1934 Completion of Ginza Beer and opening of a beer hall

In April of 1934, Dainippon Beer built the Ginza Beer building, a six-story, reinforced concrete structure in what is now Ginza 7-chome, Tokyo. The company relocated its headquarters in Mita, Meguro-ku and its Tokyo branch office to this new building. The design of the building was handled by Eizo Sugawara, who was responsible for the Shinbashi Enbujo. The first floor of the Ginza Building was dedicated to Dainippon Beer’s Ginza Beer Hall, a direct point of sale. There were twelve glass mosaics of different sizes installed throughout. The sketches for the mosaics were drawn by Sugawara himself, and he oversaw their production. The colored glass used was made by glass artist Yoshizo Okura. Sugawara was quite stringent about colors and ordered several remakes, ultimately agreeing on over 250 colors that met his requirements. Today, the space remains in operation as Beer Hall Lion Ginza 7-chome, and it retains the original interior.

  • The Dainippon Beer Ginza Building, completed in April 1934
    The Dainippon Beer Ginza Building, completed in April 1934
  • The Ginza Beer Hall interior soon after opening
    The Ginza Beer Hall interior soon after opening
  • The interior is alive and well today
    The interior is alive and well today