Nihonbashi

Nihonbashi, or rather Nihombashi, in Tokyo, Japan is a business district situated in the Chuo ward of the city. The term Nihonbashi literally means 'Japans Bridge'. In fact the area is named after the huge bridge, which is located in this area. The entire district stretches from Akihabara in the north to Ginza in the south.

During the Edo period this district was a major mercantile and business center. The Mitsui family played a major role in the early development of the district as a major business center. This family operated their wholesale business from this place. The credit of building the city's first departmental store, known as Mitsukoshi, goes to this family. Today, the district is a major financial district not only of Tokyo, but also of Japan.

The biggest attraction of this place is the Nihonbashi Bridge. This bridge was built in the year 1600, during the Edo period. At that time, the bridge served as the eastern terminus of Tokaido Road, which connected Edo and Kyoto. During the Edo period, the bridge was made of wood. This wooden bridge was replaced by a larger stone bridge during the Meiji period. The bridge serves as a point from where the Japanese measure distance.

Being a major commercial center, Nihonbashi in Tokyo is home to a number of departmental stores, bank branches and the Tokyo Stock Exchange.

The Mitsukoshi Nihonbashi is one of the most popular and famous departmental stores of this district. It is in fact the first western styled departmental store of the country. Set up by the Mitsui family, during the Edo period, today this store has become one of the major shopping destinations of the city.

Another famous shopping mall that one can find over here is the Coredo Nihonbashi. Opened in March 2004, this is a stylish shopping complex situated right in the center of the district. One can find a large number of trendy shops, restaurants, cafes and boutiques over here. The shopping mall also houses a supermarket in its basement. Apart from these, one can also find the offices of a large number of companies in this huge building.

A large number of companies and banks have their offices in Nihonbashi. Some of the major ones that one can find over here include Daiwa Securities, IBM Japan, Merrill Lynch Japan, Mitsui, Nikko Securities and others.

One can easily reach Nihonbashi by taking a train to the Nihonbashi Station. You can go for the Ginza, Asakusa and Tozai subway lines, which brings one right in the center of the district.

Nihonbashi is one of the oldest areas of Tokyo. A visit to this place reminds one of the Japan's commercial past.

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