Nihonbashi and Kyōbashi were at the center of the old 'low' city, the city of Edo townsmen. While Nihonbashi was home to the rich merchants, Kyōbashi held the enterprises of lesser shopkeepers and artisans. Within Kyōbashi was the Ginza district, where Tokugawa silver was minted. The two characters that make up the word Ginza mean 'silver' and 'guild'.
Although Ginza was somewhat of a backwater in those days, it would become the forerunner in Western fashion during the Meiji era. When, in 1872, the area was almost completely destroyed by fire for a second time in three years, the Meiji government decided to rebuild the whole district in brick. Western avenues were laid out and lined with trees. In September of the same year, the first train from Yokohama pulled into Shinbashi Station, making Ginza the gateway to the city. Before the Second World War, the latest and most exotic items could be found in Ginza. Even so, Nihonbashi remained a reliable spot for the more conservative shopper. Although Nihonbashi built the first department stores in Western style, it was more discriminate in what it wanted to adopt from abroad. Home to the Bank of Japan and the stock market, it remained the center of the mercantile city, although Marunouchi in Kōjimachi had also begun its rise in importance.