\u201cIt was around the fourth or fifth year of the Taisho period that people started to refer to strolling in Ginza with no particular purpose, just to indulge in the high-end feel of the town as \u201cGinbura.\u201d Like \u201cTora-gari,\u201d (literally, \u201ctiger hunting\u201d) the word used for strolling in Toranomon, it was coined by students from Keio who had a special talent for enjoying urban life.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u3000There many different stories concerning the origin of \u201cGinbura,\u201d so I will leave that for later discussion. Assuming that Ando\u2019s explanation is true, Taisho 4 or 5 is 1915 or 1916 on the Western calendar, which is just a century ago. Being a Keio alumnus, I was inspired to write some essays that would take me back one hundred years and allow me to revisit the fascinating history of \u201cGinbura.\u201d\n<\/p><\/div>\n
\u3000I was also curious to explore their recently renewed building. <\/p>\n
\u3000I got off the subway and walked down Ginza Dori from the Ginza 4-chome intersection toward Kyobashi. Ginza has entered a reconstruction boom and since the Mikimoto building is currently under construction, I missed the famous Christmas tree this year. However, the Japanese yew trees lining the sidewalks should soon be illuminated. On the east side of Ginza 3-chome stands Matsuya Ginza, with Louis Vuitton on the first floor. Then, crossing Marronnier Dori and passing by Bulgari in Ginza 2-chome, I arrived at Itoya, a long and narrow building with a glass facade. With Tiffany standing next to Itoya, this part of Ginza has become truly high-end. <\/p>\n
\u3000The red paper clip symbolizes Itoya. On the glass window facing the street, a round emblem depicting a fountain pen and ink says \u201c1904-2015,\u201d with 2015 representing the year when the new building was built, and 1904, the year of the store\u2019s establishment. <\/p>\n
\u3000The year 1904 is ten years before the word \u201cGinbura\u201d was coined and the 37th year of the Meiji period. Historically, it is a time when the Russo-Japanese War had broken out and postcards were printed one after another to convey the succession of victories.
\n\u201cA long queue would form in front of Itoya before it opened because people wanted to purchase the latest postcard. People said that Itoya expanded its business through postcard sales.\u201d<\/p>\n
(One Hundred Year History of Ginza Itoya) <\/p>\n
\n\u3000To go back in Itoya\u2019s corporate history, the founder, Shotaro Ito was born into a family running an import merchandiser business in Ginza 7-chome (former Takekawacho). Shotaro had a store in Hakuhinkan, in its Teikoku Hakuhinkan Kankoba days, but when the stationery store next door proposed to sell their business to him, he decided to change his trade. He soon opened Itoya in Ginza 3-chome, in a corner of the area where Matsuya Ginza stands today. It was a brick building with a narrow storefront of around 5.4 meters and a signboard that said \u201c\u548c\u6f22\u6d0b\u6587\u623f\u5177\u3000GENERAL JOB PRINTERS BOOKBINDERS STATIONERY\u201d in gold letters on a white board that gave it a sophisticated look. <\/p>\n
Itoya\u2019s hit product of its early years were postcards associated with the Russo-Japanese war, and today, and it still sells postcards on the first floor. Since it was the holiday season, a variety of Christmas postcards and letter writing sets were on display. I would say the atmosphere of the ground floor is unchanged from before the store\u2019s renewal. Somewhat restlessly, I chose a few Christmas cards and New Year\u2019s cards and headed for the fourth floor, where the planners would be. The new building basically has an escalator on the left side and the cashier to the right or in the back. <\/p>\n
\u3000 On the first to fourth floor, they sell mainly conventional stationery, including cards, writing instruments, notebooks and planners. Their world opens up on te fifth floor and above, where they carry a wide range of products, from travel goods to interior items, such as cups and cushions, and also an area specializing in paper. The eleventh floor holds surprises. Getting off the elevator, I was welcomed by lettuce lit up in the window. Frilled lettuce was being grown at the indoor farm on the other side of the glass. <\/p>\n
\u201cFrilled lettuce currently in cultivation
\n\u3000Grown 9 days, to be harvested in 31 days
\n\u3000Temperature: 26\u2103\u3000Humidity: 67\uff05
\n\u3000CO2\u3000366ppm\u300d\n<\/div>\n
![\"\u660e\u6cbb37\u5e74\u5275\u696d\u6642\"](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/Column_01_01.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"\u662d\u548c5\u5e74\u5e97\u8217\"](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/Column_01_02.jpg\")
<\/p>\n\u3000<\/p>\n
![\"\u91ce\u83dc\u5de5\u5834\"](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/Column_01_03.jpg\")
<\/p>\n\u3000I have seen skeptical comments on the Internet about Itoya\u2019s new endeavors that say, for example, \u201cI would ave liked Itoya to specialize in stationery. They don\u2019t need a caf\u00e9.\u201d However, there have been times in Itoya\u2019 history when it was indeed like a department store. The building constructed in 1930 (Showa 5) after recovering from the Great Kanto Earthquake, in particular, was an 8-story Renaissance revival-style reinforced concrete building (with two basement floors). It was a high-rise building comparable with the three major department stores (Matsuya, Mitsukoshi, Matsuzakaya) that also stood on Ginza Dori. Photos reveal that Itoya and Matsuya were almost the same height, standing side by side.<\/p>\n
\u3000The floor plan was as follows: <\/p>\n
\u3000B1\u3000Sembikiya Fruit Parlor restaurant
\n\u3000B2\u3000Switch room & heating room
\n\u30001F\u3000Stationery, fountain pens, tobacco, gift certificates
\n\u30002F\u3000Office supplies, accounting books
\n\u30003F\u3000Gifts, cameras, needlework supplies
\n\u30004F\u3000Imported goods, precious metals
\n\u30005F\u3000Cold weather gear, phonograph, toys, dolls
\n\u30006F\u3000Sports equipment, Western musical instruments, LPs
\n\u3000\u3000\u3000 Eye glasses, optometrist room
\n\u30007F\u3000European furniture, interior goods,
\n\u3000\u3000\u3000 Aguri Yoshiyuki Beauty Parlor, Tatsuo Kumagaya Photo Studio
\n\u30008F\u3000Office<\/p>\n
\u3000It was no different from a department store. By the way, Aguri Yoshiyuki is the mother of Junnosuke and Kazuko Yoshiyuki. She was a celebrity of Ginza then, which implies that the Itoya building was a trend spot.\n<\/p><\/div>\n
![\"\u3042\u3050\u308a\u7f8e\u5bb9\u5ba4\"](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/Column_01_04.jpg\")
<\/p>\n\u3000Since the \u201cAT\u00b7A\u00b7GLANCE\u201d planner is made in the U.S., it comes with small stickers for Japanese national holidays. New Year\u2019s Day, Coming-of-Age Day, National Foundation Day\u2026. I started my annual task of placing small round stickers on the corresponding slots as I enjoyed my Eggs Benedict. <\/p><\/div>\n
\nGinza Hyakuten is available at member stores.
\nOr, have your personal copy delivered every month by subscription.
\nPlease refer to our website for details: http:\/\/www.hyakuten.or.jp\/<\/a>\n<\/div>\n
![](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/Column_izumi.jpg\")
<\/p>\n\u6cc9 \u9ebb\u4eba Asato Izumi<\/span><\/h4>\nBorn in Tokyo in 1956 (Showa 31).
\nAfter graduating from the Faculty of Commerce at Keio University, he joined Tokyo News Service, Ltd. While editing \u201cWeekly TV Guide\u201d he had articles published in Studio Voice and Popeye. In 1984, he became a freelance columnist and author. He has published many works on Tokyo, among which is Tokyo 23-ku Monogatari (the story of Tokoy\u2019s 23 wards). Kanreki Sharehouse (sharehouse at sixty) will be published soon. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u3000I am sure few people today say \u201cI\u2019m going to go \u2018Ginbura (strolling in Ginza),\u2019\u201d when they go shopping or for … Continue reading
\nAfter graduating from the Faculty of Commerce at Keio University, he joined Tokyo News Service, Ltd. While editing \u201cWeekly TV Guide\u201d he had articles published in Studio Voice and Popeye. In 1984, he became a freelance columnist and author. He has published many works on Tokyo, among which is Tokyo 23-ku Monogatari (the story of Tokoy\u2019s 23 wards). Kanreki Sharehouse (sharehouse at sixty) will be published soon. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n