Neighbourhood guide
Nihonbashi: where Edo did business
The bridge where Japan’s roads began, the first department stores, fruit and knives, and the Mandarin Oriental above it all.
Photo Credit
Image courtesy of © Phlizz · CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia CommonsNihonbashi was the merchant heart of Edo, and the bridge that gives it its name was the starting point of the old highways. Mitsukoshi and Takashimaya still face each other along Chūō-dōri; Sembikiya has sold fruit here since 1834; and Kabutochō, by the stock exchange, has become a district of small hotels and restaurants.
Sights
The Nihonbashi bridge, the Mitsukoshi main store and Takashimaya.
Eating
ASAHINA Gastronome (Two MICHELIN Stars, 2026), La Paix, Yakitori Takahashi and Nihombashi Sonoji (One Star), and soba at Hamacho Kaneko (Bib Gourmand).
Look up at the bridge’s bronze lions and kirin, under the expressway.
Staying
Mandarin Oriental, Tokyo, the Bvlgari Hotel Tokyo above Tokyo Station, and K5 in Kabutochō.
Our advice: breakfast on fruit at Sembikiya, then walk the bridge before the offices fill.
Why it's on our list
- Sights
- Eating
- Staying
What’s nearby
Distances from Nihonbashi: where Edo did business are approximate, measured in a straight line (as the crow flies). Times are approximate too: walking at about 80 metres a minute, cycling at about 12 km/h and driving at typical city-traffic speeds. Traffic and routes vary.
Nearest metro stations
- NihombashiAGTAlKS-AE250 m3 min walk
- MitsukoshimaeGZDT;ZDT;Z;TS;TN400 m5 min walk
- KyobashiG600 m7 min walk
Key sights
- The palace gardens1.5 kmWalk 19 minCycle 8 minCar or taxi 11 min
- Tokyo Tower3.6 kmWalk 44 minCycle 18 minCar or taxi 18 min
- Sensō-ji4.1 kmCycle 21 minCar or taxi 20 min
- Tokyo Skytree4.7 kmCycle 23 minCar or taxi 22 min
- Meiji Jingū6.7 kmCycle 33 minCar or taxi 28 min
- The Shibuya crossing6.9 kmCycle 34 minCar or taxi 29 min
- Haneda Airport15 kmCar or taxi 57 min
Main railway stations
- Tokyo Station750 mWalk 9 minCycle 4 minCar or taxi 8 min
- Ueno Station3.4 kmWalk 42 minCycle 17 minCar or taxi 17 min
- Shinagawa Station6.7 kmCycle 34 minCar or taxi 28 min
- Shinjuku Station6.8 kmCycle 34 minCar or taxi 29 min
- Shibuya Station6.8 kmCycle 34 minCar or taxi 29 min
Location
The map comes from Google Maps, which sets its own cookies once it loads.
More in depth
The back storyTokyo at the table: eleven three-star dining rooms, and a bowl of sobaMore MICHELIN stars than any other city, sushi counters of eight seats, tempura fried in front of you, kaiseki, French and Chinese of the highest order, and noodle shops with a Bib Gourmand: how to eat in Tokyo.
The back storyTokyo CuisineEdomae sushi piece by piece, tempura straight from the pan, cold soba on bamboo, glazed eel, yakitori over charcoal, shoyu ramen and the wagashi of the tea ceremony: the dishes of Tokyo, and where to taste them.
The back storyWhere Tokyo sleeps: towers above the palace, ryokan and the new hillsAman and HOSHINOYA in Ōtemachi, the Palace Hotel on the moat, The Peninsula and the Imperial in Hibiya, the Bvlgari above Tokyo Station, Janu at Azabudai Hills and the reopened Park Hyatt in Shinjuku: where to stay, and why the address matters.