One thing that'll probably surprise you when you come to Tokyo is how the girls or young women look. If you're assuming they all have black hair, black eyes, then you're in the wrong country. In Japan, dyeing your hair brown, wearing brown or even green or blue contacts, putting on fake eyelashes, and doing your nails, is something that a lot of girls do. Almost all the famous models, and TV stars in Japan are doing it, so the rest of the population follows. The reason of course is to make yourself look "kawaii"! Why not treat yourself to a tampering day and learn how to make yourself look "kawaii", the Japanese way.

Brown Hair


Even Japanese fashion magazines are doing close ups on girls with brown hair v.s. black hair.
brown hair

Contacts


contacts_mini_mini
There are color contacts which obviously change the color of your eyes, and then there are contacts which are colored only on the outer rim of the pupil, so that they make you eyes look bigger and more "kawaii".
You can buy cheap ones without a prescription for about 1,000 to 2,000 yen at Donki (Don Quijote).


Fake Eyelashes


There are two types of fake eyelashes.
fake eyelashes
1.The ones you put on yourself with eyelash glue. You can buy the ones you put on yourself at any big drugstore, or Donki, or even the 100 yen store.


eye lash extensions
2.The ones called eyelash extensions which you need to go to a salon for an hour and have them put on (these last for about a month). You can pick the shape of the curviture and how many extensions you want to put on. It can cost somewhere between 6,000 yen and 12,000 yen according to the number of extensions.
Below is an example of a eye lash salon you can go to.


Decorative Nails


Right now in Tokyo, "gel" (pronounced "jel")nails are the most popular. If you go to a nail salon, it will take about an hour according to the design you pick. They will paint your nails in layers.
jel nail_mini
After each layer is painted, you put your hand under an UV light for 30 seconds, which hardens the layer.

jel nail uv light mini

jel nail kit
You can even do it yourself if you buy the whole kit, UV light included. But, if you don't know how to use it, it could take a few hours so I suggest trying the salon while in Tokyo, and if you like it you can buy the kit to take back home. Again, you can probably find the kit at Donki for about 6,000 yen, but remember you need a special nail polish remover to remove the gel nails.


So, if you're interested in the "kawaii culture" that the famous Kyary Pamyu Pamyu represents, try the the contacts, the fake eyelashes, and the gel nails. Have yourself a shopping day in Harajuku and immerse yourself fully, from head to toe, in "kawaii" things. A lot of these contacts and eyelashes are things you can get only in Japan, so they'll be great gifts to take back to your girlfriends back home. And don't forget to take a "purikura" (a Japanese photo booth picture) as a souvenir while you're at it!

Donik at Akihabara


Address: 4-3-3 Sotokanda, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 101-0021
Tel: 03-5298-5411
Fax: 03-5298-5422
Business hours: 10:00-5:00
Access: 3 min. walk from JR Akihabara Station (Electric town exit)

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We'll be pointing out the Donki in Akihabara in our tour of Tokyo, so if you want to buy some things there, come join us!