TOP 18 Things to do in Ginza, Tokyo

TOP 18 Things to do in Ginza, Tokyo

(tranquil bright orchestral music) – Welcome back to “Tokyo
Cheapo,” I’m your host, Patricia, and today, we are
exploring the Ginza area! Ginza is known to be one of the most luxurious
neighborhoods here in Tokyo, and for good reason, they’ve got high-end shops, fancy bars. But, in this video, we are gonna show you
how to enjoy the area without breaking the
bank, unless you want to. Let’s get to it. (air whooshing)
(suspenseful whimsical music) (dramatic music) You might think I’m at a park right now, but I’m actually on the
rooftop of Ginza Six. For those of you who don’t know, Ginza Six is actually
like a department store in the middle of Ginza, and they’ve got lots of,
like, high-end luxury brands. But, what most people don’t know is that there’s a perfect
place to escape the crowds right at the rooftop. Also, there’s not a lot of people, and you get some pretty
sick views of the city. So, I kind of like the contrast of like there’s so much nature around you, but you can also like feel like you’re in the concrete jungle. “Jungle.” – “Ja-ngle.”
(Patricia laughs) – There’s more viewing
decks and rooftop terraces than you might think in Tokyo, so it’s worth researching
and especially looking at department stores. One that we’ve mentioned
before is Shibuya Parco, where you can actually see
Mount Fuji on a clear day. Behind me is the Kabukiza Theater, which is a very famous
Kabuki theater here in Ginza. It’s actually right in front
of Higashi-Ginza Station, so, great access, you don’t
have to walk through the heat. And for those of you who don’t know, Kabuki is basically a 400
year old Japanese theater. So if you’re looking for
something interesting to do while you’re here in Tokyo, buy a ticket here and watch some theater. Another interesting thing about Kabuki is that all the characters,
including the female characters, are traditionally played by men. So, if you see a female character, it might not actually be a female. I’m currently hiding in the shade right under Ginza Sony Park, which is a newly built urban space that has lots of different
art installations and creative pop-up. This place actually opened
in January of this year, so it’s very new, and they’ve always got something going on. Right now, they’re
partnering with TM Network, which if you like “City
Hunter” or “Gundam,” then you’ve probably heard of them before. The concept of the space is to
use Sony’s latest technology to create immersive experiences to tell the story and show the
art of their collaborators. Shah actually had the
chance to go film inside, and he said the 360 Reality Audio room was his favorite part. They also have a restaurant
here called Nibun no Ichi, where the concept is, instead of filling up on one big meal, you get to enjoy two smaller-sized dishes. That means you get to
try more types of food, and it’s double the fun. Shah said The blue
kombucha with orange peel absolutely slapped. If you’re into art
exhibitions or installations, Ginza actually does have
a few throughout the year here and there. So, if you want specific information, check out the Tokyo Cheapo website. This is Itoya Ginza, which is actually the largest
stationery store in the world. And it’s supposed to have 12 floors, but actually floor number nine is missing. We don’t know why. But, regardless, if people
like stationery or not, they’ve got something for everyone. So they’ve got like cards, pens. Some of the pens we found
were really expensive. I think it was like 990,000 yen, which comes out to be 6,700 USD. That’s crazy, but if you’re into that, you
can check this place out. Generally, if you like stationery, this place will be your paradise. And the most popular floor
is actually the fifth floor where all the pens are. It’s personally my favorite, but, just be warned,
there’s a lot of people. There’s a lot of floors and lots to see, so I would allocate at
least an hour to spend here. But if you’re tired, if you
go up to the 12th floor, there’s actually a cafe, so you can grab a bite
to eat or some coffee. And let us know if you
find the ninth floor. So Ginza is known for having a lot of
high-end or expensive bars, which is the case, but you can also find some
pretty affordable options, like this place. This is Three Hundred Bar. They’re actually the first bar in Tokyo to have a standing bar,
so that’s a cool fun fact. They also have a system where you can get a drink for
as little as 300 yen plus tax, which is pretty good. I mean, look how fancy it is. So this bar relies on a ticket system, and each ticket is 330, you have to buy a
minimum of three, so 990. And you basically buy
your drinks with tickets. So this one here is one ticket. You can get this many types
of drinks with one ticket, or if you want a little bit
of a fancier option, I guess, you can pay two tickets, which, 660 for a drink, pretty good. This is what the tickets look like, and basically these won’t go to waste, because you can actually use
them at a different store, or at a different time if you don’t wanna use
them up the same day. So I got the Apple Mojito,
which was actually two tickets, and this one right here is the
wajito, or Japanese mojito, and this one was one ticket. The reason why I chose mojitos is this place actually has
their own farm, their mint farm, up in Aomori, which is in Tohoku region, and they make organic mint leaves. So, I wanted to try their mojitos. While they were making the drinks, I could actually smell the mint as soon as they opened the package and started putting it into the cup, like, it’s really fragrant. You can tell that it’s
organic, it’s very pure, and I think it’s something
that they’re really proud of. So this wajito is really interesting, because the word “wa” means Japanese, so it’s like a Japanese
version of a mojito. And the reason why is because
they have lemon, yuzu umeshu, and this shiso. It’s really hard to explain what shiso is, but you find it in like sushi sometimes, it’s kind of like it adds this flavor. It’s really hard to explain,
you just have to try it. Yeah, this looks really good. And for this one, I don’t think I’ve ever
seen an Apple Mojito before, so I’m really excited to try this. I feel like this one will
be a little bit more sour, this one will be sweeter. I don’t know, I guess I have to try. Whoa. You can really taste the mint. Whoa, guys. The mint is very flavorful. And I say that as it’s
overwhelming, but not at all. That is a good mojito. And I really wanna try this. Okay, so this one smells
different already. – [Shah] Does it smell like shiso? – Yes. (tranquil upbeat music) Hmm. Okay, just as I thought. This one’s very lemony, refreshing, whereas this one’s more like sweet, kind of like a dessert, but not too sweet. I think I like yours. – [Shah] You like my drink more? – (laughs) Yeah. The wajito. This one apparently is really popular, one of their most popular ones I think, and I see why. Whoa, wait, hold on. As I go lower, I can
taste more of the shiso. It’s a really nice balance. I might try to make this at home. It probably won’t taste as good, but… – [Shah] I mean, it is only a
one ticket drink here, so… – Yeah. – [Shah] 300 yen for this. 330.
– This is a really good deal. – [Shah] In Ginza. – In Ginza, oh my gosh. They’ve actually got three
stores, including this one, and all three of them are in Ginza, so… So I got the Apple Mojito, but they’ve got several
different mojito options. Like, this one is really
interesting, Coffee Mojito, or if you don’t drink, they
have a zero alcohol one. Next time, I think I wanna
try the Sangria one though. I don’t think I’ve ever
seen Sangria with a mojito. And like I said, all of ’em have the sign that says the mint is
from their Tohoku farm. If you’re hungry after a couple drinks, you can also get some food. They’ve got some really nice
looking like Cuba sandwiches, barbecue pork, shrimp cocktail. And this is also the ticket system, so you pay with tickets. Unless you’re a camera enthusiast, you probably didn’t know that Ginza is actually well-known for their vintage and rare cameras. In fact, they have the
world’s biggest camera show twice a year right here at
Matsuya Ginza’s department store. So if you’re looking for some rare finds, or rare camera gears, then Ginza is the place to go. – Okay, so I wasn’t supposed
to be in this video, but I asked Shah to put me in, because I love Ginza,
especially the sky view. So we’re at Caretta Shiodome. It is a great place if you
want a sky view of Tokyo. Of course, you might now think
“Ginza’s sky view, really?” But, here, totally free, top floor, you have to go if you can find it. It’s a bit of a maze,
but if you can get there, whew, amazing views. Another recommendation,
Hama-rikyu Gardens, right next door, you can actually
see it from the sky view. Really nice pocket of greenery,
amazing for Sakura season, should check it out. It is a paid garden, but that means less
people, cleaner, better. We’re not gonna go today,
’cause it’s way too hot. Don’t come to Japan in the summer. So instead of that, we’re gonna go eat. We just had the best
tendon ever, I’ve ever had. Shah mentioned this place, I was a bit skeptical at
first, but, my goodness. It’s called Ginza Tendon Itsuki, and there’s two different stores. The first store is a
bit more izakaya style, so the vibes are really nice. This one is more like matsuya style, but can’t even compare it to matsuya, because, oh my God, 1,400 yen for nine pieces
of crunchy tempura, like two chicken, two
ebi, and a bunch of yasai. Like, how can that be
1,400 yen and be this good? I am bringing my mom here
within the next week. It was so good. So, definitely, definitely
give this a try. If you have this for your
first time ever eating tempura, it might ruin all other tempura for you, but it is worth a try. So the best time to come to Ginza is definitely weekends
and public holidays, because of the pedestrian streets. So the pedestrian streets, public holidays and weekends
starts from October to March, which is noon to 5:00 PM, and April to September,
which is noon to 6:00 PM. At this time, there are no
cars around in this one street, so you can run, you can
walk, you can jump, whatever. So Pedestrian Zone Days are just so great to hang out in these areas without the hassle of
getting hit by a car. (record scratching) – [Shah] I don’t think
anyone’s getting hit by a car on a normal day, really. I don’t know where that came from. – I just love that. – [Shah] We didn’t discuss it either. – And then you’re like, “Oh my God, the car we’re gonna… Ah!” Boom. That happens. – [Shah] Does that happen? I wanna hear in the comments, like, how many people have been hit by a car- – In Japan.
– In Japan while shopping? – If you’re here with a family, it would be so nice to just walk around without getting hit by
a car, like… (laughs) (production beeping) Tokyo can get so busy and very congested, so Pedestrian Only Zones are great if you just wanna walk
around, have more space, shop, and especially if you’re
with a family as well. – We know getting around
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SHISEIDO flagship store here in Ginza, they’ve got four floors, and on the third floor, I
believe they have a photo studio. Shah, they have their own
photographer too, right? – [Shah] They have a photographer
sat up there right now. (Patricia chuckles) – So if you wanna take some
pictures, they’ve got that. They also have really
interesting services, like, they’ve got a spa
that requires reservation, or a skin checkup thing, where they’ll scan your skin and then based on your
skin type or condition, they will recommend certain products. My personal favorite thing
about this place though is that they offer engraving. So if you buy a lipstick, they can engrave
something special on there like your name, or the
date of your Japan trip or whatever it is, you can personalize it, and it’s a great souvenir
for either your friends, or maybe yourself. Because it’s the largest store, they’ve got a huge variety of
stock both for men and women, and they’ve also got
some other brands too. I’m right here at the MUJI flagship store, which is basically a
seven floor MUJI empire. I just took a peek and I saw that there’s an
entire wall full of MUJI coffee, which I don’t think I’ve
seen anywhere else before. They’ve also got things
like household items, stationery, clothing, a
bakery, and a MUJI Hotel. So if you wanna be surrounded
by all things MUJI, then maybe stay here
during your Tokyo trip. I’m personally a big fan of MUJI I mean, all my bedding is from MUJI. I had no idea that they
had like a bakery and cafe. I got myself a cafe latte, and I can enjoy it while
watching them make the bread. So nice, I like it. We are here in front of the back entrance of the Uniqlo Flagship Store, because the front entrance
is way too crowded. But this place has 12 different floors with the top floor having
a Uniqlo Coffee Shop, which is really interesting, the first floor has a flower shop. And what’s cool about this place is you can actually
customize T-shirts or bags, which I’ve done for a friend
for their birthday once, but not every Uniqlo can do this. So come and customize your T-shirts. To the next spot! Behind me is Ginza Corridor street, which is actually a long dining street that stretches from
Shimbashi to Yurakucho. They’ve got so many different restaurants. And the cool thing about this is it’s actually under the train tracks. So when you’re eating you can
kind of hear the train tracks. It gives you a unique experience. This place is also not super touristy, because locals love it too. Sometimes you’ll see salarymen coming to grab a drink after work. And I think, Shah, one of your favorite curry places is here. – [Shah] Yeah, it’s just down the street. – Yes, but he will not be sharing it, because he wants to be gatekeeping this. (dramatic music) – [Shah] I-I, I’m… Yeah, I’m not telling anyone.
(Patricia chuckles) – So maybe, maybe if you’re lucky, you’ll see it in a future video, but as of now, (zipper zipping)
hush-hush. Shibuya has the Hachiko Statue, but this place has the Godzilla Statue.
(Godzilla shrieking) (beam pulsating) So we’ve kind of ended
up in the Hibiya area, which is really a walking
distance from Ginza. Usually, when you’re
spending a day in Ginza, you’ll probably end up in like Hibiya, Yurakucho, Tokyo Station, that area, because everything is just super walkable. And there’s a bunch of Toho things, like there was a Toho Cinema back there. We’ve got the Toho character, Godzilla, and right behind is the Toho
Screen & Stage building. We’re kind of in between Yurakucho and Shimbashi Station right now. And basically, if you’ve
seen any photos or videos of izakayas, or bars, under a train track, it’s probably here, or
in this area at least. When it’s rainy, it’s like
a photographer’s dream. You’ve got the smoke, izakayas, salarymen in the background laughing. It’s a good time. My dad and I’s favorite
place to come drink is actually right here, and you can hear the trains, because they are right
under the train tracks. Please be quiet.
(train tracks whirring) Overall, it’s a vibe. You’ve got the Japanese style izakayas, but then you’ve also got like
Italian food, German food, a little bit of everything. It’s nice that they’ve
preserved this local atmosphere in such a built up area
like Ginza or Hibiya. (electricity buzzing) We followed the train tracks and the bars and restaurants all the way to Shimbashi Station! Which brings us to the end of the video. The places that I personally recommend that we covered in this video
is the Itoya stationery store, ’cause there’s lots to see and do, and the Three Hundred Bar, that was honestly way
past my expectations, the mojitos were amazing. It was a vibe. But, yeah, let me know
what your favorite part of the video is, leave them down in the comments below, and, we’ll catch you next time. Bye.

Ginza Guide – https://tokyocheapo.com/locations/central-tokyo/ginza/
Sim Local – https://www.awin1.com/cread.php?awinmid=68844&awinaffid=477643&campaign=youtube&ued=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.simlocal.com%2Fplan-selection%2Fjapan

Patricia – https://www.instagram.com/whatthepato || @whatthepato
Shot & produced by @Anocam

Ginza is Tokyo’s centre of glitz and glamor. It’s a fancy, upmarket shopping district and it won’t let you forget it. You’re far more likely to find internationally-recognized luxury brand clothes and accessories here than a charming Mom-and-Pop shop or hip independent coffee store.

Originally, it was part of the downtown area of Edo (olden days Tokyo), and still has a bit of that old school charm. But the area was always somewhat posh. It was named after a silver mint that used to be there after all.

In today’s video we’re going to go through our top 18 recommendations for Ginza in 2025!

== CHAPTERS ==
00:00 Intro
00:26 1 – Rooftop terrace – Ginza Six
01:10 2 – Watch some Kabuki
01:42 3 – Ginza Sony Park
02:17 4 – 1/2 (Nibun no Ichi)
02:32 5 – Art exhibitions and installations
02:42 6 – Itoya – Stationery store paradise!
03:32 7 – 300bar – Tokyo’s first standing bar
07:00 8 – Camera shopping (Matsuya Camera Fair)
07:17 9 – Caretta Shiodome Sky View
07:40 10 – Hama-rikyu Gardens
07:59 11 – The best tempura you’ll ever try – Ginza Tendon Itsuki
08:49 12 – Best time to visit Ginza – Pedestrian zone days
09:55 Don’t get caught without data!
11:01 13 – Shiseido
11:47 14 – Muji Global Flagship Store & Muji Hotel
12:23 15 – Uniqlo Flagship Store
12:49 16 – Ginza Corridor
13:28 17 – See Godzilla
13:54 18 – Shimbashi – Bars & restaurants under the train tracks
14:38 Outro

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★★★ Credits ★★★
Intro sequence by the most talented Peter Laugesen : http://pjlaugesen.com

Creative commons images used in the intro:
* Gundam Robot Statue in Odaiba https://www.flickr.com/photos/picsoflife/8154554047
* Japanese Salaryman Asleep https://www.flickr.com/photos/istolethetv/
* Domestic Cat https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Alvesgaspar
* Saraninman https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:%E7%AB%B9%E4%B8%8B%E7%AB%A0%E5%A4%AA%E9%83%8E
* Wild Cat http://www.geograph.org.uk/profile/34298
* Ginza Holiday Promenade https://www.flickr.com/photos/yoshikazut/
* Shibuya Crossing https://www.flickr.com/photos/31029865@N06/