Ginza
has been nicknamed the Beverly Hills of Tokyo, but it's actually been argued that it's the most luxurious shopping
spot in the world and while the Manhattan clientele of Fifth Avenue may give you an argument about it, there's no mistaking
that Ginza has alot to say about luxury. It was originally known for its glamorous japanese department stores
(called "depato") like Mitsukoshi, Wako (with its famous clock tower), Matsuya, and Matsuzukaya which are all within
a block of each other in this pricey real estate area. Currently, in addition to the japanese "depato" there
are large boutiques from nearly every European designer and notably the only "foreign" department store
in the area, Printemps.
At first glance, Ginza might look like any other shopping or commerce area in Tokyo. It's neon lights
flashing against the sky with vertical signs jetting out from the sides of its sleek buildings.
But look
a little closer, and you can see that luxury is all about the details. Pictured below is Ginza's Gucci store,
built from the ground up in 2006 to be the most luxurious Gucci store in the world. It holds 8 floors of Gucci grandeur
and we're told that silk robes adorn the dressing rooms, for your modesty's sake of course.
This mega-boutique has everything you can imagine from
the world of Gucci, it even has its own Gucci Cafe on the 4th Floor, the only one in the world.
You might not be willing to part with $320 to
pick up the cheapest wallet that Gucci carries, but you can certainly break out the old reliable one for a Cappuccino
and Tiramisu in luxurious surroundings.
After
you're high on caffeine and sugar, you can wander around Ginza with the confidence to window shop to your heart's content.
Pictured below is the largest scarf store ever (in our opinion), Maison Hermes in Ginza.
The Dior store in Ginza can change from white to
black or just about any combo of the two depending on its exterior lighting.
But the Chanel store tops that, with its own video screen display covering the entire
length of the building. Please see the YouTube video below on the right to see the video screens in action.
Still, what's made Ginza famous are its department stores so we'll highlight a couple for
you here.
Wako
This department store (started as a clock shop) is the only one of its kind and sells just everything
(except clothes) - watches, jewelry, porcelain, dishware and handbags, but it's a significant landmark for Tokyo as its
one of the rare buildings that withstood the bombings of WWII. The clock tower has become an endearing symbol of
the area so much, that this neo-renaissance building built in 1932 makes Ginza what it is today.
Across from Wako Ginza's famous building stands the
luxurious Mitsukoshi
Mitsukoshi
.Mitsukoshi may be the most glamorous department store in Tokyo.
It's certainly the most experienced celebrating its 205th year in business as a department store (Mitsukoshi was first a kimono
shop established in 1673, it became a "depato" in 1904).
Pictured above is Mitsukoshi Ginza's exterior, and below is its interior.
Beautiful right? Well if you want a quick look
around then consider stopping at french tea house "Laduree" on the second floor.
Enjoy beautiful
surroundings and a nice view while you taste some of the best pastries you've ever had in your life. Laduree is known
for its fresh pastel macaroons, but we recommend getting anything on the menu that looks good, because it is good.
If it's
too soon for you to have another snack, consider passing your time first at the Sony building.
Sony Building
Pictured above (adjacent to Hermes) is the headquarters for mega electronics and entertainment company, Sony. This is the place to be if you want to
check out the latest and greatest games, newest technologies and prototype gadgets like the robot Qrio (he's not
Asimo that's Honda) but he'll still wave and say "konichiwa" to you.
Or maybe you wanted to check out the largest virtual aquarium
the world has ever known....oh....it's real fish. :-( However, they do have another area where they have 200 inch
screens with the fake ole' virtual fish we were looking for.
If you really have some time to kill (between cafes) you
might as well check out or try out all the new PS3 games. They won't be in the U.S. for months, so you can be
on the cutting edge of what to expect next.
This
famous theatre (originally constructed in 1889 as seen below, but rebuilt several times) in Ginza is one of the
few kabuki theatres in Japan. Kabuki is a highly stylized Japanese dance-drama with its tradition dating back to
1603.
Kabuki performances are very long sometimes lasting
4 or 5 hours, but you can purchase tickets for a single act, shortening your time (and cost) considerably. Please
check out the YouTube video below for a sample of what a Kabuki theatre performance is like.
Inside the theatre audience members
are likely to be very quiet and polite compared to american audiences. Also, you should know that although there are
concessions (food and drink) sold at the Kabuki-za, it's impolite to eat during the performance, but you can bring something
or buy something for the intermission.
You can click on
either of the Kabuki pics above to get more information about tickets and here is the link to the theatre's schedule and pricing
per act. Please note that the price per act does NOT include admission. Admission prices are listed at the bottom
of the program. Prices start at around $50 for one act, seen from the top floor.
Getting There - Ginza
From Nakano
中野 - Take the Chuo 中央 line or the Chuo-Sobu 中央総武 line
to Shinjuku and follow signs to the Tokyo Metro Marunouchi
丸ノ内 Line and take that to Ginza
銀座.
Price: ¥320
Time: 24
minutes
From Shinjuku
新宿 - Take the Tokyo Metro Marunouchi 丸ノ内
Line and to Ginza 銀座.
Price: ¥190
Time: 16
minutes
For more upscale shopping and restaurants, please click the link
below:
