Official

Speaking of Ginza 4-chome intersection, there are many people who think of Wako Main Building first. The current Neo Renaissance-style building is the second generation of the former Hattori Clock Store headquarters building. Completed in 1932, the height is 39.39m (30.30m high to the rooftop, 9.09m high to the clock tower). At that time, the height of buildings (excluding rooftop structures) was restricted to 100 feet (approximately 31m) by the Urban Building Law (former Building Standards Law) enacted in 1919. In 2009, it was certified as a "Modernized Industrial Heritage" by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.

The clock tower in the Wako Main Building is a symbol of Ginza, but I think the six decorative reliefs on the walls that create the history of Hattori Clock Store are also very interesting.

※From the left of the photo below, "Cup symbolizing precious metals", "Trade name at the time of completion of the Hattori Clock Store", "Crests related to the god of commerce", "Trade name at the time of completion of the Hattori Clock Store", "Holdglass" and "Transformation"

The San-Ai Dream Center, commonly known as the San-Ai Building, was completed in 1963. The height is 48m (including the rooftop neon tower). The all-glass cylindrical building was inspired by the five-storied pagoda of Horyuji Temple in Nara, and was selected in 2003 as "DOCOMOMO JAPAN's Selected Modern Movement Architecture in Japan." The neon tower was renewed in September 2014. The design is the same as before, but a system has been introduced that uses only electricity from solar and wind power for night lighting.

This place is where Café Lion, one of the pioneers of cafes in Japan, opened in 1911. In 2016, "Sapporo Ginza Building" was renovated and became "Ginza Place". The height is 55.86m (based on the district plan "Ginza Rule", which was revised in 2006, described later), and the unique exterior design is inspired by the "watermark carving" technique. The light-up is also wonderful.

Ginza Mitsukoshi opened in 1930. The current building of the main building is the second generation of the completed building in 1968. By the way, on July 20, 1971, McDonald's Japan's first store opened a business on the first floor of Ginza Mitsukoshi (main building), which became a big topic, leading to the success of McDonald's Japan. In addition, like the Wako Main Building, the main building has a height of 31m in accordance with the Urban Building Law (former Building Standard Law). On the other hand, the new building completed in 2010 conforms to the district plan enacted in 1998 and revised in 2006, "Ginza Rule (the height of buildings is limited to 56m and the height of rooftop structures is limited to 10m)". It is 56m.

I wanted to know the specific date and time of the start of lighting up the hot new facade "Ginza Chandelier", so I contacted Ginza Mitsukoshi by e-mail. We received a response from the person in charge, but "We plan to light up in November to coincide with Christmas. Currently, we are in discussions with the city of Ginza to see if we can light up at the time when the illumination of the city of Ginza starts, so the specific schedule has not been decided. . I'm really looking forward to the announcement of this year's illumination plan.