14 April 2017
The Weekly

The largest mixed-use complex in one of the most expensive neighborhoods in the world will open to the public on April 20. With a total of 241 stores, including 121 flagships and spanning more than 1.6mn sq ft., Ginza Six will be the largest retail facility in Tokyo's Ginza district. Anchored by the largest Dior boutique in Japan, as well as stores such as Fendi, Valentino, Céline, Saint Laurent and Van Cleef & Arpels, the building is directly across the street from Uniqlo and Abercrombie & Fitch. Inside, other brands include Kenzo, Alexander McQueen, Loewe, Rolex, Undercover, Rag & Bone, Marni and Jimmy Choo. The third basement level of Ginza Six is occupied by a theater designed specifically for Japan's traditional Noh style of performance. The second basement has a food hall, while the first basement is a beauty floor, where brands from Guerlain and Chanel to Aesop and Kiehl's are represented. A total of five floors dedicated to fashion and lifestyle flank a central atrium, the ceiling of which resembles a Japanese paper lantern. Hanging from this are polka-dot pumpkins by the Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama, who made them specifically for the space. They will remain on display for six months. Seven floors of office space are topped by a floor of restaurants and a 43,000 sq ft. rooftop garden, the largest in Ginza. The building was designed by architect Yoshio Taniguchi. The facade is meant to resemble eaves and shop curtains, traditional Japanese symbols associated with welcoming people into a store or restaurant. The project is a joint venture between four companies: J. Front Retailing, Mori Building, Sumitomo and L Catterton Real Estate. The latter is the real estate investment and development firm formed as a partnership between Catterton, LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton and Groupe Arnault. Ginza Six occupies the former site of the Matsuzakaya Ginza department store, as well as the adjacent block, giving it a 377-foot frontage along Ginza's main Chuo Dori street.