Mitsukoshimae Walking Guide — Edo-Era Shops and a Nihonbashi Cruise

Around Mitsukoshimae Station there are 8 walking spots, ranging from specialty shops that have run for more than 300 years to a matcha stand and a sightseeing cruise departing from Nihonbashi. What defines this area is the density of long-established trades — a fish-paste shop founded in the first year of Genroku, a toothpick specialist going back to the Hoei era — all packed into walking distance in Muromachi 1-chome and 2-chome. Prices range from small buys like a 440-yen tasting flight of three dashi broths or 20 toothpicks for 1,320 yen, up to an 80-minute night cruise from 3,500 yen for adults.

Suggested order: Start with the three old shops in Nihonbashi Muromachi 1-chome (Kanmo → Yagicho Honten → Saruya), then rest at Hamanoya Parlour in the basement of the Yagicho building. Look in at Café Wien inside Nihonbashi Mitsukoshi, move over to 2-chome for IPPUKU & MATCHA and Nihonbashi Kiya Honten, and finish on the water with the Nihonbashi Cruise from beneath the bridge itself.

Nihonbashi Kanmo

[日本橋 神茂](/en/spot/299a21be-f91f-49ba-bb48-1075f7a4d729) is a fish-paste specialist founded in the first year of Genroku, running since the era of the fifth shogun Tokugawa Tsunayoshi. Its signature tedori hanpen costs 432 yen, made from blue shark and yoshikiri shark sourced daily from Kesennuma and Yaizu, blended with yam and egg white, ground in a stone mill and boiled. Oden ingredients, kamaboko and satsuma-age line the counter too. Address: Chuo-ku Nihonbashi Muromachi 1-11-8.

Nihonbashi Yagicho Honten

[日本橋 八木長本店](/en/spot/0ea7ab97-b277-43f9-bcfc-2352b6dc9f60) is a dried-goods house started in Nihonbashi by a first-generation Ise merchant around the time of the eighth shogun Yoshimune. Katsuobushi is the core of the business, alongside kombu, shiitake and beans, and professional kitchens across Tokyo rely on it. At the storefront you can compare three dashi styles — Kanto, Kansai and vegetable — at 440 yen a cup. The shop was designed by Jo Nagasaka and Schemata Architects.

Nihonbashi Saruya

[日本橋さるや](/en/spot/10eb4000-9494-4a6c-bcc4-bb757098d974) is Japan's only toothpick specialist, in business for over 300 years since the Hoei era. Artisans hand-make roughly 400 pieces a day from kuromoji wood, prized for its strong scent and springiness. The signature kamizumi toothpicks are 1,320 yen for 20, and the paulownia-wood cases can be personalized with a name. Small and light, they make an easy souvenir.

Hamanoya Parlour Nihonbashi Main Store

[はまの屋パーラー日本橋本店](/en/spot/46529282-f098-433e-a09a-27606393d120) is a veteran coffee house founded in Yurakucho in 1966 that moved to Nihonbashi in 2023. It carries on the sandwich recipes of the previous owner, and the half-and-half of egg and fruit at 850 yen is the favorite. Chairs and paintings kept since the founding preserve the feel of the old shop. There is also a limited-quantity tarako spaghetti and a house pudding at 600 yen.

Café Wien

[カフェ ウィーン](/en/spot/fd8457d3-67e7-4487-8ef5-26c930b1315f) is a Vienna-certified café on the 2nd floor of the main building of Nihonbashi Mitsukoshi. Its signature is the "Fürst Melba," a re-creation of a dessert made for the pre-war opera singer Nellie Melba. It layers vanilla ice cream, compote of yellow peach and raspberry sauce in a swan-shaped glass vessel.

IPPUKU & MATCHA Nihonbashi

[IPPUKU & MATCHA 日本橋店](/en/spot/5dca2b22-02b9-42c0-809c-2917ff695ad8) is a tea stand serving matcha grown entirely within Uji, Kyoto. The leaves come from tea farmers whose work dates to the Edo period, and a matcha parfait set with single-origin matcha starts at 3,500 yen. In the tea room at the back you can drink matcha without worrying about formal etiquette, and there are tea-room-only sweets by reservation. Takeout is available for a cup on the go.

Nihonbashi Kiya Honten

[日本橋木屋本店](/en/spot/ebb9ca74-d1e2-4130-8e33-78af5c091440) is a blade specialist started in 1792 (Kansei 4) by first-generation owner Isuke Kato under a noren-wake. Knives and scissors lead the range, alongside tools made with craftspeople from around the country, such as a pure-copper "Tsuru" yakumi grater at 2,750 yen. The storefront hosts blade-sharpening demonstrations and maintenance consultations. There is an attached exhibition space, "izutuki." COREDO Muromachi 1, 1F.

Nihonbashi Cruise

[日本橋クルーズ](/en/spot/d82340fb-2d37-4bbf-b242-1d3a7449e245) is a sightseeing cruise departing from and returning to Nihonbashi. The roughly one-hour ride is on an open boat with a guide, and you may bring your own food and drink. Courses include sunset and night runs, with the 80-minute night cruise from 3,500 yen for adults. Because the boat has no roof, service is cancelled in rain — check the official site for the schedule.

One last tip: the old shops are all about buying things, so if you save the cruise for last, travel light beforehand. On rainy days the cruise is cancelled, so switch to an indoor route that stays inside Mitsukoshi's main building and COREDO Muromachi 1.