Chuo-dori Elevated Expressway Overpass, Ginza, Tokyo

Ginza sits in Chuo ward, at the intersection of Chuo-dori and Harumi-dori, and has served as Tokyo's premier shopping district since the late 19th century. After the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923 destroyed much of the area, it was rebuilt with wider streets and Western-style brick buildings, a design choice that shaped its modern layout. The Shuto Expressway's elevated roadways cut across the district on steel viaducts built during the 1960s, part of a network constructed ahead of the 1964 Tokyo Olympics to relieve surface congestion. Chuo-dori itself closes to vehicle traffic on weekend afternoons for hokosha tengoku, or "pedestrian paradise," when shoppers can walk freely down the center of the street. Department stores including Mitsukoshi and Matsuya anchor the district alongside flagship boutiques for international luxury brands.