The COVID-19 pandemic has brought unprecedented challenges to businesses around the world, and those in Ginza were not exempt.

Tokyo’s State of Emergency in April 2020 heavily impacted shops and businesses in Ginza, forcing some to close permanently. Kobikicho Benmatsu, a long-established bento shop across the street from Ginza Kabukiza, was one of them.

This closure was a shock to Mr. Daichi Saito, the third-generation owner of the confectionery shop Kobikicho Yoshiya. Another shocking event followed.

His shop was founded in 1922, and has been popular among customers and local businesses for its dorayaki. Upon special request, they iron-print special brand logos on the pancake part of the dorayaki, and businesses distribute them as gifts or at events. Due to cancellations of events, large orders of their dorayaki were cancelled.

Deeply saddened by these events, and inspired by exchanges with neighboring restaurants, Mr. Saito took action in hopes of overcoming these challenges through strong bonds between the people and businesses of Ginza.

On April 2, 2020, his shop exchanged its famous “dorayaki” with confectionery from Ginza Kikunoya. This was the start of the “Mono (product)-Tsunagi (connecting) Project”.

Participating shops exchange products, showcase them on social media, and promote each other. The relay of exchanges continues, further expanding the connections (“tsunagi”) of products (“mono”), and strengthening the bonds between people and businesses.

With more than 100 businesses participating, the project is connecting people and businesses and strengthening the “circle of support”. Mr. Saito hopes that this project will inspire people to visit these shops when the pandemic ends, and that Ginza will revive.

The relay continues in 2021 as the “Hito-Tsunagi Project” – connecting people (“hito”), where people including actors, artists, and restaurant owners share their connections to and thoughts about Ginza in videos on the project’s Instagram page.

(297 words) Written by Maya

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もの繋ぎプロジェクト 公式 Instagram

木挽町よしや 公式 Twitter

中央区民マガジン『想いを繋いだ銀座「もの繋ぎプロジェクト」～「木挽町よしや」三代目・斉藤大地氏にインタビュー』

松屋銀座『銀座からはじまる 「もの繋ぎプロジェクト」』