According to people who know about these things, Tokyo is the best city in the world for luxury shopping. There are more than 200 designer stores in the Japanese capital and a whole bunch of them are located in Ginza: the most prestigious and expensive shopping district in the whole country. If your bank account can take a pounding, you could spend a whole day here parading through endless malls, but Ginza and nearby Tsukiji have plenty in store for the less prosperous traveller as well.
Last year, on Chuo-dori Street in Ginza, a commercial property was estimated at 55.7 million yen per square meter. That would be just under 343,000 euros, which means the single tile in their utility room under the box of old clothes hangers is worth more than my entire apartment in central Antwerp. Tokyo is home to quite a few exclusive neighbourhoods, but only one can truly top the list. Ginza is Japan’s most glamorous shopping district, and one of the world’s most famous. This fame didn’t just come about overnight. Even centuries ago, it was all about the money here. Ginza can be translated into “Silver Guild”. This name dates back to the 16th century, when the Shogun’s silver coins were minted here. After one too many cases of institutional thievery, the whole shebang was moved to Nihonbashi (closer to the palace), but the name stuck. Silver got replaced by credit cards and the rest is history. Just about every luxury brand in the world now has its own flagship store in Ginza. Gucci, Chanel, Ralph Lauren, Louis Vuitton: you name them. All this splendour naturally attracts people of a certain standard, which is reflected in the other businesses in the area: high-end restaurants, fancy coffee and cocktail bars, art galleries, Kabuki theatres and plenty of impressive architecture. Ginza is a place for spending money and being seen, but there are plenty of things to do for more average Joes as well.
Ginza & Tsukiji: 12 travel tips for Tokyo’s most exclusive shopping district
Tsukiji is a neighbourhood bordering Ginza, but has a completely different vibe. It’s a bit more rowdy, everything feels a little older and it’s generally much less polished. Instead of frequenting expensive sushi restaurants, you’ll eat your fish here standing up at a street market or in a local eatery where you’ll often sit shoulder to shoulder. The Tsukiji Outer Market is the main attraction here. This used to be the largest fresh fish market in the world, where tourists came to queue up early in the morning to experience the spectacular tuna auction. Due to lack of space the auction was moved to nearby Toyoso in 2018, but the rest of the market – with its narrow alleyways and countless stalls – is still one of the busiest tourist hotspots in Tokyo. Two neighbourhoods just a ten minute walk away from each other and opposites in many ways: it almost has to lead to an interesting day out. And wouldn’t you know: I just listed all of the nicest sights for you.
1. Go shopping on a pedestrianised Chuo-dori
If you want to do your Ginza window shopping in peace, you should go between 12 and 5pm during the weekend. Then the main avenue Chuo-dori is closed to all traffic, giving pedestrians free rein. Tables, chairs and umbrellas are put outside, whole families go out for a stroll and street artists do their thing. This combo makes for a bit of a festival vibe you’ll never experience on a weekday. On top of that, you can now take your photos leisurely right in the middle of the road instead of risking your life trying to outrun the traffic lights. Want to do some actual shopping? It won’t necessarily cost you an arm and a leg. There’s a Don Quijote near Chuo-dori where you can buy just about all your souvenirs for a couple of euros, and on the avenue itself you’ll find the world’s largest UNIQLO: twelve stories high with a shop window running from the pavement to the rooftop. You’ll manage to find an affordable T-shirt or two there for sure.
2. Visit one of the world’s prettiest book stores in Ginza Six
Also on Chuo-dori is Ginza Six: an architecturally sublime mall opened in 2017, that quickly grew into one of the city’s favourites. It has 240 luxury shops to browse – the average handbag will cost you a kidney – but there’s a classic Japanese theatre and a pretty rooftop garden as well. The most impressive store in Ginza Six doesn’t sell expensive jewellery but books. Tsutaya Books is a huge and beautifully decorated bookstore on the sixth floor that specializes in art, architecture and design books, special editions and antique prints. In the middle of the store is an art gallery (the walls are stacks of books) for temporary exhibitions and they even have their own Starbucks – usually full of college students cramming their courses. You won’t find any exceptional bargains in Ginza Six, but it’s an interesting visit nonetheless.
3. Ginza Crossing: cross the street in a great herd
The Shibuya Scramble Crossing and the thousands of commuters using it at the same time, is probably the most famous Tokyo image there is. It’s the world’s busiest zebra crossing and everyone seems to run in all directions simultaneously. I personally found it to be a tad less impressive in real life (still cool though: don’t worry), and you actually don’t even have to hop on a train to Shibuya to experience it. Ginza Crossing is just as good. The intersection of Chuo-dori and Harumi-dori is slightly smaller but can provide almost equally striking images. The district’s most recognisable landmark is located right at this intersection: the Ginza Wako building with its iconic clock tower. Wako is a neo-Renaissance building, and one of the few to survive the WWII bombing raids. Wonderful building, but sadly there’s just another luxury mall inside. It has a space used for all kinds of exhibitions on the sixth floor, but I wouldn’t be able to tell you if it’s actually good. There are only so many hours in a day you know.
4. Dine with Dracula in the Ginza Vampire Café
Tokyo has quite a few crazy themed bars, but the Vampire Café in Ginza is one of the best. It’s more of a restaurant than a bar and it’s hidden on the seventh floor of an otherwise completely ordinary building. The main host here is Vampire Rose. This is no mere waiter, but an actual ancient vampire (who’s also in a rock band) who uses the restaurant as a cover for his nefarious scheme to plunge the world into eternal darkness. To realise this plan, he really went all out in decorating the place: blood-spattered candles, red velvet curtains, a toilet looking like a bag of donor blood just exploded all over it and a huge coffin in the middle of the room. Allegedly it holds the remains of Vampire Rose’s father, whom he murdered with his bare hands (it’s a vampire thing). The food is themed as well and has appetising names like Forest of the Dead where Bats Roam (a green salad) and Executed Van Helsing’s Remains (a nice stew). I went for a steak nailed to a cross and then set on fire, a cocktail with a floating eyeball and a tiramisu that came with a little chocolate tombstone – all quite tasty and original. The main strength of the Vampire Café is not the food but the staff. Everyone looks fantastic and is completely immersed in the role (given that they are all secretly actual vampires, this is of course not all too difficult). I had an absolutely hilarious evening here, and as a pale ginger I wasn’t allowed in the sun anyway. Eternal darkness is how I spend my summers.
5. Admire Hayao Miyazaki’s magical Ghibli Clock
*Picture by: Guilhem Vellut from Annecy, France, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
In the suburbs of Tokyo, there’s a fantastic museum all about Studio Ghibli, but you can only order tickets online once a month and they’re usually sold out in about five minutes. If you still want to experience some of that Ghibli magic, you can visit the Ghibli Clock in Ginza instead. It’s officially called the “Ni-Tele Really BIG Clock” and was designed by Hayao Miyazaki himself: the genius whose psychedelic brain produced the majority of the best Ghibli movies. The clock is a confusing twenty-ton steampunk construction made of steel and bronze and has more than thirty mechanical elements that will come to life three times a day. On weekdays this happens around three, six and eight o’clock; During the weekend they give it an extra go at ten o’clock in the morning. If you want to see all of it, it’s best to come a few minutes in advance: the show usually starts a little earlier.
6. Hakuhinkan Toy Park: lose your bearings in a huge toy store
Did you happen to travel to Tokyo with a bunch of small children? 1. Haha: you’re insane. 2. They have dirt cheap One Cup Sake in little glass jars in 7-Eleven. It will help to ease the pain. If you don’t know what to do with your brood, there’s a place in Ginza to keep them entertained for at least an hour. Hakuhinkan Toy Park is a massive toy store on Chuo-dori, with several floors that hold just about everything a kid could possibly want in life. There’s a whole lot of Japanese toys you’ll never find in Europe and they have an entire floor just for plush animals and Mario-dolls. The top floor is home to a huge slot car circuit, where you can race some random toddlers for first place with an electric minicar. Show’em who’s boss.
7. Yurakucho Sanchoku Inshokugai: cheap food in Ginza
Ginza may be an upscale neighbourhood full of rich people, but that doesn’t mean they don’t have cosy little izakaya restaurants for quick and cheap bites as well. Yurakucho Sanchoku Inshokugai for example (try saying that five times in a row), has a whole bunch of them crammed together. It’s an atmospheric alley under a train bridge, full of bars and restaurants: quite pleasant to visit in the evening when all the lights are on. I went for some gyoza here and enjoyed them quite a bit. The atmosphere was lively, with tables full of salary men enjoying some food and beers after a long day at work. There was even a band going from table to table playing requests. Under the same bridge but a little closer to the station, you’ll find Yakitori Alley: a similar place just as attractively lit, but packed with little grill restaurants instead.
8. Tsukiji Outer Market: visit the (former) largest fish market on the planet
When the tuna auction was moved from Tsukiji to Toyosu in 2018 – due to lack of space and because the infrastructure was getting outdated – there were fears for the survival of the Tsukiji Outer Market surrounding it. This fear turned out to be unfounded, because seven years later the market is still extremely popular – especially with tourists. This is not all too surprising, because it’s a photogenic network of old-fashioned alleys and corridors, chock-full of more than four hundred fish stalls and restaurants. Especially during the weekend you’ll be walking through a sea of people, but this is just part of the experience. At Tsukiji Market you can eat everything from your standard sushi rolls and all kinds of seafood to strange alien-looking creatures you didn’t know even lived in the ocean. Keep one thing in mind before you start spending money here though. In recent years, the market has been specifically catering to tourists. This means most places will overcharge you for what they sell, and you’ll pay much more for the same dish than in a random restaurant five minutes away from here. Most of the stalls close at 2pm by the way, so try and go in the morning.
9. Hama Rikyu Gardens: take a break in a Japanese garden
*Picture by Kakidai, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
If you need some peace and quiet after your visit to Tsukiji Market, you’ll find the Hama Rikyu Gardens nearby: probably the most idyllic place in this part of Tokyo. Hama Rikyu is a beautifully landscaped Japanese garden where you can wind down for a while with the Tokyo skyline as a backdrop. It comes with several seawater ponds whose water levels rise and fall with Tokyo Bay. Originally, the garden was commissioned by some feudal ruler from the Edo period to shoot ducks in. There’s even a memorial to honour them. Later, the gardens served as a leisure area reserved exclusively for the Imperial family – no plebeians allowed. In 1945 – it’s always that year isn’t it – they were opened to the public and since then everyone can hang out here. In the middle of one of the ponds lies Nakajima-no-ochaya: a beautiful and well-known tea house. The Sumida River Line waterbus stops in the park, so instead of taking the metro you can get here by boat from Asakusa.
10. Hongan-Ji: an Indian temple in Tokyo
Also close to Tsukiji Market is Hongan-Ji: one of the stranger temples in Tokyo. Not because weird things tend to happen in it, but because it feels so out of place. At first glance, it looks like a Hindu temple: as if you were standing in Delhi instead of Tokyo. This is no coincidence: the building’s exterior is indeed inspired by old Indian architecture. Inside, the stained glass windows and huge German organ are more reminiscent of a Christian church – peculiar combination. Hongan-Ji is also the place where the funeral of Hideto “Hide” Matsumoto* took place in 1998: at the time one of Japan’s biggest rock stars. Hide committed suicide at a young age under questionable circumstances. More than fifty thousand fans came to say their last goodbyes: crying in despair, crushing themselves against the fences and frantically sprinting after the speeding hearse. One 19-year-old girl even cut her own wrists on the spot (but luckily survived). There’s still a table with Hide-memorabilia left by fans in a quiet corner of the temple. Go pay the man your respects, he made some good music.
*Hide (pronounced: Hidé) was the lead guitarist of X Japan: the even more flamboyant Japanese version of Guns N’ Roses. I looked them up while researching this article and they’re great. Absolute shredder of a guitar player as well.
11. The Okuno Building: art in an old apartment building
*Picture by Supanut Arunoprayote, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Somewhat misplaced in between Ginza’s flashy flagship stores is an old apartment building from the thirties – one of the few in the neighbourhood that survived WWII unscathed. From the outside you wouldn’t immediately say it, but these were once luxury apartments. While it looks a bit dilapidated and feels like nothing more than a forgotten relic from a bygone era, there’s more to experience inside this building than you might think at first glance. Many of the original apartments are now home to little art galleries, studios and shops. This makes for an interesting place to visit, and while you’re there you can try what is apparently the oldest still operational elevator in Tokyo. You’ll have to open and close the door manually.
12. Interesting bars in Ginza: Tir Na Nog and the Ginza Lion Beer Hall
The Vampire Café is not the only place in Ginza with a unique interior. There’s the Ginza Lion Beer Hall for example: the oldest beer hall in Tokyo. It was opened in the 1930s and based on the originals in Munich. The staff wears traditional uniforms and the atmosphere is quite lively. It’s extremely popular, so you might have to wait in line to get in.
Another great place is Tir Na Nog: a cocktail bar hidden in a basement in central Ginza. The name is Celtic in origin and can be translated into “The Land of Youth”. It has hundreds of artful butterflies and fairies dangling from the ceiling and the walls are lined with display cabinets full of colourful vials and bottles. The cocktails are not exactly ordinary either. A Pink Tako for example, is a cocktail with a squid arm sticking out of it. I managed to contain my curiosity and decided to go for a good old whisky sour instead.
General travel tips for Tokyo: hotels, tours and public transport
**Disclaimer: This section contains a number of (useful) affiliate links. This means that if you book a hotel or tour through a referral on this page, I’ll receive a small compensation for it, so I can put food on the table without having to beg my sugarmommy for it. It won’t cost you even an extra cent, so why hesitate? Thank you in advance!**
Where you stay in Tokyo doesn’t really matter that much and depends on your budget and interests. Make sure you’re close to a metro station though. It’ll save you plenty of time every day and apart from the occasional bus, you don’t need to use any other means of transport. I found all my hotels in Japan on Booking.com.
You can book a lot of interesting activities, guided tours and food experiences in Tokyo. For a complete overview, take a look at GetYourGuide. Specific tours for this area I would recommend are: a tour through Tsukiji (not only the market) guided by local university students; an “unlimited” sake tasting experience with 60 different flavours (dear god, take care), or a street food tour on Tsukiji Outer Market. Need a break from Tokyo? Book a full guided day trip to Mount Fuji and Hakone.
Buy a local eSIM card before you get to Japan, you’ll need it. I’ve been using Airalo for years. This is an app that lets you buy data in almost every country on the planet. It just takes a couple of clicks. Install the sim at home and activate it after landing: that’s it. You really need mobile data in Japan, so you can use Google Maps to navigate through the subway system in real time. Google will tell you which train to take when, which carriage is best for your transfer and which exit you need to use to get to your destination fastest. Without online help you’re almost guaranteed to get lost.
You’ll need a Suica Card to use public transport smoothly. The Welcome Suica Card is specifically catered to tourists and can be ordered online. You can top up the card with cash in any station, and it works in other Japanese cities as well. The Suica Card also serves as an electronic wallet. The Japanese economy is surprisingly cash-focused, so if you don’t pay with your Suica Card, you’ll be carrying around a whole pouch of nearly unusable coins after a couple of days.
If you plan to visit a lot of different cities with the Shinkansen bullet train, it’s best to buy a Japan Rail Pass (book it here directly). You’ll have to do this from home and long before your departure, because they’ll actually send you the pass by mail and you can’t buy one in Japan. If you’re only visiting three or four cities like I did, it might be better to buy separate tickets on the spot – you’ll have to do the math to see which option is preferable. JR-passes can be booked here. Don’t want to bother with all of this and looking for a tailor-made trip (either individually or in a group) instead? Check out Japan Experience: they offer plenty of wonderful itineraries throughout the entire country.
7-Eleven and Lawson are every budget traveller’s friend. These convenience stores (“konbini” in Japanese) are on almost every street corner and many of them are open 24/7. Unlike in the rest of the world, they actually offer decent microwave meals (they’ll warm them up for you for free), delicious pastries and deserts and lots of adventurous stuff I was too afraid to try. Supermarkets are cheaper still, but they’re closed at night. 7-Elevens always have an ATM in store, accepting all foreign cards. You’ll want to use these, because plenty of other places won’t be as compliant.
EU citizens do not need a visa to enter Japan for trips up to ninety days. You could basically leave tomorrow should you want to. The yen is historically low these days, so now is the time.
Ready for more Tokyo? Read my articles on Shibuya, Harajuku, Akihabara, Asakusa, Ueno and Marunouchi next.
Looking for another Asian Trip? Read my blog posts on Beijing, Shanghai, Singapore and Hanoi. Would you rather go to Texas? Read my posts on Dallas, Austin and San Antonio.
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