Green Nasco

When you're short on spices, Shin-Okubo is the place to head. Tokyo's South Asian and Middle Eastern establishments seem to have converged on a single street near the JR station: import grocery Green Nasco sits alongside a mosque and kebab shop, while you'll find half a dozen other similar stores in the immediate area. This corner shop stocks halal meat (Japanese beef, New Zealand mutton, Brazilian chicken), various spices from Pakistan and India, and a selection of African foods. The owner and his staff all speak fluent Japanese, and are happy to point you in the right culinary direction should you get lost among the spices and bulk-sized bags of lentils. Green Nasco also offers frozen naan from Madeena, a popular curry house in Isesaki, Gunma prefecture – and if all that shopping's made you hungry, there’s a decent halal kebab shop next door.