Shiseido Diaries: Shiseido Culture and Ginza

Sometimes, the best birthday gifts come right after your birthday. In the same month last year, I got the then-latest release of Macbook Air and this time, I was luckily sent to Japan by Shiseido Philippines for a Press trip. Japan is one of the many places that I want to visit before I bid the world goodbye because as a History geek, the Japanese culture is one of my favorite subjects, not to mention I'm a big fan of Japanese beauty products.

Our destination was Tokyo, the birthplace of Shiseido. 

We stayed in Royal Park Shiodome Hotel, a 4-star Shiseido- owned hotel, which is 5 minutes away from Ginza. I was utterly surprised to find out that Shiseido owns a hotel-I realized right then and there that Shiseido is not just a globally- renowned beauty brand-it's a huuuge corporation!

I got my own room, which is pretty cute and has the right size for one person. 

Here's the bathroom. Toiletries are by no other than Shiseido, and that cool Toilet has a self- heating seat! High-tech! :D

Press gifts. I got a luxe fan from Jen Yalung of Shiseido Philippines, and a box of tasty butter cookies from Shiseido Parlour, a Shiseido- owned restaurant-slash-pastry shop courtesy of Isao Shirasuka of Shiseido Japan.

Behind Royal Park Shiodome is the Shiseido Headquarters.

Next stop, Ginza! Let me take you around the city!

GINZA- The 'Rodeo Drive of Japan' and one of the most prestigious shopping meccas in Asia. The Ginza district in the old times was considered as the modern business district and today, it is home to some of the finest beauty and fashion labels as well as the biggest businesses in the country.

Photo op with my ladies before going crazy at H&M! :D

Welcome to Shiseido's flagship store! It's 6 floors of Shiseido madness, from beauty products to salon to photo studio and to facial services! We weren't allowed to take photos inside-company protocol. Instead, I'll just tell you what to see inside in the most creative way possible! (So help me God!)

At the first floor, you'll find all of Shiseido's beauty products-from drugstore to entry- premium labels, it's all here. Products that can be found here are Maquillage, Shiseido D-Label, Shiseido Aqualabel, Shiseido, Majolica Majorca, Cle De Peau, and a whole lot more, including novelty items such as umbrellas, bags, keychains, wallets, and accessories.

The third floor is exclusively for Cle De Peau, Shiseido's most luxurious label. It's a room with lavish interior in shades of beige, white, and dark blue, graced with crystal ornaments and fixtures. In short, it's a #LikeADonya store. They also perform Cle De Peau exclusive facials here, with prices starting at Y25,000 or P12,000.00+ After your facial, you can do your very own makeup in the makeup room-same floor-using the entire Cle De Peau makeup products. Oh, I was at the brink of buying the Cle De Peau concealer but it was soooo expensif! :D Next time, next time. :)

In the 2nd, 4th, 5th, and 6th floors, you'll find:

- The Skin Care section, an area intended for skin care savvy customers

- Beauty Consultation section where Shiseido's in- house beauty experts will advise you on the right makeup and skin care products for your style and skin type. The final step in every consultation is a makeover and it will be recorded using a video cam, and you can take a copy with you so you can keep on practicing at home. Awesome, eh? :)

- Shiseido Hairstyling salon. No hair cuts, only hair styling incase you want to have a photo shoot.

- Shiseido Photo Studio

Upon stepping out of the building, I have immediately realized that the flagship store is not just a shopping place, but an experience-a worthwhile experience. All that meticulous attention to detail and sheer dedication to the art of beauty imparts a lesson that every new beauty brand, blogger, guru or aficionado should take a cue from: Don't just enhance the appearance. Enhance lives.

Photo Credits: oja.olympe.in

I just have to do this because I'm a History Geek! :D This is the first- ever Shiseido store in Ginza in 1872, built a few months after a raging fire burned the district to ashes. That time, the Japanese only knew of Chinese pharmacy and medications and Arinobu Fukuhara, founder of Shiseido and one of the notable men in Japan, introduced the first Western- style Pharmacy in the country through the brand.

Shiseido store now. The present flagship store still stands on the same location of the 1872 store, making it one of the important landmarks in Ginza.

Shiseido Parlour

Beside the flagship store is the Shiseido Parlour, an unmistakable structure as it's the only screaming red building in the area! Surprise number 2. Shiseido's not only known for beauty products, but also for food! Every floor in this building serves a different kind of cuisine namely Chinese, Japanese, and French. FYI, Shiseido also has a long and rich history in the food industry. A few years after the inauguration of the pharmacy, the Fukuharas built a restaurant beside it and I'm guessing that the present Shiseido Parlour is in the exact same location of the first one!

For our first dinner in Tokyo, we had French food. Shiseido Parlour is a fine dining restaurant, and mind you, they're one of the bests in the district.

We all agreed that the food and service is excellent! 

Ginza at night

I hope you enjoyed our virtual mini Ginza tour! In the next Shiseido Diary, let's take the Shinkansen and go to the province of Kakegawa to visit the Shiseido Museum! :)

Want to know more about Shiseido? Then visit SHISEIDO PHILIPPINES on Facebook! :)