Ginza and Hibiya Park, Tokyo are so close to each other that a visitor can walk from one to the other without so much as breaking a sweat, even in the humid summer of Tokyo.
Ginza is Tokyo's upscale shopping district. It first appeared in Godzilla (1954) as a detailed miniature. The craftsmen at Toho faithfully recreated Ginza well enough to give viewers an idea on how the district looked in 1954.
During Godzilla's nighttime rampage in Tokyo, the clock atop the Wako Department store (below) at Ginza Crossing gonged the hour and thus annoyed the giant beast. Godzilla then proceeded to tear down the clock and the department store along with it. He also torches the Matsuzakaya Department Store, one of Tokyo's priciest retailers.
Across the street from the Wako Building, is the Mitsukoshi department store. The Mitsukoshi was one of the first Western-style department stores in Japan. It sustained heavy bomb damage in World War II, but has been rebuilt and is still a thriving department store.
Besides the Wako and Mitsukoshi Department stores, Ginza also has the Takashimaya, Seibu, Daimaru, Tobu, Odakyu , Tokyu and Printemps Department stores. Apple Computers also has a big store in Ginza.
Besides being an upscale shopping distict, Ginza's real estate value is among the highest, if not the highest in Japan. According to the Old Tokyo website, "Ginza Crossing is still considered to be Tokyo's prime real estate, with prices fetching into the tens of thousands of dollars per square meter!" This was also mentioned by our tour guides during 2004's G-TOUR as we were bused through the district.
Proceeding on, as Godzilla headed into Hibiya Park, he approaches the train overcrossing that separates Ginza and Hibiya. He steps on the electrified tracks and the electrical current coursing though his body causes his tail to whip about, smashing the Toho Nichigeki Theater. Today, the Nichigeki is no longer there and has been replaced by the Yurakucho Mullion Building, which appeared in Return of Godzilla (1984) (released here as Godzilla 1985) and Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah during the opening sequence. The Picadilly Theaters are housed in the Yurakucho Mullion building. Gamera: The Little Braves (2006) premiered there in April 2006.
Much of Hibiya Park consists of commercial office and government buildings. Many of the office buildings are owned and occupied by various departments and subsidiaries of Toho Co., Ltd. Toho has a many real estate holdings in Hibiya.
Proceeding west along Harumi-Dori Ave. from Ginza Crossing, and passing the Yurakucho Mullion Building, a visitor will walk under the train tracks (the Yurakucho Station is just around the corner from the Yurakucho Mullion) to enter Hibiya. (There is a coffee shop called Becker's under these tracks. They also serve good hamburgers, in case one should get hungry.) About a block or two from the tracks is a small side street (the Toho Twin Tower is at one corner) to the left that leads to the Hibiya Chante square where the Godzilla statue stands on a pedestal surrounded by raised-relief hand casts (in metal) of Japanese celebrities.
This is the "Mecca" (or "mecha") that G-fans go to when in Tokyo.
Nearby the Godzilla statue is the Imperial Hotel. It is a luxurious hotel today, but in 1954 it may not have been if Steve Martin (Raymond Burr) was able to stay there on a reporter's salary or the United World News' expense account. There are also several theaters in the area near the Godzilla statue. The Imperial Palace Plaza, East Garden and Nijubashi Bridge are within easy walking distance from the Godzilla statue. Across Harumi-Dori Ave. from the Toho Twin Tower is the Yurakucho Denki Building, which houses the offices of Toho International. Toho International's conference room overlooks the Imperial Palace Plaza and Nijubashi Bridge and the view is impressive.
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