🇯🇵 A video shot in 1985 shows the area around Ginza 4-chome. You can really feel the pre-bubble energy when Tokyo was stepping into its global prime. Only a year later everything would completely change.

On August 2, 1996, Starbucks opened its very first store in Japan on Ginza Matsuya-dori in Tokyo. The historic first order was a Double Tall Latte — a large Starbucks latte with an extra shot of espresso. This single order kicked off Japan's second cafe boom, and today, with over 2,000 stores nationwide, Starbucks has become a cherished part of everyday life in Japan.

On July 20, 1971, Japan’s first McDonald’s restaurant opened inside the Ginza Mitsukoshi department store. The shop was constructed with extraordinary speed, driven by founder Den Fujita’s firm belief that "all trends begin in Ginza." Due to the extremely limited floor space, customers took their burgers out into the streets of Ginza. This became the catalyst for "tabe-aruki" (eating while walking) — a new cultural phenomenon in Japan. Just one year after its opening, the store broke the world record for single-day sales, a feat that reportedly astonished the U.S. headquarters.

SQUEEZE (558A) closed up 5.09% today at 5,780 yen. The catalyst was Hulic's (3003) announcement of a capital and business alliance. Hulic is acquiring an additional stake of about 5% from existing shareholders, raising its total ownership. The goal is digital transformation in hotel operations. As a first step, the two companies are converting an office building in Ginza into an apartment hotel, with opening planned for spring 2028. I wrote about SQUEEZE before. Here is that piece.