Prior to Ginza, we stop by at Ueno to check out Ameyoko. The bustling shopping street is crowded with stores offering a bit of everything from clothes, sporting apparels, shoes, chocolates, fruits, seafood to dried food. I read somewhere that Ameyoko is one rare place in Japan which allows price bargaining (negotiating) wow… But don’t quote me, we didn’t try and we didn’t buy anything.
Kimuraya in Ginza
We make our way to Kimuraya bakery (木æ‘家總本店) main store in Ginza. Their building houses everything under one roof, from production on the upper floors to the café and bakery on lower floors. Its founder was the creator of Anpan and his bakery has been operating for more than 100 years since. This makes tasting the Anpan a brainless thing to do here, our favourite is the red bean flavour.
Dinner at Genkatsu in Ginza
Our dinner was at Genkatsu, a popular restaurant famous for its 25 layered tonkatsu. There are quite a few flavours to choose from. Ours were the plain and the cheese. There is one bowl of sliced cabbages to munch while waiting. About 20 minutes later, the sizzling and crispy tonkatsu were served. Unlike the usual tonkatsu which is a chunk of flour-coated pork, the version here is stuffed with thin layers of pork.
Not sure whether there are 25 layers but who will bother to count anyway? Definitely not us, we barely wasted any time before sinking our teeth into the meat haha.
Both the plain and cheese tonkatsu are absolutely delicious, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. The tub of fragrant Japanese rice complimenting the tonkatsu was heavenly. I am sure other flavours are as good but we were way too full to find out.
We will definitely visit here again when we are back in Tokyo. (After this blog entry, I made my way to Tonkichi at Shaw House the next day to reminisce the taste lol)
Ginza, Ginza!
Ginza (銀座) is Tokyo glamorous shopping capital. A prestigious precinct is a place to see and to be seen, it is little wonder why every business wants a piece of the action here.
Some of the iconic luxurious brands here are Bvlgari, Cartier, Chanel, Dior, Gucci, Harry Winston, Hermes, Louis Vuitton and Prada. Some brands operate from their very own building. Yes, buildings not shops! Even Nissan Motors has a gallery here to showcase their latest cars…huh?
Ginza is also home to popular upscale departmental stores like Matsuya, Matsuzakaya, Mitsukoshi and Wako. And Wako Building with its symbolic clock is a landmark in Ginza, the crossroads where the building stands are one of the most photographed places.
The whole Ginza is a shopping paradise with plenty of flagship stores to attract the attention of your wallet. But the luxury goods are mostly pricier compared to Singapore. Still, Ginza is a great place to admire modern buildings of famous brands, see the beautiful window displays and soak in the extravagance atmosphere. We stay around until the neon lights and video displays come to life, lighting up the night with a whole new charm.
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What are your thoughts about Ginza in Tokyo? Leave a comment and share it with me.
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