Ginza, shopping mecca or little village?
Ginza (銀座), literally meaning "silver mint", is the pulse of Tokyo's shopping heart.
With all major brands represented it has the highest concentration of western flagship stores in Tokyo and the price tags to match.
Ginza is where high fashion and tradition come together.
This pocket of Tokyo first hit my radar when Tokujin Yoshioka designed our Crystal Forest flagship store at Swarovski, in 2008.
It was our first opening of the new shop concept, it was in “G I N Z A” and the words buzzed around the halls like a sexy echo of dream fulfilling transactions at the register. We were all excited.
Ginza was, for me, the epitome of shopping heaven.
And I think that is why I was so surprised last Sunday.
Hokousha tengoku (歩行者天国)
...are streets in Tokyo which are pedestrianised to encourage shopping and socialising. Literally translated, it means "pedestrian heaven".
Each Saturday and Sunday, a one kilometre spread of Ginza-dori is closed to traffic. From lunch time onwards, tables grace the streets and even the cyclists are banished.
It is a time to bring the children, grab your camera and sip a tea in the middle of the street. The people-watching is high calibre! You can see everyone from businessmen, to hipsters to Tokyo's street photography-set.
Cleo and I went to check it out.
The most poignant impression left with me after our Sunday stroll was the peace.
In the heart of a city with thirteen million people, our afternoon in Ginza was quiet and calm. The noise was soft, with some occasional music floating out from a shop. The pedestrians were relaxed - no hustle bustle.
Nothing disrupted the serenity.
All street performances, promotional gigs or any other moneymaking activity is strictly forbidden.
On the other hand, if you don a Venetian mask and rock it up and down the lane, you are bound to cause a bit of a stir. Although Cleo was not technically street-preforming, she was certainly entertaining.
The funny thing is, I am quite a “strict” mom. Our children, poor mice, live under quite a clear set of rules. And 101 of the rules is that no toys, stuffed animals, costumes, etc. go out of the house… how this little girl snuck a Venetian mask by me, I will never know, but how happy was I?
She was the perfect subject for me in Ginza.
There are three hokousha tengoku in Tokyo each weekend:
Akihabara
Sundays from one o’clock on the Chuo-dori, from Sotokanda 5-chome crossing to Manseibashi crossing
Shinjuku
Sundays from noon, Shinjuku 3-chome
Ginza
Saturday and Sunday from noon, Ginza-dori, from Ginza-dori guchi crossing to Ginza 8-chome crossing
Once again, this city blows me away. I find Tokyo mysteriously filled with little pockets, just waiting to be discovered and teach you or contradict you.
