Neighbourhood in Chuo
Ginza
銀座
Tokyo's classic upmarket shopping district, with department stores, flagship boutiques, the Kabuki-za theatre and a main street that closes to cars at weekends.
- places to see
- 9
- walk past the highlights
- 6.3 km
- Tokyo
- Chuo
Photo: Basile Morin (opens in a new tab), CC BY-SA 4.0 (opens in a new tab), from Wikimedia Commons
Ginza took its name from a silver-coin mint set up here in 1612. Today it is Tokyo's most polished shopping district: old department stores and the Wako clock tower at the 4-chome crossing, international flagship stores along Chuo-dori and small galleries in the back streets.
At weekends Chuo-dori closes to traffic and becomes a pedestrian street (hokoten). For a break from shopping, catch a single act at the Kabuki-za, or walk 10 minutes to the Tsukiji Outer Market for lunch. See our Chuo guide for the rest of the ward.
Don't miss in Ginza
Start with these, then wander the side streets.
1. Kabuki-za Theatre
歌舞伎座See a single act of kabuki without booking a whole programme. Tickets for single acts go on sale on the day.
Photo: Kakidai (opens in a new tab), CC BY-SA 4.0 (opens in a new tab), from Wikimedia Commons
Open in Google Maps (opens in a new tab)
2. GINZA SIX
GINZA SIXBig department-style mall with a free rooftop garden.
Photo: 江戸村のとくぞう (opens in a new tab), CC BY-SA 4.0 (opens in a new tab), from Wikimedia Commons
Open in Google Maps (opens in a new tab)
3. Hibiya Park
日比谷公園Japan's first Western-style park, a short walk west towards the Imperial Palace.
Photo: 663highland (opens in a new tab), CC BY 2.5 (opens in a new tab), from Wikimedia Commons
Open in Google Maps (opens in a new tab)
4. Artizon Museum
アーティゾン美術館Impressionists and modern Japanese art in a sleek museum near Kyobashi.
Photo: Wpcpey (opens in a new tab), CC BY 4.0 (opens in a new tab), from Wikimedia Commons
Open in Google Maps (opens in a new tab)
5. Hama-rikyu Gardens
浜離宮恩賜庭園Seaside garden with a teahouse on a pond, about 15 minutes' walk south.
Photo: Chris 73 / Wikimedia Commons (opens in a new tab), CC BY-SA 3.0 (opens in a new tab), from Wikimedia Commons
Open in Google Maps (opens in a new tab)
Walk Ginza in order
The highlights as one easy walk, about 6.3 km in all.
Stop 1
Kabuki-za Theatre
Start here
Stop 2
GINZA SIX
6 min walk
Stop 3
Hibiya Park
14 min walk
Stop 4
Hama-rikyu Gardens
24 min walk
Stop 5
Artizon Museum
40 min walk
More around Ginza
Other places within walking distance. Each shows its Japanese name for maps and taxis.
Asahi Inari Shrine
朝日稲荷神社A Shinto shrine in Tokyo, Japan.
Hachikan Shrine
八官神社A Shinto shrine in Tokyo, Japan.
Tokyo International Forum
東京国際フォーラムConvention centre with a huge boat-shaped glass hall, free to walk through.
Mitsubishi Ichigokan Museum
三菱一号館美術館Art museum in a rebuilt red-brick office from 1894, with a small garden courtyard.
Ginza on the map
Every place on this page. Tap a pin for directions.
Questions
Is Ginza expensive?
The flagship stores are, but department store food halls, chain shops like Uniqlo and Muji, and cafes keep it manageable on a budget.
How far is Ginza from Tokyo Station?
About 15 minutes on foot, or one stop on the Marunouchi subway line.
Sources
We checked the facts on this page against these sources.
More areas in Tokyo
- TsukijiHome of Tokyo's famous fish market until 2018. The wholesale market moved to Toyosu, but the Outer Market's food stalls and shops are still here.
- NihonbashiTokyo's old merchant quarter around the bridge where the Edo-period highways began, with Japan's first department store and long-running shops.
- MarunouchiThe business district between Tokyo Station and the Imperial Palace, with the red-brick station, palace gardens and a tree-lined street of shops.
- AkihabaraTokyo's Electric Town: the centre of anime, manga and game shopping, with electronics stores, arcades, maid cafes and the old Kanda Myojin shrine nearby.
- RoppongiCentral Tokyo district known for nightlife, embassies and the art museums of Roppongi Hills, Tokyo Midtown and the National Art Center.
- RyogokuThe home of professional sumo, with the national sumo arena, training stables and chanko nabe restaurants on the east bank of the Sumida River.
- KagurazakaA sloping street from Iidabashi with stone-paved back lanes from its geisha days, old shrines and Tokyo's biggest cluster of French bakeries and bistros.
- UenoTokyo's museum quarter around Ueno Park, with national museums, the zoo, temples, a lotus pond and the Ameyoko market street by the station.
