I was honored to travel to Tokyo with Shu Uemura Art of Hair for their Gallery Of Style Tokyorama finalist contest. I’ve been trying to figure out how to put into words this amazing experience. Can I be honest? It’s hard! Learning about Shu Uemura, meeting with the team & the finalists, exploring Tokyo was incredible. Below I will go through some of my favorite moments, products and explain a little background about the legend himself on DAY 1! Day 2 and 3 will be separate blog posts – more in depth on the Gallery Of Style completion and their designs, so keep your eye out and enjoy!!!!

Waking up this view didn’t get old. Tokyo reminds me of NYC but bigger and calmer. haha – Not kidding. I only heard one horn being blown during our entire stay. Can’t lie, I appreciated it.

Day 1: We toured the city, 100% acted like tourist and we had a blast. Below you will find our photos from the Senso-Ji Temple, Ueno Toshogu Autumn Dahlia Garden and us enjoying sukiyaki!!

The entrance to the Ueno Toshogu Autumn Dahlia Garden, one of our favorite places! It was such a gorgeous experience. Some of the dahlias were taller than me, no joke!! I wish I could of taken some with me.

Had to stop and take a stunning photo of a few Shu Uemura products! The morning we left for our day I used cleansing oil shampoo gentle radiance cleanser for normal hair and scalp and after blow drying, I added a dime size of their essence absolute nourishing protective oil. I then used my straightener and my hair stayed straight ALL day. No joke. I got so much feedback and questions when I posted on my insta-stories. It’s true. I’m officially hooked. You need to add this to your “must have” list for hair products. Trust me! Nothing worse than your hair curling or getting frizzy when you’re trying to have silky smooth hair.

We then started to walk to the Senso-Ji Temple. When we first arrived it wasn’t busy and I was able to truly just take a minute to appreciate my surroundings. I even called my grandma (3am EST) and luckily she was awake! I was able to share some of this experience with her which was a great feeling.

It’s almost like playing “Wheres Waldo?” but “Wheres Tonya?” — it was packed within 5 mins! People of all cultures and backgrounds swarmed the area, taking photos, all wanting to feel the history. Being around so much culture and history made me realize how small we each are in such a bigger picture. It’s life changing.

By now we’re all starving and sukiyaki is calling our name! Luckily, Carl and I aren’t strangers to this. Our neighbors made it for us before and we loved it. Below you can view the process and after. Yum!

Day 1 was amazing — as you can see. We had a blast enjoying Tokyo. Day 2 and 3 will be coming this week on my blog. Stay tuned for some amazing hair creations and my top 5 products!!!

Mr. Shu Uemura himself, the legend.

“Mr. Shu Uemura is recognized around the world as a true master of contemporary beauty. He took a revolutionary path to polarize the art of makeup. With an unwavering passion, he has built a global brand synonymous with artistic expression, purity and quality. In August 2007, Shu Uemura Art of Hair was launched in the United States, expanding Mr. Shu Uemura’s mastery of beauty from face to now include hair. Today, Mr. Shu Uemura’s unique vision of eastern beauty combined with the sophistication of western glamour continues to inspire professionals around the globe.”  – Shu Uemura The Art of Hair 

Top 10 Shu Uemura haircare products – click HERE.

xx, Tonya Michelle