The center of commerce Chuo-ku There are many lively shopping streets in Japan.
Correspondents visit, see, and hear the shopping streets that are loved by the locals, prospered with the residents, and familiar to them. It conveys the lively charm and vitality, special information, etc. Chuo-ku This is the 13th "correspondent's Shopping Street Visit" that introduces the shopping associations and shopping streets.
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◎Correspondent Visit to Shopping Street (13th)◎
Creating a safe, secure and clean city / Ginza 1-4-chome Namiki-dori St. Association
Namiki-dori St. is a street where old and new shops line up and reflect the history of Ginza deeply. By Harumi-dori St., Namiki-dori St. is roughly divided into 1-4 chome and 5-8 chome.
Today, we talked to Chairman Matsuzaki of the Street Association about the Ginza 1-4-chome Namiki-dori St. Association, which has achieved unique development.
①What is the history of the store association?Along with Ginza Chuo-dori, Namiki-dori St. is connected by one across Ginza 1-8 chome, but if you look at Harumi-dori St. as a river, 1-4 chome and 5-8 chome are on the opposite shore, and the composition of the city itself is different.
5-8 chome has the structure of a city where there are many individual stores such as restaurants and bars, and the number of brand stores has increased along with it.
On the other hand, 1-4 chome was home to newspapers and large companies, so there were many lands with relatively large frontages, and even after rebuilding, the streets became dotted with large buildings. I have a structure.
The store association itself was founded in 1994, and is a new street association (store association) in Ginza.
About 20 years ago, a story about expanding the sidewalk of Namiki-dori St. and changing it to a way that is easy for people to walk up from 5-8 chome, and a sidewalk filled with marble was completed.
A few years later, there was a plan to develop sidewalks in 1-4 chome, and the management organization "Ginza 1-4 chome Namiki-dori St. Association" was established.
It is a "dori-kai" with a history that was established with the aim of spreading the sidewalk and keeping the city clean, so it is slightly different from other shopping streets that have been spontaneously gathered.
In addition, concrete blocks called interlocking are laid on the sidewalks of 1-4 chome.
It may be interesting to walk along Namiki-dori St. while watching the difference in the materials on the sidewalk.
②What is the size and characteristics of the store association?The store association faces Namiki-dori St. from 1-chome to 4-chome.
Currently, there are about 70 member stores.
At present, the big commercial building is where a large company has been rebuilt.
Large buildings such as Plantan Ginza (formerly Yomiuri Shimbun Headquarters), Belvia Hall (formerly Fuji Film), ZOE Ginza (formerly Toho Seimei) and relatively small select shops are mixed in a good mix, so it is sharp and I think it's a fun street to walk.
In addition, when you enter the alley, there are popular restaurants, and there are a wide variety of shops, from luxury shops to red lanterns, so I think that it is a street where you can enjoy the unique charm of Ginza.
③What's the difference?In recent years, the number of young women visiting the city has increased.
In recent years, the flow of people from a large commercial building (Yurakucho Itosia) built in front of Yurakucho Station to Ginza Chuo-dori through Plantan Ginza, Marronnier Gate, and Marronnier Street has been fixed.
The number of unique shops on Namiki-dori St. along the way has also increased, and people are flowing from Marronnier Street to Namiki-dori St.
Even at Namiki-dori St., 5-8 chome is lined with luxury brand stores, but 1-4 chome has many select shops and unique stores, and as a result, it feels like it attracts young women.
④Do you have any unique services or events offered at the store association?Since it is a "street society" that assumes that the aesthetics of the street are protected, the store association's own services, events, and sales are not provided at this time.
At Autumn Ginza, a festival of the entire Ginza held at the end of October, Ginza 1-4-chome Namiki-dori St. Association is also sponsoring, but it has not yet been reached before holding its own event.
⑤As the chairman's hot feelings ...We regard "safety, security and cleanliness" as the most important thing for a street party.
We believe these three are the biggest services for customers who come to Namiki-dori St..
We strive to create a city that "If you go to Ginza, you can shop safely and with peace of mind", and as well as Namiki-dori St. 1-4 chome, as well as the entire city of Ginza, we are working to create a city based on the common recognition that we must protect this "safety, security and cleanliness".
In addition, as the number of foreign customers is increasing, we believe that "safety, security, and cleanliness" will lead to a better image not only in Ginza but also in Japan.
From now on, I would like to continue to adhere to these three keywords to make Ginza better.
<Additional Story>The oldest shop in the store association is Matsuzaki Senmochi, where Chairman Matsuzaki is president, and has a history of nearly 200 years.
Nowadays, it is fashionable and state-of-the-art Namiki-dori St., but it was originally a living road.
In the past, there was a fruit and vegetable market in Kyobashi, so the vegetables transported by boat from Chiba were replaced with Daihachi cars at the dock in Kibiki-cho, and they were passing through Namiki-dori St. while pulling with horses. is.
In the past, there was a drinking fountain in the middle of Namiki-dori St. where horses could drink water.
In this way, Namiki-dori St. did not start with a shopping street lined with shops, but it seems that the development of living roads was realized.
It was an unimaginable story from the current Namiki-dori St.
<Report>Mr. Matsuzaki is like Ginza's living character, but it was a very soft atmosphere, and I was very careful during the interview, and if I noticed it, the interview time was greatly exceeded.
Not only long-established shops that have been around for a long time, but also new shops that are newly opened in Ginza love the city of "Ginza", and it is clearly understood that individual efforts are being made to make Ginza better.
It was an interview that made the walk in Ginza even more enjoyable. Thank you very much, Mr. Matsuzaki.
Ginza is a place where a wide variety of restaurants are lined up, from gorgeous shops to popular shops.
The concept of this shop is "shadow picture". Many works by shadow artist Yuko Hamasaki are on display.
