Back in the day, the Sony Building in Tokyo‘s bustling Ginza shopping district wasn’t just the prestigious showcase of the eponymous electronics company, but also very much a symbol of post-war Japan‘s corporate success. Initially renovated in the early 1990s, the building was eventually demolished to make way for a brand new structure that’s to be inaugurated in 2022. Meanwhile, the precious plot of land smack in the middle of one of the planet’s most expensive real estate zones is once again used as a curated shopping venue. Savvy young Tokyoites have already had a pre-taster two years ago with The Park-ing Ginza, a collab between style retail giant Jun Co. and style guru Hiroshi Fujiwara, and held in the building’s multilevel subterranean car park. The new project is called Ginza Sony Park, and it opens today to what we assume will be large crowds of shopping enthusiasts. As said, the site is in transition, and thus features a collection of temporary retail and hospitality venues underground. On ground level, shoppers will come across a small public park, replete with a timbered platform, lush vegetation, and a sheltered space for pop-up ventures – indeed, this is pop-up overdrive!
The small park, a veritable rarity in this part of town, actually is part of Ginza Sony Park‘s retail format. Run by Seijun Nishihata, a celebrated gardener and landscape artist, the vegetation comprises of carefully sourced plants from across the planet and is actually for sale. The ground floor pop-space is currently occupied by Toraya Café An Stand where visitors can pick from a wide array of bean paste, a delicacy in Japan, and it’s all freshly made in the café’s kitchen below ground. A silver metal trailer that’s parked on ground level is home to a full-fledged studio of radio station Tokyo FM which will broadcast music and mews from this location. When going underground, Level B1 features the hotly anticipated The Conveni, a new concept store that Hiroshi Fujiwara and retailer Jun Co. have collaborated on. Due to an expected siege by Fujiwara fans, only shoppers with an entrance ticket will be able to access the store on the first three days after the opening. As its name already implies, the store is inspired by Japanese convenience stores, and stocks uniquely packaged souvenir goods, and daily necessities, such as beverage and food.
The magazine corner presents a selection of nostalgic reads in cooperation with cult vintage bookstore magnif. Also to be found on this floor are Mimosa Ginza, a yum cha stand modeled after a back alley street stall in Hong Kong, but serving steamed buns produced by a Michelin-starred Chinese restaurant, and a yet-to-be announced pop-up store. The next floor below doesn’t accommodate anything worthwhile to visit, but on level B3 the kitchen of the Toraya Café An Stand is situated. The venue isn’t only supplying the upstairs pop-up with the necessary delicacies, but also features a takeaway counter here. Last but certainly not least, there’s Beer to Go on level B4. Managed by Spring Valley Brewery, a Yokohama-based craft brewery that offers a range of distinctive beers and matching bites. In its current form, Ginza Sony Park will remain operational until right after the Tokyo Olympic Games in 2020. In the following years thereafter, a brand new Sony Building will be erected, based on the concept of ‘taking a vertical stroll in Ginza’, and creating an innovative flower petal-shaped structure.
Ginza Sony Park
5-3-1 Ginza (Ginza)
Tokyo 104-0061
Daily 11-7
Publishers Note
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