Nihonbashi

Nihonbashi (日本橋, literally “Japan Bridge”) is a city district of Tokyo, north of Ginza and within walking distance of Tokyo Station. The bridge, after which the district is named, has been the kilometer-zero marker for Japan’s national highway network since the early Edo Period.

Formerly a wooden bridge, the Nihonbashi was reconstructed in stone during the Meiji Period and was covered by an expressway in the 1960s. You can cross a partial 1:1 replica of the original wooden bridge in the Edo-Tokyo Museum in Ryogoku, while a half-sized replica connects floors at Haneda Airport’s International Terminal.

History and Character

As the “center of Japan,” the Nihonbashi district has enjoyed much commercial prosperity over the centuries, with bustling shops lining the streets and shipping canals (most now filled in). Many shops with centuries-long histories still operate here. During the Edo Period, the Mitsui family opened the hugely successful Echigoya textile shop in Nihonbashi. Its successor, Mitsukoshi Nihonbashi, became Japan’s first department store and still stands in the district’s center.

Shopping and Dining

• Mitsukoshi Nihonbashi — Japan’s first department store. The current 7-story flagship (completed 1935) was designated a historic structure in 1999, with a 10-story annex. Decidedly high-end. Shops: 10:00–19:00.
• Coredo Muromachi — Newly redeveloped complex of elegant skyscrapers with modern-yet-traditional design inspired by Edo heritage. Many shops specialize in traditional crafts: lacquerware, gold leaf, knives, chopsticks, sake, seaweed, and sweets. Shops: 10:00–20:00; restaurants: 11:00–23:00.
• Coredo Nihonbashi — About 50 shops and restaurants beside Nihonbashi subway station. Scheduled to close end of October 2026 for redevelopment.
• Takashimaya Nihonbashi — Housed in a 1933 Western-style building designated an important cultural property. Expanded in 2018 with two adjacent modern buildings. Shops: 10:30–19:30.

Museums

• Mitsui Memorial Museum — Elegant galleries displaying art from the Mitsui family collection, including a reconstructed teahouse. Hours: 10:00–17:00. Closed Mondays. Admission: 1200 yen.
• Currency Museum — Free museum near the Bank of Japan displaying the detailed history of currency in Japan with historical coins and bills. Hours: 9:30–16:30. Closed Mondays.
• Tokyo Stock Exchange — Open to the public on trading days. View the trading center from the visitors’ gallery, participate in a simulated stock trading game. Hours: 9:00–16:30. Free.

Getting There

Nihonbashi Station on the Ginza, Tozai, and Asakusa subway lines or Mitsukoshimae Station on the Hanzomon and Ginza lines bring you into the center of the district. Also reachable in a 5-10 minute walk from the Nihonbashi Exit of Tokyo Station.