Since opening in 1899, Mikimoto has played a part in Ginza’s development, helping to foster the area’s culture and history, while acting as an innovative force through its evolving store.
The façade of the new flagship store takes the calm sea surface of Ise-Shima as its motif. Reflecting the ever-expanding diversity of Ginza’s landscape, the structure—at times, gleaming in the sunlight—expresses the gentle passing of time and the seasons. The new store has taken up a challenge: how to weave 38,000 glass pieces into the entire surface of a 60m-high façade. Once numerous technology verifications and experiments had been undertaken, the glass pieces and metal supports were hand-produced by craftsmen.
The finished façade, like thousands of painstakingly produced pieces of jewelry, symbolizes Mikimoto’s famed craftsmanship. This new presentation stage engenders a sense of unity between store and avenue.