Tokyo's Ginza district may have lost some of its past glory but several elderly people there are working to ensure that it remains a showcase of bustling Tokyo.

Ginza, stretching about 600 meters east to west and about 1.1 km north to south, was for long — and still is to some degree — considered a symbol of Japan's prosperity. A pace setter in upscale fashion boasting top-class bars and night clubs, the district is also home to about 4,000 restaurants.

But its streets have changed in the nearly 10 years since the collapse of the asset-inflated bubble economy, with some of the long-established shops giving way to the advance of foreign stores and fast-food chains.