Daiwa is a high-end department store in the Korinbo shopping district of Kanazawa. This store has a long history in Kanazawa and was actually born here with the opening of the Miyaichi clothes store in 1903. The store was expanded into a department store in 1923 and then renamed as Daiwa in 1943.
Daiwa department store
Originally located in the nearby Katamachi district Daiwa was relocated to Korinbo in 1986. Today it is a leading seller of top quality fashion brands in the Hokuriku region. Although fashion is the major focus in Daiwa there are also traditional craft goods, a gourmet restaurant section, and a basement food hall which offers a mouth-watering array of fresh produce and local culinary delights. Here are some of the highlights of the Daiwa Department Store.
Table of Contents
Fashion
The first five floors of Daiwa are basically given over to fashion with mainly ladies goods’ on the 1st to the 4th floors and most of the menswear concentrated on the 5th floor. On the 1st floor you can find boutiques selling the most famous top name international brands such as Louis Vuitton, Bottega Veneta, Tiffany, and Rolex. On the 2nd floor you can find young ladies’ casual and business clothes, and leather goods by Longchamp. On the 3rd floor are ladies large sized clothes, accessories, and shoes. The 4th floor has ladies lingerie, formal wear, watches and jewelry.
Young ladies’ fashions on the 2nd floor
The 5th floor has formal and informal clothes for men along with shoes, ties, bags and other accessories. You can also find swimwear, sportswear and travel goods here.
Men’s fashions on the 5th floor
Children’s clothes and toys can be found on the 7th floor.
Traditional Goods
Among the household goods and tableware on the 6th floor are many fine pieces of local craftsmanship, such as lacquerware and ceramics that will make for good souvenirs or gifts. Beautifully patterned silk kimonos can also be found here.
Lacquerware and cedar wood lunch boxes on the 6th floor
The 6th floor kimono salon
Restaurants
The 8th floor gourmet section has a variety of restaurants serving tempura, noodles, grilled food, Chinese food and Italian pasta as well as a cheap all-you-can-eat buffet.
A Chinese restaurant on the 8th floor
Kanazawa Food Paradise
Kanazawa Food Paradise is the well-named food hall in the 1st level basement of the store. This is an enormous and colorful market of every kind of food and drink imaginable including many local specialties. Here you can find confectionery and cakes, a great local sake selection with other wines and spirits, bento lunch boxes, fresh groceries, cooked meats, cheese, pickles, and freshly baked bread.
Kanazawa Food Paradise
Ready-made lunch boxes
A wonderful selection of local sake
Information & Tax Refunds
There is an information desk on the 1st floor. Here you can ask about the store, borrow a wheelchair if needed, and claim tax refunds. Tax refunds are available at some stores in Daiwa if you bring your receipts and passport to the information desk. You can also claim tax refunds here for other stores in the Korinbo, Katamachi, and Tatemachi shopping districts. There is however a small service charge of 1.1% for the refund procedure.
The 1st floor information desk
Access
Daiwa is located in the Korinbo commercial district of Kanazawa. To get there from Kanazawa Station’s east exit bus terminal take the Left Loop Bus from bus stop #7 to the Korinbo bus stop. The journey takes 8 minutes for a flat fare of 200 yen. On Saturdays, Sundays, and public holidays you can also take the Machi Bus from bus stop #5. This takes 9 minutes for a flat fare of just 100 yen. The Korinbo bus stop is right outside the Daiwa department store.
Open: 10.00 – 19.30 (8th floor restaurants are open until 22.00)
Article and original photos by Michael Lambe. All rights reserved.
