LOOKING GOOD
In store


Cassina INTER-DECOR
Home owners with impeccable taste and deep pockets head to Cassina INTER-DECOR (1,2,3F Unimat Aoyama Bldg., 2-12-14 Minami-Aoyama, 03-5474-9001). Three floors of haute houseware fill this beautiful space. You�ll find unique items from Catherine Memmi of Paris bed and bath collections, including puckered robes, scented candles in muted tones, chic blankets and fine bath linens. All the furniture here is as stylish as it gets: a Le Corbusier glass table for the Cassina i Maestri Collection, Le Marie 4850 clear plastic chair and cream L.W.S sofa specially designed for Cassina Phillip Starck and wide range of Alessi products. The second and third floor are showrooms with bedroom, living and dining room modules filled with Cassina�s modern furniture adorned with specialty items such as Sharp�s super-slim, silver LC-20V3 or the ultra chic Zettel Z note paper chandelier.

Isetan
Japanese department stores have been in the doldrums lately, but Isetan (3-14-1 Shinjuku, 03 3352-1111) continues to leave the competition floundering in its wake with its style, vision and service. Their I-club not only offers non-Japanese members a 5% discount on purchases, but you also get free tickets to the store�s art gallery. The Foreign Service desk will also happily help customers with specific requests and a monthly newsletter keeps them fully updated. The I-club card is available as a discount card or credit card. Join at the desk on the 7th floor.

John Kuntz

Lush-ous Living
Lush is so packed full of fruity fragrances and the scent of herbs that you can almost smell it from the station. Enter the store and your senses are drowned in a mix of aromas and vibrant colors that explode like one of Lush�s famous bath bombs. Try dropping one of their Baby Suns or Rush into the ofuro and relax in fizzing refreshment. Watch out for the suprises inside like the rose petals that emerge from Ai Rub You. Exfoliate with the Aqua Massage bar and drop it in the tub and you�ll emerge smoother than Cleopatra. For bubbles a couple of drops of Blue Skies with Fluffy White Clouds will make a heavenly bright blue bath.

If you are one of the jet-set a solid shampoo bar like Peppermint Sensei or Pika Pika, will give you terrific tresses without unsightly leaks in your travel bag. For after bath bliss try a dust down with Silky Underwear powder and treat your toes with Papa no Ashi foot powder. Lush fanatics from back home may have to rely on their olfactory skills to track down past favorites, as the distinctively quirky names often have a Japanese twist. Don�t worry, the helpful staff seem to be very good at reuniting old friends.

Haling from the UK, this precocious four-year old, has made it big internationally with its fresh handmade products like the almost-edible facemasks that work a treat. Almost all the products are made locally with natural ingredients, and due to local statutes there are some regional variations-bad news for chocoholics, there are no chocolate based products due to Japanese regulations.. The trademark hulking blocks of candy colored soap stacked on butcher�s blocks also promise lot�s of good clean fun and you can buy them by the slice.

(1-26-8 Jyugaoka, 5731-8091, 2-11-2 Kichijoji, 0422-20-7731, Shinjuku Isetan, 3352-1111, Grand Mall 3-4-1 Machida, 042-788-2858)

Magic Cinq
For fashion conscious and frugal gentlemen yearning for designer style Magic Cinq (B1 & B2 Kawano Building, 3-26-18 Shinjuku, 03 3354-5238) has two tempting floors of formal and casual wear. The quick turn over in stock means that you never know when the perfect pair of fur-lined Prada shoes or Gucci suit will pop up. Most items are 50% cheaper than regular boutiques and the imported stock comes in larger than average sizes. The �thankful service tickets�Ethat give further discounts to return shoppers are as welcome as the discounted Jill Sander.