[Note: Mikura Ginza Honten has closed.]
Shopping and eating in Ginza — it's a hallowed custom and one almost as old as Tokyo itself, certainly dating back at least to the time when streetcar tracks used to run along the district's willow-lined main thoroughfare. After a long, hard session of retail therapy, the best reward is to pamper oneself with a late and leisurely lunch.
Thus it was we found ourselves brushing past the hempen noren curtain that marks the entrance to Mikura Ginza Honten and making our way down lamp- lit stairs. Heading past a landing where seasonal vegetables are laid out in baskets to whet the appetite, we reached the vestibule. Gratefully we eased out of our shoes and were shown into the dining room.