Field work in Yurakucho Ginza area

Hello, I’m MeiLi in charge of Ginza and Nihonbashi area. Today, I’ll make a report of our visit to TOKYU PLAZA GINZA which is located in Yurakucho Ginza.

TOKYU PLAZA GINZA

It was a sunny, hot and humid weekend in July. The members of Accessible Tokyo gathered in front of JR Yurakucho station central exit and then headed for TOKYU PLAZA GINZA. We passed through YURAKUCHO MULLION to get there. It only took about 5 minutes though one of our members is a wheelchair user. I’ll cover four topics: Access, Rest room, Elevator, and Recommended restaurants for wheelchair users. Please check the TOKYU PLAZA GINZA website or guidebooks for the details of shops and restaurants.

• Tokyu Plaza Ginza

Access

As I mentioned at the beginning, we walked to TOKYU PLAZA GINZA from JR Yurakucho station. There were intersections but no bumps on the roads to TOKYU PLAZA GINZA. It’s good to walk there on a sunny day. However, it might be difficult for wheelchair users on a rainy day. So, we recommend using the subway, Tokyo Metro Ginza station on the Marunouchi line (RED), the Ginza line (ORANGE), or the Hibiya line (GRAY). I think the Ginza line and the Hibiya line are better than the Marunouchi line because there are stairs between the ticket gate and TOKYU PLAZA GINZA at the second basement floor exit. If you use the Marunouchi line, you have to take the elevator between exit C5 and C7 to the ground level and walk to TOKYU PLAZA GINZA.

Rest room

One of the points that wheelchair users want to make sure before they go out is where multipurpose toilets are. They are on the second basement, the 6th, 11th, and 12th floor in the building. As you can see in the photo, it’s a spacious and clean rest room. Many multipurpose toilets nowadays are made in the way that the gate and the toilet seat is placed in a diagonal line in case someone accidentally opens the door. However, the multipurpose toilets on the 11th and 12th had the toilet seat just in front of the door. YUKORIN said that it was a little bit narrow when she stretched her legs. Furthermore, the push button switch of the multipurpose toilets on the 6th floor is on your right side and the push button switch of the multipurpose toilets on the 11th and 12th floors is on your left side.

Elevator

There are three elevators each at the central elevator and east elevator. You should be careful about which elevator stops at which floor before you take one. That day, we directly went to KIRIKO TERRACE on R floor when we arrived at TOKYU PLAZA GINZA. We waited for the elevator to come for a while. Only one elevator stops on R floor and the priority elevator doesn’t.

Central elevator
Which elevator stops on which floor?
No elevator stops at the 1st and 2nd basement, 2nd, 4th, 5th and R floor

East elevator
Which elevator stops on which floor?

Recommended restaurants for wheelchair users

I recommend these restaurants considering size, steps, and so on.
Restaurants
10th floor: UDON NOODLE Brasserie
11th floor: THE APOLLO, GOZENBO GARDEN
My impression was that restaurants on the 10th floor were casual and restaurants on the 11th floor were cozy and exclusive
Cafe
R floor: Sakura-no-chaya
7th floor: HANDS EXPO CAFE
6th floor: Marufuku Coffee Ginza Salon, Sukibayashi Sabo
1st basement: TULLY’S COFFEE PRIME FIVE
2nd basement: SALON GINZA SABOU

Overall

Since there are duty-free shops and shops that sell Japanese things, I think it’s a good place for visiting tourists. The main aisles are wide enough for a wheelchair to pass but some of the aisles in the shops are narrow and some shops have steps inside. I can’t say that it’s perfectly wheelchair accessible. I hope new buildings are made so that both design and accessibility together.