18 Best Things to Do in Ginza

Ginza is the most upmarket and sophisticated district of Tokyo. It’s home to many high-end department stores, luxury brand boutiques, art and craft shops, galleries and top-rated restaurants. It’s a perfect district for shopping and dining, centered with the Chuo Dori Shopping Street that turns a pedestrian paradise on weekends.

Visitors can also explore excellent culinary experiences in Ginza as numbers of top-notch restaurants gather in this neighbourhood, including Michelin-starred establishments and Tokyo’s finest Sushi restaurants. The world-famous Sukiyabashi Jiro, a sushi restaurant by the sushi legend Jiro Ono, is also situated in Ginza area.

Although Ginza is known for being a chic and swanky neighbourhood, you can also find unique points of interests related to culture and tradition such as Kabukiza Theater, Tsukiji Market and Yurakucho. Ginza is where old traditions and modernity coexist harmoniously together.

If you are planning to visit Ginza or want to get to know about the place, check out the comprehensive guide to Ginza, covering the best things to do in Ginza area, Tokyo!

*Please note that this article contains affiliate links.

1. Shop at the Ginza High-Street

The Ginza’s high-street “Ginza Chuo Dori (銀座中央通り)” is lined up with numerous shops including department stores, high-end brand boutiques, restaurants, cafes and galleries. It’s Tokyo’s most luxury and sophisticated shopping district, and it’s also known for having the most pricey land price in Japan (over 30 million yen per 1 square meter). On weekends, the street is closed to vehicles and become a pedestrian only zone where people can safely walk and shop freely.

More info ▶ Ginza Shopping Guide: 15 Best Shops in Ginza

2. UNIQLO GINZA

UNIQLO is a popular Japanese fashion brand, known for producing high-quality, minimalistic and affordable clothes. While being a casual, fast-fashion retailer, UNIQLO is now one of the most famous and visited stores in this upmarket shopping district. UNIQLO’s biggest flagship store in the country “UNIQLO GINZA” is located in the Ginza Chuo Dori high street. The 12-story building offers a massive range of UNIQLO clothing items for women, men, children and babies.

More info ▶ 5 Must-Buy Items at UNIQLO GINZA

3. Ginza Wako

Ginza Wako is a long-established department store situated in the heart of the Ginza shopping street. It was established in 1881, and has a history of over 140 years with the current building built in 1932. The store offers a range of upscale products including watches, jewellery, interior goods, porcelain, tableware, confectionery and fashion items. Wako is under the Japanese clock maker SEIKO group, and the clock tower of the building is the most famous symbol of Ginza district.

4. Ginza Six

Opened in 2017, GINZA SIX is a relatively new department store in Ginza, featuring a cool and edgy building. The store was built on the former location of Matsuzakaya, which opened in Ginza in 1924 as the first department store in Japan then closed in 2013 after nearly 90 years. The name Ginza Six is after the building address in Ginza 6-chome as well as the desire to provide an exceptional “six-star” shopping experience. GINZA SIX has over 200 stores inside including luxury fashion brands such as Fendi, Kenzo, Alexander McQueen, YSL and Vivienne Westwood. It also consists of restaurants, cafes, a banquet hall, a Noh theater, office space and a rooftop garden.

For more information about department stores in Ginza and Tokyo, please check following links!

▶ Ginza Shopping Guide

▶ Best Department Stores in Tokyo

5. Luxury Brand Outlets

If you seek to shop luxury brand items in Tokyo, Ginza is a right place to be as it’s often described as the Champs-Élysées of East. The district is home to numbers of high-end brands’ outlets, including top fashion brands like Channel, Hermes, Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Prada and Dior, and Jewellers like BVLGARI, Cartier, Tiffany & Co. and Tasaki.

▶ Best Luxury Brand Shops in Ginza

6. Kabukiza

Kabuki is one of the most recognisable Japanese traditions. Kabukiza is a complex building to represent Kabuki to the world. It consists of Kabuki theatre, gallery, shops and restaurants.

More info ▶ KABUKIZA: Traditional Kabuki Theatre in Tokyo

7. Art Aquarium Ginza

The Art Aquarium is a new type of aquarium that combines goldfish and art with light, sound and fragrance effects. Temporary exhibitions of Art Aquarium were held in several times in past during summer, and due to its popularity, the permanent facility first opened in Ninhonbashi, Tokyo in 2020, then relocated to the current location in Ginza. The Art Aquarium Museum features a large number of colourful goldfish in fish tanks in different shapes and sizes, featuring various themes of Japanese culture. Visitors can immerse into the space filled with illumination, music and incense. It is located on the eighth floor of Ginza Mitsukoshi.

▶ Book Tickets to Art Aquarium Ginza

8. Explore Ginza’s Art Scene at Museums and Galleries

Ginza is known as a hub for high-end brand shops and luxurious department stores in Tokyo, it’s also a great place to explore modern culture and art. Including Kabukiza and Art Aquarium mentioned above, some of Tokyo’s greatest museums and galleries are located in Ginza area. Some of renowned Japanese companies and international luxury brands such as Shiseido, Nissan, Hermes and Chanel have galleries and some of them are free to enter. Check out the link below to find the best museums and galleries in Ginza!

▶ Best Museums and Galleries in Ginza

9. Ginza Itoya

Japanese stationery goods are highly regarded for its quality and design. The biggest stationary store, Ginza Itoya is located right off the high street of Ginza.

More info ▶ Ginza itoya : the Best Stationery Store in Tokyo

10. Don Quijote Ginza Store

While Ginza is mostly known for luxury brand stores and high-end department stores, you can actually find affordable products. One of the most popular stores in Japan among tourists, Don Quijote (ドン・キホーテ) or often called Donki has a branch in Ginza area, offering a wide variety of products including food, drinks, beauty products, souvenirs, clothes, home appliances, electronics products, toys, etc. Moreover, a lot of products sold at Don Quijote is discounted.

Learn more about shopping in Don Quijote ▶ Best Things to Buy at Don Quijote

11. Hamarikyu Garden

The real oasis in a concrete jungle. Hamarikyu Garden (浜離宮) was originally built as a feudal lord’s Tokyo residence and duck hunting grounds during the Edo Period and now visitors can enjoy it as a park with a great landscape.

More info ▶ Hamarikyu Garden: Scenic Japanese Garden near Tsukiji Fish Market

12. Tsukiji Fish Market

The world largest wholesale market, Tsukiji fish market is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Tokyo. The market consisted of two parts; the inner market, the vibrant wholesale area where the famous tuna auction was held in early morning, and the outer market where numbers of shops and restaurants gather.

The Tsukiji Fish Market was relocated to Toyosu on October 2018, and the inner market does not exist any longer. However shops and restaurants at the outer market of Tsukiji remain their business with the same conditions as before.

If you’d like to see the tuna auction at the Toyosu Market, there’s a tour that will take you to both the tuna auction and the fish market. Check out more details in the link below.

<<Book now!: Amazing Toyosu Tuna Auction & Fish Market Tour + Tsukiji Outer Market>>

Although the inner market of Tsukiji has been relocated, the outer market remains its existence as before. A lot of shops, restaurants and street food vendors can still be enjoyed at the outer market of Tsukiji, and it’s one of the best places to explore the food culture in Tokyo today.

More info ▶ Perfect Guide to Tsukiji Fish Market

13. Food Walking Tour

The best way to experience the fascinating food culture in Tsukiji area is to join a food tour led by a local expert guide! This Tokyo Fish Market Tour is one of the most popular food tours in Tokyo today, held in Tsukiji area daily. With a local guide, you can explore hidden parts of Tsukiji area, and try out authentic street food and delicious seafood!

More info ▶ Enjoy Local Food and Drink at Tsukiji Fish Market

Check the review ▶ Tsukiji Fish Market: Best Food Walking Tour in Tokyo

14. Tsukiji Honganji Temple

Only few steps away from Tsukiji Market, Tsukiji Honganji Temple is a Jodo Shinshu Buddhism temple with beautiful ancient Indian motif.

More info ▶ Tsukiji Honganji Temple

15. Sushi

Ginza and Tsukiji area is possibly the best area to eat Sushi in Tokyo. There are several world’s greatest Sushi restaurants within the districts such as Sukiyabashi Jiro and Kyubey. See the links below introducing the best Sushi restaurants in Ginza and Tsukiji area.

More info
▶ Best Sushi in Ginza: from Kyubey to Sukiyabashi Jiro
▶ Best Sushi in Tsukiji

16. Ramen

In addition to luxury Japanese food like sushi, Ginza has a wide range of options for Ramen lovers. Highly-rated Ramen restaurants are located in the center of the shopping town including Shoyu Ramen and Shio Ramen.

More info ▶ Best Ramen in Ginza

17. Architecture

Ginza is home to numbers of cool and unique buildings designed by renowned architects such as Ginza Wako, Ginza Six, and Ginza Place. If you appreciate architecture and art, you will enjoy looking at those fascinating buildings and visiting some of art galleries in Ginza.

18. Yurakucho

Next to Ginza high-street, Yurakucho offers plenty of options for shopping and dining with much more local atmosphere. Also it’s hugely popular as an Izakaya district and many small pubs and restaurants are situated under the train track.

More info ▶ Best Things to Do in Yurakucho

If you are wondering what to do in Tokyo, check this article below!
▶︎Things to Do in Tokyo

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