An insider's guide to Tokyo’s Koreatown

The streets of Shin-Okubo offer plenty of hole-in-the-wall takeaway food. About three minutes on foot from the station you'll find Jongno Yataimura, a famous vendor that serves up authentic South Korean grub.

The most popular item on its menu is the potato mozzarella corn dog. Instead of sausages, this Korean staple coats a stick of cheese in homemade batter and potato cubes. The concoction is made mainly from rice flour, which yields a chewy yet fluffy texture. Combined with the melted cheese inside, the deep-fried corn dog is a great midday snack. There are bottles of ketchup and mustard as well as sugar for those who like their corn dogs sweet and salty, in true Korean style. Jongno sells about 300 of them at weekends. There will probably be a long queue but it is fast-moving, so the wait time shouldn't be too bad.

For those who don't fancy the corn dog, grab a cheese dakgangjeong, South Korean-style fried chicken coated in a sweet-yet-spicy sticky sauce topped with cheese, or hotteok, a pancake filled with honey syrup.

K-beauty trends have started to dominate the global skin care industry. Products used by famous Korean actors and stars constantly trend on social media, frequently resulting in items going out of stock online.

Walking along the streets of Shin-Okubo, you will come across various stores selling Korean cosmetics and products for skin and hair. For anyone interested in improving their skin care routine, or those looking for ideas for gifts, I recommend popping into Skingarden.

With possibly the widest range of products out of all the district's K-beauty stores, it will take some time to browse Skingarden thoroughly. Close to the register are sheet masks -- an essential element of the K-beauty regime -- ranging from those for the face and lips to the hands and feet. I recommend the green-tea-essence ones, which are great daily skin-soothers. Go up to the second floor for makeup and skin products that are a little more high-end, including products from South Korean brands such as Tirtir, VT Cosmetics and Moonium. You can also find great deals in the "while stocks last" sale corner. And they do sell out.

The sales assistants are knowledgeable and will ask if you need help looking for specific products. Tell them about your skin care needs and they will recommend a product to suit you.

For a caffeine hit, head to Bam Bi Coffee, tucked away in an alley off a busy main street. Open since March, this small, airy space, with its simple wood and white-paint decor, is a welcome addition to the area. According to the manager, about 80% of customers are female, both young and old. Although constantly packed on each of my visits, the place manages to maintain a calming ambience.

Its menu is a rarity in Tokyo. One of the most popular drinks is the Einspanner, a traditional Viennese coffee topped with a generous amount of whipped cream. The coffee is made from a blend of beans from Brazil and Guatemala, which gives a slight acidity that works well with the rich cream. Bam Bi also offers unusual drinks such as a creamy latte made with the herb yomogi, also known as Korean wormwood, and a black sesame latte.

To go with it, order a siad-injeolmi, a traditional Korean rice cake made from mochigome, or glutinous rice, powdered in a fine yellowish flour ground from soybeans. It has a wonderful bouncy consistency that goes well with the crunchy almonds and sunflower seeds sprinkled on top. Top it off with the cafe's homemade cinnamon syrup.

For really authentic Korean cuisine, head to Tomato. Known for its samgyeopsal (grilled pork belly), this barbecue restaurant is popular among Japanese students as well as foreign tourists for its generous portions (and for the fact they use fresh rather than frozen meat, which is rare).

Order the grilled pork belly by itself or, if you're really hungry, plump for the all-you-can-eat deal, which includes three types of pork as well as side dishes including kimchi, green onion salad, Korean lettuce and pickled radish. Entrust the grilling to the servers, who will cook everything in front of you on an iron hot plate.

Wrap the tasty pieces of pork in lettuce and enjoy with ssamjang, a Korean dipping sauce -- add raw garlic for further punch. If you're curious about other options, chijimi is another fan favorite. The thin Korean pancake is speckled with spring onions and served with a tangy soy-sauce dip.

Tomato also offers a variety of soju, sometimes called the "Korean vodka," a subtly sweet alcohol with a range of flavors including blueberry and muscat. Drink it neat as a digestif.