Ginza

Ginza Station is located in the heart of the commercial district of Ginza in Chuo Ward of Tokyo. It lies on the Tokyo Metro Ginza, Hibiya, and Marunouchi Lines. Ginza Station is the fourth busiest Tokyo Metro station after Ikebukuro, Kitasenju, and Otemachi.

The Ginza Line and Marunouchi Line platforms run in a north-south direction, while the Hibiya Line platforms run east-west between the Ginza and Marunouchi platforms. 

Ginza

Ginza is a district of Chuo Ward of Tokyo. It is the city's most famous up-market and prestigious shopping, dining and entertainment district.

Ginza, literally meaning "Silver Mint", is named after the silver coin mint established here in 1612 during the Edo period. The area continued to be a mint till 1872, when a devastating fire destroyed the whole place. The district was then re-built with two and three-storey Georgian brick buildings and a shopping promenade designed by British architect Thomas Waters. These, too, were later destroyed during the 1923 earthquake and World War II bombardments. Only a few of the Georgian buildings remain today, the most famous being the Wako building with its clock tower. After World War II, the area slowly re-built itself and developed into today's modern Ginza - the most magnificent, fashionable, and reputedly the most expensive shopping district of Tokyo today.

The heart of Ginza is the intersection of Chuo-dori and Harumi-dori , known as Yonchome . (Ginza Station is located at this intersection). The landmarks of Yonchome are the Sanai Building at one corner of the intersection, the Waco Building with the clock tower on another, and the Nissan Gallery and the Mitsukoshi Department Store on the other two.

Sanai Building : Yonchome is dominated by the Sanai Building, long a symbol of Ginza, and said to occupy the most expensive real estate corner in Asia. This towering, circular, cylinder-like glass building is the most glittering building in the area because of the lights reflecting from its glass facade, augmented by the huge neon sign above. Sanai is a fashion store.

Waco Building : Waco stands at the northwest corner of Yonchome, the main Ginza intersection. The building, built in 1932, is one of the few remaining pre-World War II Georgian buildings of the district. What makes Waco unique is its exterior facade of curved granite and the clock tower, which plays the famous Westminster Chimes. During the American occupation from 1945 to 1952, the building was a PX store. Today it (the Wako Department Store) is one of the most exclusive department stores of Tokyo, famous for its watches, jewelry, porcelain, chinaware, handbags, and foreign luxury goods. On the sixth floor there is an art gallery called Wako Hall.

Nissan Gallery : Nissan Gallery occupies the third corner of Yonchome. Nissan is the second largest car manufacturer of Japan after Toyota. This Ginza Gallery is home to the Nissan head office and a showcase of some of this manufacturer's finest automotive products. There are a number of interactive displays where you can learn more about the different cars and how they take care of the environment. Art and design exhibitions are also held here throughout the year. There is a section for children where they can draw and color cars. The Nissan Gallery, with its various features, is well worth a visit.

Mitsukoshi Department Store : The Mitsukoshi Department Store stands on the fourth corner of Yonchome. This twelve-floor Ginza Mitsukoshi branch was opened in 1930 and is today one of the most prestigious stores of Tokyo. Mitsukoshi is a large international department store chain founded in 1673, and is headquartered in Tokyo.

Among the other famous department stores of Ginza are Matsuya (an eleven-floor store which offers fashion, foods, household goods, a pet shop, a travel agency and an exhibition hall); Matsuzakaya (a major Japanese department store established in 1611 and headquartered in Nagoya; this large Ginza branch offers goods and services on ten floors); Printemps (opened in 1984, this French department store chain offers fashion, accessories, wines, foods and restaurants on this ten-floor branch); Hankyu (a collection of fashion and lifestyle stores); and Seibu (this Ginza branch consists of nine floors and sells a wide array of fashion wear and accessories).

Chuo Dori , also known as Ginza Street , is the main street of Ginza. Famous department stores and specialty stores, including most of the world's most famous fashion houses, line both sides of the street. Chuo Dori is best experienced on weekends and holidays when the street is closed to vehicular traffic and is opened to pedestrians only. This "pedestrians' paradise" becomes a place not only to shop but to stroll and enjoy as well. Shopkeepers place chairs and parasols along the street where you can sit and rest free of charge. You can also watch and listen to street performers and look at street hawkers selling their craft. 

Harumi Dori , the street that crosses Chuo Dori at Yonchome crossing, has several well-known brand name stores located on both sides of it. The most prominent building situated here on the corner of Harumi Street at the Sukiyabashi Crossing is the Sony Building.

The Sony Building , designed by Japanese architect Yoshinobu Ashihara, was opened in 1966. This 7-storey building showcases all of Sony's electronic gadgets and gizmos, including video and digital cameras, CD players, radios, MP3 players, televisions, mobile phones, computers and Play Station products, besides other devices. The Sony Building also houses an event space where various exhibitions are held, a high vision theatre, a broadcasting studio, and several room layouts suggesting how all the technology can be best incorporated into the home. The place to actually buy Sony electronics is the basement of the building, where all Sony gadgets are sold. The Sony Building also houses a BMW showroom, a few shops, restaurants and cafes. According to records, this centre attracts around 5.5 million visitors every year.

Another high-tech center in Ginza is the Apple Store , located at the corner of Chuo-dori and Matsuya-dori. The Apple Store, the first to open outside the United States, is an 8-storey building that showcases Apple products. The building is an architectural feat in itself. The outside façade is bead-blasted stainless steel panels on the lower and middle floors, and glass walls on the upper floors. There are huge Apple logos on two sides of the building, and a 10-foot long narrow display window on one side of the building. 

The Store is organized by floors - the first floor has all the Apple high-tech products on sale; the second floor has a 27-foot long Genius bar as well as movie and music products; the third floor houses an 84-seat tiered theater that regularly stages popular programs; the fourth floor sells accessories and software, besides having a free Internet Cafe for visitors; on the fifth floor is a Training Center where training and seminars are offered for both hardware and software applications; sixth to eighth floors have Apple offices, as well as other tenant offices. The basement is a parking garage.

The Hakuhinkan Toy Park is another must visit store in Ginza. Located at the South end of Chuo Dori, or Ginza Street, Hakuhinkan Toy Park is one of the oldest and largest toy stores in Japan, having first opened in 1899. Spanning nine floors, the store is the place to go to buy any and every kind of toy. In the basement is the Club 67 boutique for the Licca-chan and Jenny doll enthusiasts; on another underground level is the Ticket House, where you can buy tickets for the Japanese shows performed at the in-store theater on the top floor; the rest of the floors have dolls, teddy bears, video games, jigsaw puzzles, and every other conceivable toy or game for children. There is a wide selection of restaurants on the fifth and sixth floors.

Besides the large stores on the main streets, the side streets have a charm of their own. The side streets of Ginza are full of art galleries featuring paintings, photography, and graphic design that are well worth a visit. Ginza also offers a wide selection of dining experiences. There are over 4,000 eateries in the area, covering all cuisines and price ranges.