Tokyo Impressions: Ginza

Sleepy here.

Since starting these “Tokyo Impressions” entries I’ve come to the shocking realisation…there is no background to each location! I must apologise for this oversight, it must seem strange to read about our views on the different districts without actually giving any rough background information. So without further delay, I present to you “Ginza”.

Imperial Gardens/Business District

Ginza: A real mixture in this part of Tokyo; on one hand you have the Imperial Palance, across the road from that are the Government buildings and business parks and further in is Tokyo Tower. Within Ginza you will also find alot of shops that cater for the rich – Mercedes-Benz garage and clothing stores that don’t hang price labels – if you have to ask how much, you can’t afford it. This area then is a mix of old and new constructs and stark contrast of the Imperial monarchy, the ruling government buildings and high rise office blocks. It’s also an extremely expensive area of Tokyo in terms of price per square meter.

Tokyo Tower

Sleepy: Ahh Ginza, I enjoyed this area of Tokyo; plenty to see and do. It’s the perfect place to go if you want to do the tourist attraction stuff such as Tokyo Tower, Imperial Palace, Nissan show room and Sony building. But once you’ve been there, seen it, there isn’t a great deal to come back for. It was very glam, with a good mix of old and new buildings but the place lacked soul. You could argue the Tokyo Tower has soul and it does…but it’s just a tower that lights up at night. Tne Imperial garden was brilliant to look at but again, just seemed to lack that something that really draws you in. However if high rise buildings, gardens, expensive clothing shops are your thing, you’ll come back time and time again. For me, I don’t think I’ll go back to Japan just for Ginza.

Cheap & Tasty Food Stall

Otaku: Ginza is expensive. Cartier, Gucci, Chanel… that sort of expensive. Want to buy Real-Estate here? If you have to ask the price then you can’t afford to buy. However, Ginza is a window-shoppers delight! Its basically the same as any upmarket area of any city in any country so you can relax and enjoy the decadance of it all. Sundays are the best days to go, as large bits of Ginza get shut off to traffic and the little alleyways away from the glitz become more acessable. This is the beauty of Japan, no matter where you go and no matter how fat your wallet is, there is a place that the locals can call their own and for a few hundred yen you can get a delicious bowl of noodles! There really is something for everyone, the old Kabuki theatre is delightful, the (free!) Sony showcase building is amazing, and the food under the arches is very tasty.

Unless you are a ‘Player’ keep your wallet in your pocket because most every thing you can buy in a Ginza shop you could get cheaper somewhere else, however if you ARE a ‘Player’ you probably wont notice you are in Ginza at all.

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