Take the free bus "Metrolink" from Tokyo Station to Nihonbashi!

Did you know that there is a free bus that runs from the Yaesu Exit of Tokyo Station around the Nihonbashi area? It's called "Metrolink." The "Metrolink" runs every 10 to 15 minutes from 10:00 AM to 8:00 PM. So, let's hop on the "Metrolink" and start sightseeing in Nihonbashi

The Metrolink train's white body is the mark

There is a Metrolink bus stop in front of the Steel Building at the Yaesu Exit of Tokyo Station. The free circular bus, Metrolink, is a white bus and is written in Japanese as "Nihonbashi Metrolink Free Bus." Now, let's head to Nihonbashi sightseeing on the Metrolink. After departing from the Yaesu Exit of Tokyo Station, take the bus to Gofukubashi → Nihonbashi Subway Station → Mitsukoshimae Subway Station and get off at the Mitsui Memorial Museum of Art

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This is the Mitsui Memorial Museum stop on the Metrolink. The same markings are always present at stops where the Metrolink stops. If you get off at Mitsui Memorial Museum, you'll arrive at Nihonbashi Mitsui Tower. As the name of the stop suggests, the Mitsui Memorial Museum is located here. The museum exhibits artworks collected by the Mitsui family over 300 years, dating back to the Edo period, organized by theme. The same building also houses the Sembikiya Nihonbashi Main Branch, a sweets and fruit store that has been in business since the Edo period. It's a popular store that sees lines forming from opening time. We recommend the fruit parfait, made with an abundance of seasonal fruits

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Let's go to Mie Terrace and Fukutoku Shrine

Opposite the Nihonbashi Mitsui Tower is Mie Terrace, an antenna shop for Mie Prefecture. Mie Terrace houses a Mie local products shop and an Italian restaurant that uses ingredients from Mie's seafood, such as spiny lobster, and mountain delicacies. The Italian restaurant is popular for its reasonable prices and authentic Italian cuisine. Behind Mie Terrace is Fukutoku Shrine, which has been watching over Nihonbashi since the Edo period

Fukutoku Shrine is located behind the YUITO Nihonbashi Muromachi Nomura Building, which houses Mie Terrace. It faces COREDO Muromachi 2 across the street and is maintained as a green park. There are many benches in the area, and on sunny days, the shrine's forest is a popular place to relax and enjoy lunch, chat, or take a break. Fukutoku Shrine was founded in the Heian period, and is a prestigious shrine that was visited by Tokugawa Ieyasu and Tokugawa Hidetada during the Edo period. It has also appeared in a Tokyo Metro commercial

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Enjoy the antenna shops of each prefecture in Nihonbashi

After visiting Fukutoku Shrine, return to Chuo-dori and walk towards Nihonbashi. You will see a retro building across Chuo-dori. On your right you will see the Mitsui Memorial Hall. It houses the Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation and other institutions. This building was frequently featured in the popular TV drama "Hanzawa Naoki" as the location for the Tokyo Chuo Bank headquarters. In the drama, a glass skyscraper was superimposed on top of this building using CG. On your left you will see the Mitsukoshi main store, which was founded in the Edo period. Mitsukoshi was a hugely popular kimono shop during the Edo period, but in 1904 it transformed into Japan's first department store. It is also famous for having installed Japan's first escalators and elevators in 1914

Directly opposite the Mitsukoshi Main Building and next to COREDO Muromachi 2 is Nihonbashi Shimanekan.
Antenna shops from various prefectures are concentrated in Nihonbashi. On weekends and other holidays, Nihonbashi Shimanekan grills and sells skewered dumplings in front of the store. These skewered dumplings are absolutely delicious. You'll often see people buying freshly grilled dumplings and eating them as they walk around the area. They sell out quickly, so if you see them, don't hesitate to grab some. They'll even put the skewers in paper cups for you to eat on the go.

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The Nara Mahoroba Shop, with Sento-kun standing at the entrance, is where you can easily purchase local Nara specialties, such as locally grown Yamato vegetables, pickles, Hirekara's famous persimmon leaf sushi, and Japanese sweets. They also screen a video showing recommended sightseeing spots in Nara Prefecture, and have many tourist brochures available, helping to convey the charms of Nara

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Nihonbashi Toyamakan, an antenna shop for Toyama Prefecture, is located diagonally across from Nara Mahorobakan. It is also across from the new Mitsukoshi building. Located at the foot of Nihonbashi, the store not only sells Toyama Prefecture products, but also has a bar where you can taste Toyama sake, and a restaurant that uses ingredients from Toyama Prefecture

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Enjoy Takashimaya and the Yamanashi Antenna Shop!

After leaving Nihonbashi Toyamakan, cross the crosswalk in front of you and cross Nihonbashi Bridge. The image shows you just crossing Nihonbashi Bridge. Nihonbashi Toyamakan, which we visited earlier, is located in the background left of the image. At the foot of Nihonbashi Bridge on the right, there is a bronze statue of a lion. It is holding the former Tokyo city mark. Below the lion is a plaque with the word "Nihonbashi" written on it, which was written by Tokugawa Yoshinobu, the last shogun of the Tokugawa shogunate. From here, we board the Metrolink again. There is a bus stop in front of Nihonbashi Nishikawa, which is famous for its bedding. We board here and head to Nihonbashi 2-chome, in front of the Takashimaya Nihonbashi store

Get off the Metrolink right in front of Nihonbashi Takashimaya. Everyone who shops in Nihonbashi gets off right in front of Takashimaya. Women who are familiar with Nihonbashi seem to shop at Mitsukoshi and COREDO Muromachi, finish their shopping at Takashimaya, and then head home from this bus stop towards the Yaesu exit of Tokyo Station. After shopping at Takashimaya, as the final stop on your Nihonbashi sightseeing, head to the Yamanashi Prefecture antenna shop, which is a 3-minute walk from Takashimaya

Yamanashi Prefecture's antenna shop, Fuji no Kuni Yamanashikan, is located on the first floor of the Nihonbashi Brazza Building. Here, you can purchase local Yamanashi sweets, including Shingen mochi and Koshu wine. You can also sample Shingen mochi soft serve ice cream while walking. Yamaguchi Prefecture's antenna shop, Oidemase Yamaguchikan, is also located on the first floor of the same building. After touring the Yamanashi and Yamaguchi antenna shops, we recommend either walking to the Yaesu Underground Mall bus stop in front of the Yaesu Daibiru Building and taking the Metrolink to Tokyo Station's Yaesu Exit, or walking down from Daibiru Building to the underground mall at Tokyo Station's Yaesu Exit and strolling through the underground mall to Tokyo Station

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【summary】

What did you think? The free bus "Metrolink" can be boarded not only from the Yaesu exit of Tokyo Station, but also from Nihonbashi Station and Mitsukoshimae Station on the Tokyo Metro, and Shin-Nihonbashi Station on the JR line. We hope you enjoy sightseeing in Nihonbashi by taking advantage of the free bus service, which you can get on and off as many times as you like

Jun Nambara

Writer, screenwriter, animation producer. He wrote and directed the drama CD ``The Rose of Versailles,'' supervised by Riyoko Ikeda, and has written many books, including ``Onmyoji ``Abe Seimei'' (Futami Shobo). He is also attracting attention as a travel writer who works as a tour conductor on weekends. His hobby is visiting the sacred places of anime, dramas, and movies.