon has branches in London and NYC.

I enjoy each trip to the salon. My hair looks amazing and included in the service is: a free massage and all you can drink green tea, and lots of pampering. If you are lucky you may receive free samples. And discounts.

Sunday, May 2, 2010

UNIQLO The Westerner's Answer to Affordable & Trendy Clothoes



Hello Friends. Sorry it's been a while. I have a holiday day this week. It's called Golden Week. Basically major businesses and schools shutdown for a week. So, everybody's has time off. On the plus side, with everyone having the same vacation it's easy to get together with friends. On the other hand, ticket prices sky rocket, and major attractions such as Disney Land are over crowded. (Side Note: I'm going to Disney Sea tomorrow for the first time tomorrow. It's peak season so I'll let you know how it was).

Back to Uniqlo, Uniqlo is affordable and fits reasonable well. As a westerner finding the right fit can be difficult . And shopping is can be challenging if you live outside of Tokyo. Fortunately, a Uniqlo store  can typically be found in major train stations and even small towns. For months, I was unaware that there was a Uniqlo in Chiba station and even several stores in nearby towns. Imagine, I was rotating the only 3 long sleeve shirts I packed when the weather transitioned from summer to spring. Please learn from my fashion faux pas and suffering.

Additional Shopping Tips


One of my personal fave's is H&M. The price is right, the clothes fit well, and it's always on trend. H&M is great for work, basics, and partying. As of April 2010 H&M is only found in Tokyo (Harajuku & Shibuya). In Harajuku, you can also find Forever 21, Zahra, high end luxury boutiques, and vintage stores, etc Harajuku has lots of side streets where you can find amazing items and discounts-so please explore.

Also, I tend to forget that Shibuya has great shopping. I often forget that there is a huge H&M there. Shibuya has a large Uniqlo branch and endless shopping.

Ginza


Is the luxury capital of Tokyo. Here you will find all major luxury brands, as well as an amazing Hello Kitty Store.

CHIBA Prefecture


In Chiba prefecture I recommend shopping at Sogo  and Parco department store. The train stop is Chiba. Also at Soga there is great shopping. Also there is a place called Lala Port that has great western shopping. At Makuhair-Hongo there is a fantastic outlet mall.  At Funabashi, you will find IKEA and a Costco is nearby.

Happy Shopping!

Monday, February 8, 2010

Unlocking the Japanese Beauty Secrets



Japanese women are beautiful, generally lean, and have beautiful skin. I aspire to be in the business of beauty so of course I have been asking my local friends about their eating habits, skin care regiments, etc.

I have discovered that  the Japanese beauty secrets stems from a healthy diet. The Japanese diet consists of high protein, low-fat, low sugar, and is rich in antioxidants.  My friend Rie told me that miso soup would make me more beautiful. So of course the next day,  I went out and bought Miso soup paste. Now, I try to drink miso soup as often as possible.

Breakfast
A typical Japanese breakfast consists of  green tea, rice and drink miso soup. Miso soup is soy based which is rich in antioxidants.  Green tea is also rich in antioxidants and there is no sugar added to the tea.

The Power of Green Tea
I have noticed that the drink of choice is green tea either hot or cold. Even my young students claim their favorite drink is green tea. Shocking.

Dinner
I have eaten dinner a couple times at my friends parents house and the dinner typically consists of: rice, miso soup (sometimes with mussels), sushi, and a ton of veggies. The drink of choice is usually water, green tea, or some type of wheat based drink all sugar free. Followed by fruit as desert or Japanese sweets.

Sweets

Japanese sweets aren't typical sweets. These sweets are usually made out of beans. I was very skeptical at first. I didn't believe that a bean based desert could be delicious but I was wrong. The sweets are both healthy, rich in protein and satisfies my sweet tooth.

NATO

Nato is fermented soy beans. This is a very popular snack.  It's typically eaten with rice or on toast. I have learned to love nato. I believe NATO is the equivalent of peanut butter. While, many Westerners-present company included-like to spread peanut butter on everything: toast, apples, etc. The Japanese prefer to eat soy beans. It's low fat and rich in antioxidants.

Seafood

Sushi, salmon, and other seafood is ridiculously cheap here compared to the States. I can get a sushi lunch box at my local supermarket for $2.40. After 6pm sushi is reduced to $1.40. This is what I usually buy after I finish teaching for the day.  Bento boxes (salmon, veggies, rice, etc) is also $2.40 at my supermarket and then reduced to $1.40 after 6pm).

It is very cheap and convenient for me to eat healthy here. The only catch is most days I am still teaching 7pm. So whenever, I can I try to take advantage of the evening deals.

Lastly, beef and chicken are more expensive than seafood. As a result, most families don't eat beef or chicken very often.  And people try to eat a well balanced meal of protein, vegetables, and fruit. My friends have informed that schools have a chef to ensure that students eat a well balanced healthy lunch. I was really surprised and impressed to hear this.

It's easy to be beautiful in Japan.

Vanity


This post will highlight a salon I'm in love with. I love this salon because of the name. FAKE. Isn't this the best name for a salon? Like Lady Gaga says "I love things that are fake." :)

This salon is located at Mobara Station: Chiba Prefecture