Nihonbashi

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Nihonbashi (the bridge)

Marker from which distances are measured

Bank of Japan

For the place in Osaka written with the same kanji in Japanese, see Nipponbashi.

Nihonbashi (日本橋, Nihonbashi^? lit. Japan Bridge), or Nihombashi, is a business district of Chuo Ward, Tokyo, Japan, surrounding a famous bridge of the same name. The district covers a large area to the north and east of the bridge, reaching Akihabara to the north and the Sumida River to the east. Otemachi is to the west and Yaesu and Ginza to the south.

1 History
2 Trivia
3 Places in Nihonbashi
4 Companies based in Nihonbashi
5 Railway and subway stations

[edit] History

The Nihonbashi district was a major mercantile center during the Edo period: its early development is largely credited to the Mitsui family, who based their wholesaling business in Nihonbashi and developed Japan's first department store, Mitsukoshi, there. The Edo-era fish market formerly in Nihonbashi was the predecessor of today's Tsukiji fish market. In later years, Nihonbashi emerged as Tokyo's (and Japan's) predominant financial district.

The Nihonbashi bridge first became famous during the 1600s, when it was the eastern terminus of the Tōkaidō road between Edo and Kyoto. During this time, it was known as Edobashi, or "Edo Bridge." In the Meiji era, the wooden bridge was replaced by a larger stone bridge, which still stands today (a replica of the old bridge has been exhibited at the Edo-Tokyo Museum). It is the point from which Japanese people measure distances: highway signs that report the distance to Tokyo actually state the number of kilometers to Nihonbashi.