Marunouchi, Tokyo
About a century ago, Marunouchi was little more than wasteland near Tokyo's Imperial Palace. Former Mitsubishi president Yanosuke Iwasaki, a man with vision, spent US$1 million of his company's money on the parcel of land, which at the time was declared a waste of assets. Marunouchi, or 'Within the Edo Castle', is now worth billions.
After the property crash of the 1990s, the district is enjoying a renaissance as a luxury-shopping destination catering to 240,000 workers in the area.
Company presidents are never without a classy pen, so the first stop is old-fashioned stationer Itoya (Kokusai Building, 3-1-1 Marunouchi, tel: 813 3216 0041). To complement its range of charming, hand-drawn greeting cards and fountain pens, dip your nib into one of four wells at the Cocktail Ink Bar. You can custom-blend 48 colours of ink, all packaged in a solid glass pot (1,050 yen; $80).
Shoppers who appreciate good design without Marc Newsom price tags should call into Muji's flagship store (3-8-3 Marunouchi, tel: 813 5208 8241). This is no mere branch but a supermarket-sized emporium showcasing everything from bicycles to prams to freshly baked goods.
At La Maison Du Chocolat (3-4-1 Marunouchi, tel: 813 3201 6006), a branch of the famed Parisian cacao specialist, the handmade truffles are so posh they are named after operas. Faust mingles with Traviata and Rigoletto, while Tokyo's latest food fad, chocolate bars designed to be melted and drunk as is, are also on sale. If you prefer your hot chocolate in less intimidating surroundings, skip up to Dean & Deluca (1-4-5 Marunouchi, tel: 813 3284 7071), where the same gimmick is also sold but in a covetable D & D mug.
Comme des Garcons (3-4-1 Marunouchi, tel: 813 3218 1520) is where the avant-garde Japanese brand of men's and women's fashion and accessories compete with the eye-catching black and white Jersey cow-print exterior. Knitwear is always a good purchase.
Nearby, MJC or Mitsubishi Jewellery Collection (3-3-1 Marunouchi, tel: 813 5252 5374) sells desirable trinkets and another must-have in Japan: three diamonds on a pendant, called a Trilogy. Other adornments include locally harvested black pearl and diamond dress rings, and bizarrely, a one-kilogram box of gold - a bargain at 16.2 million yen.
Opposite Tokyo Station is Oazo, the area's newest shopping and office complex. Inside is Maruzen (1-6-3 Marunouchi, tel: 813 5288 8881), a four-floor bookshop. Apart from a huge foreign section, there is a library of publications you might be unable to buy outside Japan.
Also worth checking out is Maru Biru (2-4-1 Marunouchi, tel: 813 5218 5100), a skyscraper with a riot of local and international brands and restaurants. Some of the best stores include Guild Jacomo Gallery On The Wave, H.P. France Bijoux, and Aquagirl for unique women's fashion and accessories; and Minipla for Japanese cosmetics.
Alternatively, amble along Marunouchi's main artery, Naka Dori, which is dotted with gingko-nut trees, some of which were planted when Iwasaki was a young man.
