Akihiko Tsuda×Chisako Takashima

2012.10.01

A talk series with the violinist Chisako Takashima and the Ginza people. Ginza holds many personal and professional memories for Takashima. In this talk series, she thoroughly explores various aspects of the Ginza culture with her guests.Today’s guest is Akihiko Tsuda, president of Ginza Tsudaya, a long-standing kimono accessory shop.

I want to offer quality products at reasonable prices to make customers happy.

Takashima: Could you tell us the history of Tsudaya?
Tsuda: It was founded in 1914. My grandfather opened a shop in Yamabukicho in Ushigome ward, Shinjuku.
Takashima: When was it moved to Ginza?
Tsuda: During the war, in 1943.
Takashima: It must have been quite a challenge during the war (laughs).
Tsuda: Yes it was. My grandfather had always dreamed of moving it to Ginza, and there was a property available. The land was very expensive then too, but he spent his entire fortune to buy it.
Takashima: You’ve been in business in Ginza almost 100 years.
Tsuda: There are tons of establishments in Ginza that have been running for 100 years, so our place is still only moderately long-standing.
Takashima: Has the shop always dealt with kimono accessories, since your grandfather was running it?
Tsuda: It originally sold mostly cosmetics, combs and ornamental hairpins, but the times changed, and it came to sell mainly kimono accessories from about 1953.
Takashima: I understand you also sell makeup for the stage.
Tsuda: Yes, we do. We sell it to kabuki and theater actors as well as national acting training schools. We are the only place in Ginza that sells it.
Takashima: As the third owner of Tsudaya, what kind of things are you doing to increase business?
Tsuda: Unlike the past, you can get anything these days. Instead of just selling products, we teach our customer how to wear and use the products to suit the time, place and occasion and offer quality products at reasonable prices to make our customers happy.

Inside Tsudaya, Ginza

makeup

New trees to become a symbol of Ginza

Takashima: I understand you are the head of the sales promotion committee in the Ginza Street Association. What specifically is the committee doing?
Tsuda: We set up Christmas displays and hold window display contests, and we are talking about planting trees along the main street of Ginza.
Takashima: Around Christmastime, the entire Ginza area becomes brilliantly illuminated. I guess this is also the job of the people of Ginza. The Mikimoto Christmas tree is especially beautiful.
Tsuda: The Mikimoto Christmas tree is famous and each year there are many people looking forward to it.
In the past, the displays were set up independently by each street society, but now the Ginza Street Association makes them get together and decides on a theme to give the district a unified feel. This year we plan to set up an electric illumination under the theme of “Hikarimichi” (=path of light), together with the Ginza International Luxury Committee.
Takashima: What is the window display contest?
Tsuda: This is also for the Christmas season. A number of people walk along the main streets and back streets from 1-Chome to 8-Chome looking at the show windows of each shop and taking pictures of displays they like. Later, some experts (from the Japan Design Space Association) evaluate them and the shops with the best displays win an award.
Takashima: What types of shops won awards last year?
Tsuda: The winners were 8 shops that received a Japan Design Space Association Award, 6 shops that received an Association Category Award for Excellence and 10 shops that received an Association Special Incentive Award. The smaller shops worked very hard to compete with the bigger establishments.
Takashima: Are the photos of the winning shop displays exhibited somewhere?
Tsuda: After the awards ceremony at the Association’s New Years’ Reception, they are on display at Ginza Street Guide, Ginza’s General Information Center, on 8-Chome until about mid-February. Please stop by and take a look next time you are in Ginza.
Takashima: Is there something you hope to work on from now?
Tsuda: Currently we are in the middle of preparations for installing street side trees. In the past, we avoided planting tall trees along the streets in Ginza so that you could see what shops were on the other side of the road. But, the heat from the summer sun these few years is making it difficult to walk comfortably unless we plant tall trees to create some shade. Until now, when you think of Ginza, you thought of willow trees. Now, I hope we can plant trees that will become a new symbol of Ginza — one that can also protect us from the sun and provide a place for illumination displays in winter.

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