MIKIMOTO Ginza Main Store

The Mikimoto Ginza Main Store is recognizable by its facade of roughly forty thousand small glass plates, which shift in appearance to mimic the shimmering ripples of the sea. Designed by architect Hiroshi Naito and reopened in twenty seventeen, the building draws inspiration from Toba, the coastal town where founder Kokichi Mikimoto was born and where he first succeeded in culturing pearls. The glass is tilted inward at three degrees to capture natural light, creating an effect meant to evoke the surface of the water as it changes from morning until evening.