

GINZA SIX EDITORS
Fashion, jewelry & watch, lifestyle, beauty, foods…
Unique editors who are familiar with each genre GINZA SIX aimlessly
We spell way of enjoying that we found on foot.
The Delights of an Aimless Visit to GINZA The Delights of an Aimless Visit to GINZA
Toshiki Ebe
GINZA SIX EDITORS Vol.55
"We go to Ginza in families on Sunday" was nice event in a childhood, and, as for the memory that we performed in other downtown, there was not special feeling as Ginza though it remained. Why is? Is it result of vehicle-free promenade? In if "we do bad thing hell. If it is good child……We do not already remember whether scene of "silver Bra" that walker strides along main street where car comes and goes in usual times as "felt happiness for naming called "heaven" by easy discipline words was shocking.
Silver Bra of such me went down Yurakucho Station and, across free-standing tea ceremony room bridge intersection, began from place that walked Harumi-dori St., and looked at railroad model display of the sky Prize temple. And we were always excited whether you went 4, Ginza intersection that heaven crossed to the left, or you went to the right. Turned to foot to the right while remembering memory for period for childhood when it remained unexpectedly clearly though time passed very much and swung topic of town of Ginza where was the first in these past several years and very large commercial facilities where it was, GINZA SIX since then.
From the first floor where many high brands are displayed at to the north feisuanrimiteddo the fifth-floor on escalator. It becomes routine on holiday in winter to go to the snowy mountains, and outdoor wear is indispensable wardrobe whether I go to the sea for surfing without special plan. Favorite brand which the pronoun, the north face are good and wear. Design is usable as street clothes than other outdoor brands in season and is reason that it likes to be convenient for own style of sloppy appearance that there is not of border on weekdays and holiday though it cannot be said in big voice.
For example, "lightning coat" using high vent material with high water-resistant moisture permeability (all 28,000 yen ※ lower than + tax price) is symbolic. It becomes the strongest raincoat by outdoor life because it is surprisingly thin and can carry slightly compactly. And we can become T-shirt and suit as everyday wear cool like now because it is the big size with with Mods coat type to certainly get a lot of looks if we like fashion and trendy feeling if we put together. It is functional and is stylish. By TPO no object, mix-and-match power is high, too. As for the fear that is too convenient, and is borrowed by wife and partner. As size setting is abundant by unisex design, there is that we do two pieces of buying?
In addition, clothes and Gere who let you concentrate wisdom to use in environment that was EXTREME were displayed and were worried about trolley bag and button-down shirt.
Stylist who joined overseas location used trolley bag (40,000 yen) and was interested. Anyway, it is light, and wheel is smooth if we try. Preparation of compartment that thought about storing is the best. And appearance is cool. If airport has having this; "is familiar with me, construction outdoor, and is used to traveling. fuffuffu. That may give such an atmosphere; delusion.
Shirt (20,000 yen) is with GINZA SIX shop-limited item. By all odds it is hard to get wrinkled in function material which blended Oxford cloth made of cotton and omoi breath and nylon from where and dehydration seems to be early and seems to be usable from daily life to business trip after the washing in every scene when it is how many sheets or prepares.
In this way, "usable" wardrobe which took away the suburbs and city limit is prepared, and it seems to be reliable fellow with new lifestyle such as diversification of dual life and works tile. We think that it is to have a meaning very much that such an article is displayed at the highest commercial facilities of Ginza.
And to den ham which the second house is the same, and is on the fifth floor. With premium denim brand which we often introduce in editorial department "oceans" magazine where I am registered at, this interior can promise with the first enthusiast in the number of GINZA SIX Shops which there is. If compare with a word; "theme park of denim." At first, in "washing space" and "drying room" of denim expressing message "FROM VIRGIN TO VINTAGE" which brand publishes attention. Place where there is free service that it is glad that does wash & dry again and again when we like denim which we purchased, and brings up denim, but it is interesting that even anyone can visit the work process like social studies visit of factory and demonstration sale of Yakitori shop of mall. And innumerable vintage figure skating and signboards placed inside in shop are the best part. It may be junk depending on person to see (wry smile).
Furthermore, we cannot miss kids' wear in the Shops depths and enhancement of kids' space, too. Fitting room for exclusive use of a certain kid is very charming in tent of triangle roof. There is cafe on the side, and it is good to be able to enjoy drip coffee and espresso of taste not to lose in specialty store. And using cup of this cafe rather famous; be set in ga Shops shockingly……(the truth, please actually go to visit shop).
In this way, it is not just "shop to buy clothes" for, and it is in space to be able to rest, and to be able to gather, and to be able to enjoy, and, in this, I think that dull mail order of pochi is slight entertainment not to be able to taste at home.
If wander around many places, and slight change of mind becomes vacant; in the underground food section. As "was family on Sunday, and this was promise to Ginza", instinctively to the second-floor foods floor under the ground. Delicious thing of all over Japan, shop which we can drink standing, required items of able editor assemble in full force to "good present". Meanwhile, was told parent that fruit here is special dish in the days of child, or react to three characters of "ginzasembikiya" unconditionally; to patisserie ginzasembikiya.
Please warn this all here though it is store specializing in sweets including cake using fruit by having a practised eye of ginzasembikiya as appetizing, undecisiveness condition is to be terrible. We picked up two eccentric "sweet guys" while it was full of the most weak temptation including seasonal cake and fruit sand.
Gummies "ginzasembikiya PREMIUM mind" that one had "UHA Mikakuto co-LOLO" and collaboration of (600 yen). "It is aa, gummies. Once we threw this into mouth and bit people and did after the third-rate front pretended saying it is guy who could buy at convenience store. As is attacked by taste as come to have a pain in cheeks tightly, in here attention. Cantaloupe taste to symbolize ginzasembikiya in particular is recommended.
The other chocolate (1,500 yen) of strawberry. We let white chocolate soak into strawberry which let you make freeze-drying, and this is knocked out for resistance to the teeth that person getsu mimeno is surprising, too. After all, attention.
But job of life food review will not come even if we eat which me as "they let you be, and only words of ..." bought person after all.
Though you did theme setting properly if it was editor and did selection of shop which followed that and must write logical sentence, we have somewhat chosen shop without connection. We interpret conveniently by all means even if we go round the halls while ruminating so as worldly desires take a turn when wonderful encounter and thing and service that I want, diversity with fun space are charm of GINZA SIX and are finished aimlessly. When everybody wanders around this shopping heaven, it becomes love love
Text: Toshiki Ebe Photos: Shohei Saito Exit: Yuka Okada
When I was child, going to Ginza on Sunday with my family was a happy event. I remember going to other shopping districts, too, but nothing felt like Ginza. Why was this? Was it because Ginza was a pedestrian paradise, with vehicles forbidden to take to its streets on the weekends? Perhaps I just associated the use of the word paradise in the description with happiness, as in: naughty children go to hell, while good children go to… Or maybe it was the sight of all the pedestrians out and about on their Ginza strolls on a wide avenue where normally cars are passing by. I really can’t remember now.
Our Ginza stroll would begin when we alighted at Yurakucho Station. We would cross the Sukiyabashi intersection, walk along Harumi Street, and perhaps inspect the model railway on display in the Tenshodo store. Then, we’d turn left or right at the Ginza 4-chome intersection through which the pedestrianized zone passes. I would look forward with excitement to learning which direction we would take. Much time has passed since then, but the memories remain surprisingly fresh. As I recall them, I head to the right in the direction of the huge GINZA SIX shopping complex, the most talked about place in Ginza these past few years.
From the first floor filled with numerous high-end stores, I take the elevator up to The North Face Unlimited on the fifth floor. If I have nothing scheduled, my routine is to go to the beach to surf or, in the winter, to head up to the snowy mountains. So outdoor wear has always been a fixture in my wardrobe. The North Face is synonymous with outdoor wear. It’s one of my favorite brands and one I wear often. The designs tend to be more sophisticated than other outdoor brands—designs you can also wear about town. Another reason I like the brand, though I say this in quieter tones, is that it fits my own personal style, which is characterized by loose-fitting garments and a lack of distinction between weekdays and days off.
The Lightning Coat, for example, which is made of Hyvent, a material that offers high water resistance and moisture permeability (28,000 yen; all prices listed before tax), is symbolic of the brand. It’s remarkably thin, light, and compact, so it’s easy to carry, which makes it the ideal raincoat for outdoor life. If you’re a fashion aficionado, your eyes will be drawn to the styling, which recalls a mod coat. And because the fit is generous, a trendy look right now, you can combine it with the t-shirts and suits you normally wear to make yourself look stylish in an up-to-date way. The look is functional, yet chic. You can mix and match it with various other items to suit the TPO (time, place, and occasion). It’s so convenient you might even find your wife or partner borrowing it. The design is unisex, and it’s offered in a wide range of sizes. Perhaps you should even buy two?!?
Besides the Lightning Coat, there’s a wide range of high-tech clothing and gear for use in extreme environments. I especially like the trolley bag and button-down shirts.
The trolley bag (40,000 yen) has a special appeal for me because a stylist who went with me on an overseas trip happened to be using one. In lifting it, I’m struck by how light it is and how smooth the wheels are. The arrangement of the interior, clearly designed with storage in mind, is second to none. It also looks really cool. I’m lost in delusion for a moment, considering the possibility that if I took this to the airport, I’d give the impression of an inveterate outdoor type who also happens to travel a lot.
Apparently, the shirts (20,000 yen) are available only at GINZA SIX. Whichever way you look at them, they look as they’re made of cotton Oxford shirt fabric. In fact, they’re made of a high-performance material that contains nylon. They resist creasing and dry quickly. If I buy several, I’ll be able to wear them in every situation—on an everyday basis or when I travel for work.
In this way, I think kitting out a wardrobe with items that are functional because they strip away the boundaries between urban and rural will provide strong support for new lifestyles characterized by dual lives, or the growing diversity of work styles. I think it’s significant that so many of these products are available in Ginza’s most advanced commercial facility.
The second store I visit is DENHAM, also located on the fifth floor. This is a premium denim brand often featured in the pages of Oceans magazine, where I work in the editorial department. I can safely say that of all the stores in GINZA SIX, this one has my favorite interior. Put simply, it’s a denim theme park. The first points of interest are the denim washing bath and drying room, from which the brand message FROM VIRGIN TO VINTAGE comes. This free service allows customers to come in and have denim goods they’ve purchased washed and dried as many times as they like, whenever they like. What’s great about it is that anyone can watch the process. It’s kind of like going on a school excursion to a factory or watching your chicken being grilled at a yakitori shop. And while the less informed might dismiss them as random junk, the numerous vintage figures and signboards displayed around the store are also an impressive sight.
You won’t want to miss the kidswear and the kids play area at the back of the store. The teepee tent in the middle serves as a fitting room just for kids, a really charming feature. Next to it is a café, which serves drip coffee and espresso as good as any served in a proper coffee shop. Certain gimmicks around the store feature the coffee cups—but you’ll have to come to the store yourself to find out what they are!
So this is more than just a store where you buy clothes. It’s a space where you can relax, socialize and have fun. It provides diversion you can’t get sitting at home with the tedium of online shopping.
Having walked around quite a bit, I’m feeling peckish. I head down to the basement food floor. As was my family’s rule when I visited Ginza on Sundays as a child, I instinctively move toward the food floor on the second belowground floor. Here you’ll find stalls where you can find delicious food from all over Japan, or you can savor food and beverages while standing up. There’s also a huge choice of souvenir gift items, which are essential purchases for an upstanding editor like me. From all these stalls, I make my way to Patisserie Ginza Sembikiya, drawn there as if magnetized as soon as I see the sign. I think it’s because, when I was small, my parents used to tell me the fruit sold here was of an unmatched quality.
It’s a specialist sweet store that’s especially famous for cakes containing fruit carefully selected by Ginza Sembikiya. They all look so delicious. I will give you a forewarning: your eyes won’t stop flitting from one to another. In the end, submitting to the power of sweetness, I pick two unusual sweet items despite every temptation from seasonal cakes to fruit sandwiches.
The available edibles include gummi sweets produced in collaboration with UHA Mikakuto cororo, called Ginza Sembikiya Premium cororo (600 yen). Thinking, Oh, they’re just gummies, no different from what convenience stores sell, I almost end up being an amateur ignoring the true value. Once you toss one into your mouth and start chewing, there’s no turning back. You’re overcome by a delicious flavor that almost makes your cheeks hurt. Consider yourself forewarned! I especially recommend the musk melon flavor, a fruit and flavor symbolic of Ginza Sembikiya.
The other ones are strawberry chocolates (1,500 yen), or white chocolate infused into freeze-dried strawberries. Once again, a single bite produces an unusual chewy sensation that almost knocks you out. Again, take care!
Yet trying them all, the only word I can muster in the end is delicious. I’ll probably never get any more work reporting on food for the rest of my life…
If you’re an editor, you have to choose a topic, select stores relevant to the topic, and then write something articulate. But I’ve chosen my stores with no real logical connection. As I ponder this, I end my journey by settling on a convenient rationale for my behavior: The appeal of GINZA SIX lies in its diversity, a diversity that gives visitors the opportunity to make wonderful discoveries, find the products they want, and delight in superb service and lovely spaces—even for those simply wandering about without specific purpose. If you find yourself wandering around this retail heaven, you’ll fall in love before you know it’s happened.
Text: Toshiki Ebe Photos: Shohei Saito Exit: Yuka Okada

Toshiki Ebe
Deputy editor of Oceans. Born in 1977 in a traditional shitamachi district of Tokyo, joined SEKAI BUNKA PUBLISHING INC. after graduating from Waseda University. He worked at Men’s EX and Begin until 2005, when he joined the editorial department of Oceans as one of its founding members. He’s held his current post there since 2010.
THE NORTH FACE UNLIMITED
DENHAM
PATISSERIE GINZA SEMBIKIYA
2018.09.03 improves