Ebisu
Ebisu
Station is a railway station
located in the relatively quiet
neighborhood of Ebisu in Shibuya
Ward. It is served by Hibiya Line
of Tokyo Metro, and the Yamanote
and Saikyo Lines of Japan Railways
(JR).
On
the west side of Ebisu Station is
the older section of Ebisu. As one
leaves the station from the west
exit, one comes across a mix of
several small restaurants and bars.
Called Ebisu Market, these traditional
local eating and drinking shops
sprung up to cater to the many commuters
of Ebisu Station, which is a transit
point for riders of Yamanote, Saikyo,
and Hibiya Lines. The other side
of the station, the east exit, leads
to the more modern and newly developed
area, the Ebisu Garden Place
. This "city within
the city" was constructed in
1994 and since then the area has
been rapidly developing. Most tourist
attractions are located in this
area.
Ebisu
Garden Place is accessed from the
East Exit of Ebisu Station through
Yebisu Skywalk (Yebisu
is another way of writing Ebisu,
though their pronunciation is the
same). Yebisu Skywalk is a covered
moving walkway which connects Ebisu
Station with Ebisu Garden Place.
Ebisu
Garden Place:
Ebisu
Garden Place opened to the public
in 1994. Built on the former site
of a beer brewery, this "city
within the city" is one of
the most pleasant places in Tokyo.
Ebisu Garden Place consists of about
a dozen high-rise buildings, offices
and residential spaces, a large
array of shops and restaurants,
a department store, the Westin Tokyo
Hotel, cinemas, and two museums.
There is a scenic square in between
the buildings with trees and fountains
on both sides which gives a park-like
feel. The main building and the
landmark of the area is Ebisu
Garden Place Tower . This
40-story high building with five
basement levels, houses a bank,
a post office, cafeteria, shops,
and medical and dental clinics.
The 38th and 39th floors house restaurants
with breathtaking views of the city.
Sapporo
Breweries
Sapporo
Breweries Limited has its headquarters
in Ebisu Garden Place. With its
origins in Sapporo Hokkaido during
the Meiji period, the company makes
German-like barley beer. Sapporo
Breweries brews the popular Asahi
beer and the up-market Yebisu label.
Yebisu
Beer Museum
Built
on the site of the original beer
brewery, Yebisu Beer Museum traces
the history of beer in Japan and
explains the techniques of beer
production. The main hall of the
museum exhibits ancient brewing
equipment, historical photos, and
beer labels from the 1880s onward.
There is gallery displaying advertisement
posters created over the years,
while TV monitors run old Sapporo
beer commercials. Another hall exhibits
the brewing process. Towards the
end of the museum, there is a theater
that shows a 3D fairytale beer story
for children and a Beer Tasting
Lounge for adults.
Tokyo
Metropolitan Museum of Photography
A
short walk from Ebisu Station is
the Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of
Photography. Opened in 1990, this
is the first museum in Japan to
be dedicated wholly to photography
and optical imagery. The third floor
of the museum displays a permanent
collection of photographs. The theme
of the work displayed changes from
time to time. On the second floor
is the Special Exhibition Gallery,
which is the venue for traveling
exhibitions, and the first floor
houses a library with an information
retrieval system. There are holography
and film editing suites which are
available for hire. The Images and
Technology Gallery, which is devoted
to animation and cinematography,
is in the basement. This museum
of photography is well worth a visit
and a must for photography enthusiasts.
