Name: Nihonbashi | 1-Day Itinerary in the Heart of Tokyo
Uploaded: 2025-07-20T18:15:01.000Z
Duration: 9 min 37 s
Description: Thousands of YouTube videos with English-Chinese subtitles! Now you can learn to understand native speakers, expand your vocabulary, and improve your pronunciation...

Located at the very heart of Tokyo is the historic commercial centre of Nihonbashi.

Participle clauses

Positioned at the starting point of Japan's original five highways, the district flourished ever since its beginnings in the early 17th century, with bustling shops lining its streets and shipping canals.

Most prominent among these shops is Mitsukoshi, Japan's first modern department store and still one of its most stylish and best loved.

In this video, we'll explore what makes Nihonbashi Mitsukoshi so special and then explore some other local highlights in the Nihonbashi area.

We'll start our day at the heart of Tokyo's Nihonbashi district at Nihonbashi Bridge.

From here, we'll explore the iconic Nihonbashi Mitsukoshi main store.

After that, we'll take part in a papermaking activity at the traditional paper goods store Ozawashi, before making our way back to the Nihonbashi Bridge for a special guided river cruise.

Finally, we'll end our day with some traditional fine dining at Kashiwaya Ningyocho, a wonderful little restaurant nearby.

Join me for a day of exploring Tokyo's Nihonbashi district.

Located just 10 minutes walk from Tokyo Station, the buzzing commercial centre of Nihonbashi is known for its imposing architecture and countless businesses, shops and restaurants.

While the area has undergone many changes and a few facelifts since the feudal era, it's still home to some of the country's most important institutions.

From the headquarters of the Bank of Japan to the Tokyo Stock Exchange.

I'm here at the Nihonbashi Bridge, the landmark that gives this part of Tokyo its name.

The original wooden version was built back in 1603, that's the same year as the founding of the Tokugawa Shogunate.

To this day, the bridge marks the centre of Japan's network of highways.

It's currently covered by an expressway, but this is scheduled to be dismantled by around 2040.

Just like Nihonbashi itself, Mitsukoshi, originally named Echigoya, can trace its origins back to the Edo period, first moving here in 1683 as a kimono merchant and money exchange.

Even from the beginning, the company took an innovative approach, including labelled pricing and the option to cut fabric to order.

While the current department store opened in 1914, it was rebuilt just a few years later following the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923.

Inside, visitors are met with an elegant interior with marble pillars, art deco patterns and modern details by designers including Kumakengo.

In pride of place is this spectacular statue of Tenyo, the Buddhist deity of sincerity.

One of the busiest and most exciting parts of any Japanese department store is the basement food level or depachika.

Here you'll find high-end ingredients and all manner of beautifully pre-prepared dishes.

Given its origins as a kimono seller, it's no surprise that Mitsukoshi's kimono department is second to none.

Here visitors can find expertly crafted kimono fabrics and accessories in a wide range of colours and designs.

If you're looking for traditional handicrafts or the kind of lifestyle goods you might find in a stylish modern Japanese home, you'll find them here on the living floor.

Mitsukoshi isn't just great for shopping.

Visitors can also check out a spacious gallery on the sixth floor with a wide range of paintings, sculptures, objects, tea sets and tableware.

This comes with some pretty serious prestige for the artists that exhibit there and of course if you have the budget you can even buy the pieces.

A great place to take a break is Mitsukoshi's attractive rooftop space, complete with a shaded seating area, a nicely designed garden, a bonsai store and a small but peaceful shrine.

Mitsukoshi offers a range of services to make shopping smooth and stress-free even for international visitors, with English and Chinese interpreters on hand and ready to help.

After our visit to Mitsukoshi's flagship store, it's time to set out and explore some of the other attractions in the district, starting with Ozu Washi, a traditional paper shop founded in 1658.

Washi paper is known for its durability, slightly rough texture and the way it softens and diffuses light.

You can see it everywhere in Japan, with uses ranging from calligraphy paper to lanterns and even sliding doors.

Here at Ozu Washi, visitors can browse a pretty amazing collection of different paper and writing materials, learn about the heritage and tradition of washi in the upstairs museum, or experience making their own washi paper at one of the regular workshops.

Our activity begins with this tank filled with a mix of water, dissolved fibre and plant sap.

By gently sifting the solution with this frame, a layer of fibres begins to collect, forming a single sheet of washi paper.

After gently removing it from the frame, we place it on a heated plate to dry off.

After our paper making experience, we make our way to the Nihonbashi Pier, just beside the bridge, for an exciting 75 minute boat tour along the Nihonbashi, Kanda and Sumida rivers.

Along the way, we catch glimpses of some of the city's most famous landmarks, while learning all kinds of insights and background details from our on-board English speaking guide.

Seeing a big city like Tokyo from its waterways is always a fascinating experience.

From here, we can really see under the surface to the bones underneath.

Historic bridges, railway infrastructure old and new, and even the original stone foundations of what was once Edo Castle.

To round off our time in Tokyo today, we make a final stop at Kashiwaya Ningyocho.

Tucked away on a quiet back street and run by a friendly husband and wife team, this restaurant offers gorgeously presented kaiseki course meals in a stylish but intimate setting.

The perfect place to try this fascinating traditional cuisine.

And that was our day of sightseeing in Nihonbashi.

I hope you've enjoyed this video and perhaps even have some new ideas for your next trip to Tokyo.

For more information about this trip, or to watch another video, click the links on the screen now, or head over to japan-guide.com, your comprehensive, up-to-date travel guide, first-hand from Japan.

Thanks for watching, be sure to subscribe and click the notification bell for more videos about Japan.

Subtitles ListPlay Video

Nihonbashi | 1-Day Itinerary in the Heart of Tokyo

fascinating

experience

position

explore