Nihonbashi Takashimaya Shopping Center
Good to know before you go
- Getting there
- Nihonbashi Station (Tokyo Metro Ginza Line, Tokyo Metro Tozai Line, Toei Asakusa Line)
- Hours
- Main Building: 10:30–19:30 (B2F & 8F restaurants 11:00–21:30, Tokubetsu Shokudo 11:00–20:00); Annex: 10:30–20:00 (restaurants 11:00–22:00/23:00); East Building: 10:30–21:00
- Admission
- Free
- Time needed
- 1–3 hours
- Best time to go
- Weekday mornings around the 10:30 opening to explore the building and ride the historic elevators without queues.
Hours can change on holidays — check the official site before travelling.
About
Nihonbashi Takashimaya is a legendary department store that beautifully blends Showa-era elegance with modern luxury, complete with Tokyo's last manually operated elevators. Designated an Important Cultural Property, it is worth visiting for its stunning historic architecture, high-end Japanese crafts, and curated fashion. Expect a vast selection of premium cosmetics, bespoke tailoring, and an exceptional basement food hall (depachika) showcasing gourmet Japanese delicacies.
What Japanese guides note
Nihonbashi Takashimaya operates across four distinct properties: the historic Main Building, the Annex, the East Building, and the detached Watch Maison across Chuo-dori. Visitors looking for historical Showa architecture, manual elevators, and the depachika should enter through the Main Building, while specialty fashion and newer cafes cluster inside the Annex. Lunch crowds from surrounding corporate offices peak between 11:45 and 13:00, so dining floors are easiest to navigate right at their 11:00 opening.
Details from local sources
- The Main Building was designed by Teitaro Takahashi in 1933 combining modern structural engineering with Japanese classical motifs, followed by four expansion phases designed by modernist master Togo Murano between 1952 and 1965. [source]
- The 8th-floor Special Dining Room operates under Imperial Hotel hospitality, allowing patrons seated together to cross-order from Imperial Hotel French cuisine, Yamatoya Sangen kaiseki, and traditional grilled eel from Nodaiwa. [source]
- A combined 6,000-square-meter rooftop garden called Nihonbashi Green Terrace spans across the roofs of the Main, Annex, and East buildings, making it one of the largest rooftop green spaces in central Tokyo. [source]
- Floors 4 and 5 of the Main Building house the free-admission Takashimaya Shiryokan TOKYO, which hosts rotating lifestyle exhibitions and preserves the store's original 1933 VIP reception salon. [source]
Insider Tip
Head to the rooftop garden to escape the crowds, or time your elevator ride to watch the lift operators in their traditional uniforms.
Frequently asked
How do I reach the store directly from the subway without going outside?
Tokyo Metro Ginza and Tozai lines connect directly to the shopping complex underground. Take Exit B2 to access the basement food hall of the Main Building, or Exit B4 to enter the Annex. The underground passage provides completely sheltered, step-free access from train turnstiles directly into the retail concourse.
Where are the Pokemon Center and Pokemon Cafe located?
Both Pokemon Center Tokyo DX and the Pokemon Cafe are situated on the 5th floor of the East Building. Note that the Pokemon Cafe requires a mandatory advance reservation online, whereas the retail store can generally be entered freely during its standard opening hours from 10:30 to 21:00.
How are the different buildings connected?
Nihonbashi Takashimaya S.C. comprises four separate facilities: the historic Main Building, the modern Annex, the East Building, and the Watch Maison. The Main Building connects to both the Annex and the East Building via covered elevated skybridges on upper floors as well as through underground pedestrian passageways.
Can any visitor ride the manually operated elevators?
Yes. The central elevator bank in the Main Building is operated manually by attendant staff using classic mechanical control levers and is open to all visitors. These heritage elevators run continuously during standard department store opening hours between the lower food floors and upper retail levels.
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