Ebisu, Tokyo

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For other uses, see Ebisu.

Ebisu is a quiet neighborhood in the Shibuya ward of Tokyo, Japan. Conveniently located next to Roppongi and Shibuya, Ebisu is easily accessed by the JR Yamanote and Hibiya lines via Ebisu Station. Its small size makes for a comfortable atmosphere and it features many quirky restaurants and bars. Together with the trendy neighboring communities of Daikanyama and Hiroo, they offer high-class boutiques, funky vintage stores and hip patisseries all within easy walking distance from Ebisu station.

Ebisu's main tourist attraction tends to be centered around the newer Yebisu Garden Place and the Westin hotel area. Accessible from the Ebisu Station East Exit via the "Yebisu Skywalk" covered moving walkway, it features the headquarters of Sapporo Breweries, The Beer Museum Yebisu and the Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Photography.

As a transit point for riders on the Yamanote and Hibiya lines, Ebisu is home to many interesting bars and restaurants, from izakaya-style restaurants, to English-style pubs, to old-fashioned tachinomi ("stand and drink," 立ち飲み) bars. Most of these establishments tend to be in the older area favored by the locals, adjacent to the Ebisu Station West Exit off Komazawa-dori; however, the Yebisu Garden Place Tower features some cool views of Tokyo from its restaurants on the 38th floor.

Ebisu was founded around 1928 as a community developed around the Japan Beer Brewery Company facilities where the Yebisu Garden Place now stands. Yebisu Beer, named for Ebisu, one of the Japanese Seven Gods of Fortune, was introduced in 1890 by Japan Beer and has long been a local favorite. The area adopted its name from the train station built in 1901 by the company to facilitate distribution of its beer. Japan Beer has since reorganized and was renamed Sapporo Breweries Ltd. After the beer factories were moved to Chiba in 1988, the area was redeveloped as the Yebisu Garden Place, opened to the public in 1994.

The spelling "Yebisu" is intentionally archaistic. With or without the "y" the pronunciation is the same as "Ebisu."

[edit] External links

• Wikitravel: Tokyo/Ebisu
• Yebisu Garden Place
• Sapporo Beer History
• Tokyo Essentials Ebisu
• Tokyo Food Page Ebisu/Daikanyama Restaurants
• Metropolis Magazine Ebisu