Apple Ginza’s short-term location has been open for a very long time, and at this level, could as effectively be everlasting. This is what it seemed like April 2025 when AppleInsider visited, previous to the eventual reopening of the flagship retailer.
For greater than three years, Apple’s Ginza retailer has been situated in a brief house that occupies 4 ranges in a Tokyo purchasing district.
The unique Apple Ginza retailer in Tokyo opened in 2003, about two years after the debut of the Apple Retailer idea. This made it the first-ever Apple Retailer outdoors of america.
In August of 2022, the shop, in Tokyo’s Ginza purchasing district, shut down as a consequence of what had been described on the time as constructing renovations. Subsequently, the Ginza location moved over to a brief, multilevel location.
By the summer time of 2023, the earlier constructing, often known as Sayegusa Honkan, was demolished. The Ginza retailer has remained on the short-term location.
AppleInsider visited that retailer on a latest go to to Tokyo, the place we discovered a retailer that unfold its choices over 4 flooring. This is kind of similar because it was after we visited the shop again within the spring of 2023.
Again to the outdated
We had been informed by retailer workers that there are plans in place to maneuver again to the spot of the unique location, as soon as development is full. A constructing is beneath development on the previous web site of the outdated Ginza retailer, though on the time of our go to, it bore no markings of an Apple Retailer, a minimum of as of but.
The Ginza Apple Retailer, full constructing view – Picture credit score AppleInsider
Apple’s senior vice chairman of Retail + Folks, Diedre O’Brien, visited Apple Ginza in late 2023, on the event of the unique retailer’s twentieth anniversary. She said in an Instagram publish that “we intention to open Apple Ginza’s new house by the top of 2025.”
The present Ginza retailer has 4 ranges of retail house, serviced by elevators. Further ranges above these are used for storage, worker break rooms, and different private makes use of. It doesn’t provide Immediately at Apple courses, though it did at one level prior to now.
A brand new structure
The skin of the Ginza Apple Retailer options the Apple emblem, surrounded however what seem like wooden panels. Whereas some Apple Shops in Japan embody bamboo timber within the ornament, the Ginza location doesn’t.
The Ginza Apple Retailer listing – Picture credit score AppleInsider
The structure of the shop has modified since AppleInsider was final on the retailer simply over two years in the past. The basement, street-level ground (B1F) options the Apple Imaginative and prescient Professional, together with iPhone equipment. The second ground (1F) options iPhone, iPad, and iMac. The third (2F) has iPhones, Macs, and Apple Watches, whereas the highest ground of retail house (3F) options the Genius Bar, in addition to extra equipment.
Get your popcorn prepared
On the primary ground, Apple Ginza’s show could be very popcorn-centric:
Apple Imaginative and prescient Professional, with popcorn, on the Apple Ginza retailer – Picture credit score AppleInsider
Apple Retailer workers sport masks close to the iPhone desk:
The iPhone desk on the Ginza Apple Retailer – Picture credit score AppleInsider
Elsewhere, iPads and equipment dominated the tabletop:
The second ground of the Ginza Apple Retailer – Picture credit score AppleInsider
On the third ground, iPads and Apple Watches:
iPads and Apple Watches at Apple Ginza – Picture credit score AppleInsider
Within the AirPods show, the Memjois in a single wall ornament additionally featured a extra Japanese look:
The memoji show on the Ginza Apple Retailer – Picture credit score AppleInsider
Whereas the product combine is not that completely different between Apple Ginza and most U.S. Apple Shops, the most important distinction is the multi-level structure, in addition to sure Japanese accents within the presentation.
An F1 focus
Once we visited, as with most Apple Shops on the earth, the quite a few screens on the Ginza Apple Retailer featured photographs, movies, and different references to the Apple-produced “F1” film. This was the case on Macs:
Apple’s F1 film, featured on a Mac on the Ginza Apple Retailer – Picture credit score AppleInsider
And likewise on different screens within the retailer:
F1 featured on display on the Apple Ginza Retailer – Picture credit score AppleInsider
“F1 The Film” opened in Japan on June 27, the identical day it launched within the U.S.
A bilingual method
Additionally, a lot of the signage, each in-store and on-device, was in each English and Japanese:
A MacBook show within the Ginza Apple Retailer – Picture credit score AppleInsider
This was additionally the case for the signal explaining the shop’s trade-in coverage:
The trade-in signal at Apple Ginza – Picture credit score AppleInsider
The Japanese phrase, per Google Translate, is “Commerce in and save on upgrades.”
Equipment on provide
The partitions of all 4 flooring featured equipment, together with a well-recognized assortment of iPhone charging pads, energy stations, and different equipment:
iPhone equipment at Apple Ginza – Picture credit score AppleInsider
Mac equipment had been additionally well-represented on one wall, led by drives and adapters:
Mac equipment at Apple Ginza – Picture credit score AppleInsider
iPad equipment featured chargers, adapters, and a PlayStation DualSense controller:
iPad equipment at Apple Ginza – Picture credit score AppleInsider
After which there have been audio system, together with HomePod and Beats Tablet:
Audio system at Apple Ginza – Picture credit score AppleInsider
The HomePod, although, did get its personal show:
The HomePod show at Apple Ginza – Picture credit score AppleInsider
These product assortments aren’t appreciably completely different from what’s on provide at American Apple Shops, even when the aesthetics are completely different.
Additionally on the highest ground…
On the highest ground, a Genius helps out a buyer:
The Genius Bar on the Apple Ginza Retailer – Picture credit score AppleInsider
One other factor distinctive to Apple Shops in Japan: The providing of Paidy, the Japanese cost service that gives “purchase now, pay later” choices.
The Paidy cost possibility, provided on the Ginza Apple Retailer in Japan – Picture credit score AppleInsider
The Apple Ginza retailer, as soon as once more, stays a brief one, with a lot much less house than most different city Apple Shops. However packs rather a lot into that house, and a return to its outdated location is on the horizon.
