Reading material
Stores and Culture Originating in Ginza
Stores and Culture Originating in Ginza
― The City that Creates Japanese Trends ―
Why is Ginza the "City of Origin"?
Ginza's name originated in the Edo period when the "Ginza Yakusho" (silver coin mint) was established there. After the Meiji Restoration, it developed into Japan's most modern city, symbolizing the enlightenment period. During this transformation, numerous "Japan's first" and "Ginza-originated" stores and cultures emerged, and continue to spread nationwide even today.
Representative Ginza-Originated Stores
Ginza Mitsukoshi
A long-established department store that spearheaded Japan's department store culture. In the Taisho era, it introduced a new lifestyle of "enjoying shopping at department stores," which spread throughout the country.
Ginza Lion (Beer Hall)
Japan's first beer hall, established in 1899. It was the starting point for the culture of casually enjoying beer, a style that is still passed down nationwide today.
Kimuraya Sohonten (Ginza Kimuraya)
A long-established bakery founded in 1869. Known for being the first to sell "Anpan" (sweet bean paste bun) in Japan, it built a bread culture that fused Japanese and Western styles.
Fujiya Ginza Main Store
A Western confectionery shop established in 1910. Its cakes and candies became iconic of Japan's sweets culture, spreading from Ginza throughout the country.
Shiseido Parlour
A coffee shop that began in 1902 by serving soda water and ice cream. It played a significant role in establishing Western-style café culture in Japan.
BONGENCOFFEE
A new brand originating in Ginza that is attracting attention in the modern era is BONGENCOFFEE.
Its unique style, characterized by a Japanese modern space adorned with bonsai, aromatic self-roasted coffee, and pairings with Japanese sweets and onigiri, is a new Japanese café culture that could only have been born in Ginza. Since its inception, it has proudly proclaimed its "Ginza origin" and continues to attract tourists from Japan and abroad.
Culture Spreading from Ginza
・Coffee shop and café culture
・Department store shopping style
・Entertainment and theater culture
・And modern specialty coffee culture
These can all be considered "cultures of origin" that have spread from Ginza throughout Japan and the world.
Summary
Ginza is a city that has given birth to department stores, beer halls, long-established bakeries and confectionery shops, and in modern times, new cafe brands like BONGENCOFFEE. This city, which continues to transmit new values while preserving tradition, is precisely why it is called the "place of origin."
👉 BONGENCOFFEE | OFFICIAL SITE
https://ginza-bongen.jp/