Ginza’s Shop Windows, Distant Cousins of the Galeries Lafayette
Like the big Parisian department stores, those in this chic Tokyo district create ‘artistic windows’ every year in the runup to Christmas.
© Shiseido Ginza Building
In the runup to Christmas, the department stores in Paris, such as the Galeries Lafayette, stage an impressive spectacle for tourists and visitors.
A different theme is selected each year, and the various shops compete to see who can be most inventive in telling a story through their world-renowned décor.
A competition recognising the most magnificent installations
In Ginza, one of the most popular shopping districts in Japan, the shops work on this same principle of ‘artistic windows’. They adapt according to the different public holidays throughout the year: New Year, Hanami, Halloween and Christmas.
To encourage local businesses to get involved, the city has held the Ginza Display Contest since 1979, an annual competition in recognition of the most magnificent shop window. The contest takes place over Christmas, the period during which shopfronts are adorned in all their finery. In order to stand out, some use screens, lights and other forms of new technology.
More information about the shop windows in Ginza can be found on the shopping district’s official website.
© Ginza Six
© Mitsukoshi Ginza
© Wako
TRENDING
-
Shizuka Yokomizo, between Exhibitionism and Surveillance
'Dear Stranger' is the story of a troubling relationship between the photographer and the subject, who meet without seeing each other.
-
The Tattoos that Marked the Criminals of the Edo Period
Traditional tattoos were strong signifiers; murderers had head tattoos, while theft might result in an arm tattoo.
-
‘Chindogu’, the Genius of Unusable Objects
Ingenious but impractical inventions: this was all that was required for the concept to achieve a resounding success.
-
The Japanese Film that Inspired Stanley Kubrick's ‘A Clockwork Orange’
The American filmmaker borrowed the aesthetic of several scenes in the film ‘Funeral Parade of Roses’ by Toshio Matsumoto.
-
‘Shojo Tsubaki’, A Freakshow
Underground manga artist Suehiro Maruo’s infamous masterpiece canonised a historical fascination towards the erotic-grotesque genre.
