Ginza
Ginza (銀座) is a district of Chūō, Tokyo, located south of Yaesu and Kyōbashi, west of Tsukiji, east of Yūrakuchō and Uchisaiwaichō, and north of Shinbashi.
It is known as an upscale area of Tokyo with numerous department stores, boutiques, restaurants and coffeehouses. It is recognized as one of the most luxurious shopping districts in the world. Many upscale fashion clothing flagship stores are located here. Prominent are Chanel, Louis Vuitton, and Gucci. A recent addition is the 12-story Abercrombie & Fitch flagship.[1] Flagship electronic retail stores like the Sony showroom and Apple Store are also here.
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[edit] History
Ginza is named after the silver-coin mint established there in 1612 during the Edo period.
Modern Ginza began in 1872 when, after a devastating fire, the district was rebuilt with two- and three-story Georgian brick buildings designed by the Irish-born architect Thomas Waters, along with a shopping promenade on the street from the Shinbashi bridge to the Kyōbashi bridge in the southwestern part of Chūō. Most of these European-style buildings disappeared, but some older buildings still remain, most famously the Wakō building with the now-iconic Hattori Clock Tower. The building and clock tower were originally built by Kintarō Hattori, the founder of Seiko.
Ginza is a popular destination on weekends, when the main north-south artery is closed to traffic. The traffic blockade began in the 1960s under governor Ryokichi Minobe.
[edit] Economy
Ricoh is headquartered in the Ricoh Building in Ginza.[2] In 2006, Ricoh's headquarters moved to the 25-story building from a previous location in Minato, Tokyo. In the Ricoh Building, the headquarters occupies the same space as its sales offices.[2][3][4]
Dai-ichi Kikaku Senden Co., Ltd. opened in Chūō in Ginza, Chūō in December 1951. In January 1958 the company relocated to a new headquarters in Ginza. The company moved to another headquarters in Ginza in September 1961 and its name changed to Dai-ichi Kikaku Co., Ltd. In November 1974, after growth, the company moved to another headquarters in Ginza. In November 1981 Dai-ichi Kikaku moved its head office to a facility in Ginza and administrative office to a facility in Uchisaiwaichō, Chiyoda. The headquarters of Asatsu moved to Ginza in July 1995. Asatsu and Dai-ichi Kikaku merged into Asatsu-DK on January 1, 1999.[5]
[edit] Subway stations
- Ginza Station (Tokyo Metro Hibiya Line, Tokyo Metro Ginza Line, Tokyo Metro Marunouchi Line)
- Ginza-itchōme Station (Tokyo Metro Yūrakuchō Line)
- Higashi-Ginza Station (Tokyo Metro Hibiya Line, Toei Asakusa Line)
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Abercrombie & Fitch, Ginza: Tokyo, Japan
- ^ a b "Company Data." Ricoh. Retrieved on January 13, 2009.
- ^ "Topics - Annual Report 2006." Ricoh. Retrieved on January 13, 2009.
- ^ "Outline of Ricoh." Ricoh. May 16, 1997. Retrieved on January 13, 2009.
- ^ "Corporate Overview." Asatsu-DK. Retrieved on November 9, 2009.
[edit] External links
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Coordinates: 35°40′01″N 139°46′02″E / 35.66682°N 139.76717°E
