Open Ginza in the guide, with the map, the walks and the places you can see for free.
Ginza, Tokyo
Old-money Tokyo. Counter omakase, deep tea rooms, the country's best department-store basement food halls (depachika). Dress one notch up.
How I use Ginza
Old money Tokyo, and the best department store food halls in the country in the basements. I use Ginza for three things: depachika at 10am when the sample ladies are generous, backstreet counters at lunch when the omakase price drops by two thirds, and the main crossing after dark when the stone facades light up.
What Ginza is known for
Ginza is old-money Tokyo: flagship department stores, luxury boutiques along Chuo-dori, and some of the best depachika (department-store basement food halls) in the country. It's also a serious dining district, from Michelin sushi counters to backstreet lunch spots, and home to the Kabukiza theatre for traditional kabuki. On weekend afternoons the main avenue closes to cars and becomes a pedestrian promenade.
Getting to Ginza
Ginza Station sits on the Tokyo Metro Ginza, Marunouchi and Hibiya lines. Ginza-itchome (Yurakucho line) and Higashi-Ginza (Hibiya and Toei Asakusa lines) are also within the district, and JR Yurakucho Station is a short walk. From Tokyo Station it's one stop or a ten-minute walk.
Use Ginza in three acts: the depachika at mid-morning when the sample trays are generous, a backstreet counter at lunch when omakase prices drop, and the main crossing after dark when the stone facades light up.
What to eat & do in Ginza
I've vetted 68 places in Ginza myself, including 11 for sushi, 9 for bars & izakaya, 4 for vegan & vegetarian, 2 for gluten-free and 11 for matcha & tea. Each one in the guide carries the nearest station and exit, what to order and the reservation reality.
The full names and the exact directions open in the full guide, that specificity is the whole product.
Ginza, Tokyo: frequently asked questions
Is Ginza worth visiting?
Yes, especially if you like food and design. Even without buying anything, the department-store food halls, the architecture, the Kabukiza theatre and the weekend car-free promenade make it worth a walk. Lunch is the smart move, the same high-end counters cost a fraction of dinner.
How do I get to Ginza?
Take the Tokyo Metro Ginza, Marunouchi or Hibiya line to Ginza Station, or walk about 10 minutes from JR Tokyo or Yurakucho stations. Higashi-Ginza Station (Hibiya line) puts you right at the Kabukiza theatre.
What is Ginza known for?
Luxury shopping, flagship department stores, world-class sushi and dining, the Kabukiza kabuki theatre, and its depachika food halls. It's Tokyo's most upscale central district and a favorite for a polished afternoon.
When is Ginza's pedestrian street open?
Chuo-dori, Ginza's main avenue, closes to traffic and becomes a walking street on weekend afternoons, typically Saturdays and Sundays from around midday to early evening (shorter hours in winter). It's the nicest time to stroll it.
See Ginza before you go
I've filmed 39 walks through Ginza, on foot, no cuts and no commentary. Watch the light, the crowd and the pace before you decide how to spend an evening here.
Explore nearby
- Shibuya, Energy capital.
- Shinjuku, The city in miniature: skyscrapers west, Golden Gai's tin-roof bars and Omoide Yokocho's yakitori smoke east, Shinjuku Gyoen's gardens an unexpected hush in the middle.
- Asakusa, Old-Tokyo temple district.
- Harajuku & Omotesando, Takeshita Street's teenage chaos one block from Omotesando's quiet luxury, the most architecturally beautiful shopping street in Tokyo.
- Ueno & Yanaka, Museum row meets a low-key neighborhood untouched by the bubble years.
- Akihabara, Anime, manga, retro arcades, ramen counters at 2am.