Art Aquarium, only-in-Japan theater, shopping gold & the world’s best coffee
Art Aquarium: Open every day, 10:00-19:00
Mitsukoshi Ginza Food Hall: Open every day, 10:00-20:00
Itoya stationery store: Open every day, 10:00-20:00 (closes early at 19:00 on Sunday)
Ginza Six: Open every day, 10:30-20:30
Kabuki-za Theater: Open every day. 10:00-18:00
Cafe Bechet (coffee): Open every day, 11:00-21:30
Ginza Ranzu (coffee): Open every day, M-Th 10:00-21:00, Sat 11:00-21:00, Sun 11:00-20:00
Matsuya Ginza Food Hall: Open every day, 10:00-20:00 (closes early at 19:30 on Sunday)
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Here’s what to see and why you might want to see it…
Art Aquarium
Art Aquarium is an eye-popping only-in-Japan museum where the art is very much alive and you definitely shouldn’t miss it! From light-changing laser-lit fish habitats to fancy goldfish that will make you swoon, it’s well worth the price of admission.
But wandering around the neighborhood afterwards is fun too. Here are a couple of things to aim for…
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Mitsukoshi Ginza Food Hall
From matcha macarons to yakitori chicken wings, this is the best department store food hall in Tokyo (and it’s in the basement of the same building as Art Aquarium!)
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Ito-ya Stationery Store
If you’re a pen and paper fiend, do not miss this eight-story stationery shop filled with a dizzying selection of the best of the best of everything writerly. From Japanese pens, paper and brushes to Japan-themed stickers to gifts you won’t see anywhere else, Ito-ya is well worth a stop.
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Kabuki-za Theater
Japan’s over-the-top stage show in all its glory! (And here’s a great way to get a little taste if you don’t want to sit through—or pay for—an entire three-hour performance)
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Ginza Six
Just another fancy mall, except it’s got a five-story digital waterfall…
…and a shop where you can buy quirky/gorgeous gifts for any budget
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And when you feel in need of a pick-me up, stop at one of these two amazing coffee shops:
Cafe Bechet
Beans are roasted fresh daily, then weighed and ground to order before being slowly hand-dripped into an antique cup chosen to suite the variety of coffee you ordered. This is Slow Coffee at its finest, in a setting that time travels you back to the years when the Sydney Bechet was still performing the jazz that inspired this old-time cafe.
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Cafe Ranzu
You may want to order this to go, because Ranzu really is a militantly old-fashioned Japanese style coffee shop where it doesn’t just have a smoking section, the WHOLE RESTAURANT is a smoking section, but ordering an iced latte gets you this insanely delicious coffee drink that is a million times better than anything you have ever had or ever will have, period.
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And before you leave the Ginza area, you should also hit the
Matsuya Ginza Food Hall
There’s one counter you should visit at the second-greatest department store food hall in Tokyo, and that’s the Mamegen shop. They sell all kinds of interesting flavors of crowd-pleasing Japanese snax for ¥400-¥600. They’re the kind of thing you can bring to all your friends back home and they will always thank you.
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If you’d like to browse all the gardens or shrines or individual neighborhoods in Tokyo, links are on The Tokyo Guide I Wish I’d Had
If you’d like info on seasonal secrets and beyond Tokyo destinations, subscribe to my monthly e-magazine Japanagram (it’s free!)
and if you’d like to discover super quirky things to do, do a search at Only In Japan
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Jonelle Patrick writes novels set in Japan, produces the monthly e-magazine Japanagram, and blogs at Only In Japan and The Tokyo Guide I Wish I’d Had
Jonelle Patrick writes about Japan 