【4K】Japan Walk – Tokyo ,Yurakucho 有楽町 to Ginza 銀座 ,January 2021
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Tokyo International Forum 東京国際フォーラム:
The Tokyo International Forum is a vast convention center, concert venue and exhibition space in the Marunouchi district of Tokyo, bordering on the lively shopping and drinking Yurakucho area, and near Tokyo Station.
Tokyo International Forum is a cutting-edge art and convention center, Tokyo’s largest, and striking in its architecture. Its long, towering glass lobby is the focal point of the complex, which was designed by the Uruguayan architect, Rafael Viñoly. The lobby, inspired by the shape of a boat, is the height of an 11-story building, blending ample air and sunlight into its glass and steel framework. The lobby is linked by underground passageways to the huge auditorium wing across the courtyard.
Tokyo International Forum is dotted with works of art, is the venue for a variegated program of shows, plays and musical performances, and has several restaurants and cafes.
The Yurakucho (有楽町, Yūrakuchō) district lies one stop south of Tokyo Station along the JR Yamanote Line. Together with the adjacent Ginza district, Yurakucho offers a wealth of shopping and dining opportunities. Yet at the same time, Yurakucho has a more approachable, relaxed atmosphere than its upscale neighbor, and parts of it maintain a charming, old neighborhood feel.
One of Yurakucho’s most interesting draws is the lively restaurant district built up under the brick arches beneath the elevated train tracks of the JR Yamanote Line. Known in Japanese as Gado-shita, from “below the girder”, these favored watering holes of Tokyo businessmen occupy virtually all of the free space under nearly 700 meters of track on both sides of Yurakucho Station.
Yurakucho’s restaurants under the train tracks
The restaurants extend for a few hundred meters both north and south of the station, and run nearly all the way to Tokyo Station in the neighboring Marunouchi district. Most of the restaurants face towards the west side of the train tracks, although there is a good selection of them around the east side south of the station, as well. In some areas, the restaurants open up toward the street and provide outdoor seating in the warmer months.
Many of the eateries under the train tracks are authentic izakaya and yakitori joints where one can grab a cold beer and some casual good eats. But a wide range of other dining establishments can be found there, as well, including elegant French wine bars, Italian restaurants and German beer halls, especially around the slightly more upscale northwestern side of Yurakucho Station.
The Ginza (銀座) is Tokyo’s most famous upmarket shopping, dining and entertainment district, featuring numerous department stores, boutiques, art galleries, restaurants, night clubs and cafes.
One square meter of land in the district’s center is worth over ten million yen, making it one of the most expensive real estate in Japan. It is where you can find the infamous $10 cups of coffee and where virtually every leading brand name in fashion and cosmetics has a presence.
Chuo Dori street on a weekend afternoon
From 1612 to 1800, today’s Ginza district was the site of a silver coin mint (Ginza means “silver mint” in Japanese), after which the district was eventually named. The Ginza evolved as an upmarket shopping district following the 1923 Great Kanto Earthquake.
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