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Located on the site of Tokyo's former central post office, Kitte (the name means "postage stamp") is one of the more interesting multi-use complexes in Marunouchi, housing a good number of design and lifestyle shops and a first-rate museum in addition to the usual clothing and luxury-goods retailers. There's also a better-than-average collection of restaurants, plus a basement market area with take-out foods.
Starting up on the fourth floor, you'll find several design-friendly shops worth checking out, including Angers Bureau (a deluxe stationery shop); Marunouchi Reading Style (assorted housewares, toys and gifts, plus an attached cafe); and Hacoa (original wooden crafts - 03-6256-0867). You can also pop into the former postmaster's office to enjoy a view of the restored Tokyo Station complex.
Down on the third floor is the Good Design Store, which carries an eclectic assemblage of consumer goods that have won Good Design awards, along with the travel-oriented shop Muji To Go (03-5220-3120) and the fascinating Intermediatheque natural history museum. Admission to the museum is free.
Spiral Market on the first floor is another design-lifestyle shop, this time with more of a focus on inexpensive gifts and souvenirs. There's also a large event space in the middle of the first-floor atrium level.
Down in the basement is a tourist information center, and next to it a branch of JP Lawson, a collaborative project between Japan Post and the Lawson convenience store chain, where you can find special post-office-related souvenirs. This branch often has surprisingly long lines for a convenience store; perhaps they are trying to recreate the post office experience in a new setting.
There's also a good selection of restaurants down in the basement, variously specializing in fried chicken, beef tongue, yakitori and Okinawan cuisine. Off to one side is a small dining area lined with several take-out stalls, where you can buy a bento or some snacks and enjoy your purchase at one of the tables. Of special note is Amano Freeze Drying Station, where you can choose from more than 100 kinds of freeze-dried soups, stews and curries, for here or to go, starting at around Y100 a packet.
There are many more restaurants up on the fifth and sixth floors, and an outdoor roof garden and observation deck on the sixth floor overlooking the plaza in front of Tokyo Station. Most retail shops close at 9pm (8pm on Sundays), while most restaurants close at 11pm (with last order at 10 or 10:30pm, or an hour earlier on Sundays).
The Kitte complex opened in Spring, 2013, and was designed by architect Kengo Kuma. Portions of the original 1931 Tokyo Central Post Office, designed by Tetsuro Yoshida, have been preserved. The complex occupies the basement levels and first seven floors of the 38-story JP Tower, the rest of which is devoted to office space.
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