Nihonbashi 日本橋

As you continue to explore Tokyo, there are numerous wards and areas of interest; however, one area that is often passed by or overlooked is Nihonbashi (日本橋).

Nihonbashi , while primarily a business area in central Tokyo, was built up and developed primarily around and as a result of Nihonbashi, meaning Japan bridge. The first bridge was built on the site in the 1600's and was made entirely of wood - nothing at all like the stone structure occupying the same area today which was built in the early 1900's.



As you can see the bridge is now beneath an expressway overpass, which was built around the time of the 1964 Tokyo Summer Olympic Games, obscuring the classic view of Mt. Fuji from the bridge which was immortalized in ukiyo-e wood block prints by Hiroshige, i.e. 53 Stations of the Tokaido.

Recently, there has been a movement by the citizens to get rid of this expressway - time will tell if this passes or not.

As you cross the bridge, heading north towards Mitsukoshi Department store, you will see a bronze marker (photo below), which is the point from which all distances in Japan are measured - i.e. if you see a sign along the highway noting the distance to Tokyo, it is this marker that is used to calculate the distance.



Passing by this marker, you will see Mitsukoshi Department store on the left side of the street on Mitsukoshimae. Famous for selling kimonos and started by the Mitsui family, this store personifies high end shopping under one roof....think of it as the Harrods of Tokyo - high end retail clothing, kimonos, a food hall in the basement, etc. While walking around the department store make certain to see this impressive, ornate and colorful sculpture in the lobby (photo below) which spans 3 - 4 floors.

In this district, you can also find the Tokyo Stock Exchange (東京証券取引所) - one of the top 5 exchanges in the world - which has a visitors observation deck and an exhibit comparing this exchange to other major exchanges around the world.

Also, in this area are the Kite Museum, the Bridgestone Museum of Art, the Pokemon Center, as well as the National Film Center. So put on a comfortable pair of sneakers and explore this often overlooked neighborhood.

All the best.....Mark