GINZA
Ginza Tokyo Japan -
Ginza is a major brand name fashion area with major department stores,
restaurants and hotels. Ginza Guide includes detailed interactive map of
Ginza.
Ginza (銀座) district is located in the
Chuo ward,
Tokyo. Ginza literally means "Silver Mint", which is very
appropriate even today as Ginza is packed with brand name stores and
up market department stores.
San-ai Building Ginza
What to see in Ginza
 The heart of Ginza is the intersection of Chuo-dori
and Harumi-dori, dominated by the glass cylinder of the San-ai
Building. With its huge neon sign (see below - rented out to Vodafone
at the time of this picture), it's been the image of Ginza on postcards and travel
books for decades now. The other corners are occupied by Wako and
Mitsukoshi, two of the most prestigious department stores (the
former being a cut above), and the Nissan Gallery (right),
which shows off new and classic automobiles.
The side streets of Ginza are full of art galleries featuring
paintings, photography, and graphic design.
During Christmas, Ginza's streets are illuminated. 126 trees in
Ginzanamiki street are decorated with 75 thousand light bulbs, and
76 trees in Hanatsubaki street are decorated 35 thousand light bulbs
which are made in the shape of stars. The illuminations are turned
on on November 15.
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Getting to Ginza
Getting to Ginza is usually easy - in the heart of
the area is Ginza station, connected to the Marunouchi (M16), Ginza
(G09), and Hibiya (H08) subway lines. Alternatively you may walk to
the area from the JR Shimbashi or Yurakucho stations, or Higashi-Ginza
station on the Asakusa (A11) subway line.
Things to do in Ginza
Sundays on Chuo-dori are Pedestrians' Paradise
(歩行者天国), with the street closed to motor traffic. You can catch
street music (nothing too loud) and performance, hawkers selling
magical puppets which dance without strings, and thousands of other
people to bump into.
 Kabuki Theater (歌舞伎座 Kabukiza) 03-3541-3131 (on the corner of Showa-dori
and Harumi-dori, or exit the Higashi-Ginza station of the Asakusa
and Hibiya subway lines)
The best way to see traditional Japanese theater is to come to
Kabuki-za for a single act, or hitomaku-mi, which lasts between one
and two hours.
Movie theatres are plentiful in the Ginza-Yurakucho area, and as
many of them are quite old, they're spacious as well. One curiosity
is Ginza Cine Pathos, a cluster of small theatres built in a tunnel
under Harumi-dori. The movies are run-of-the-mill Hollywood and
Japanese, but it's worth a look just to see the tiny bars and
eateries crammed in to the space.
Ginza is the home of Tokyo's oldest and most
prestigious department stores; the most exclusive is probably Wako.
And of course Louis Vuitton, Dior, Chanel and Prada have stores as
well. See our extensive article on
Ginza Shopping.
See enlargements of the above pictures and additional
pictures of Ginza.
Ginza is famous for its bakeries and cafes. There
are also some great cafes and restaurants see our guide to
Ginza Restaurants.
(Article
based on
Wikitravel article
by Paul N. Richter, Wikitravel user(s) Jpatokal, Nzpcmad and Luke and
Anonymous user(s) of Wikitravel. Article used under
Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 1.0.)
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Ginza Shopping