Tokyo’s historic building Hyakudan Kaidan reopens after a year
The event runs through March 30, 2027. Few exhibits are on display at the Tokyo metropolitan government-designated tangible cultural property, unlike at past events where exhibits partially blocked views of ceiling paintings, pillars and other architectural details.
“We aim to have visitors experience the architecture firsthand and directly feel its charm,” the public relations office for Hyakudan Kaidan said.
The building’s seven traditional Japanese-style rooms are connected by a 99-step wooden staircase and feature about 100 motifs associated with good fortune on ceilings, walls and alcove pillars.
Among the motifs are numerous Japanese sensu folding fan designs representing the concept of suehirogari, which literally means widening toward the end like an open folding fan and symbolizes growing prosperity, good fortune and future success.
In the Jippo room, the first room, a table believed to be Japan’s oldest surviving rotating table is on display.
Restored from a pre-World War II piece, the table is decorated with mother-of-pearl inlay, a traditional technique in which shimmering, silvery-white parts of shells are cut out and inlaid into lacquerware and other objects.
The architectural features and rotating table offer insight into the history of Hyakudan Kaidan, which was completed in 1935 and once served as a ryotei, a traditional Japanese restaurant, at the former Meguro Gajoen, a famous venue for lavish banquets and wedding receptions.
Although most of the buildings in the original 1935 complex were demolished in 1988 as part of redevelopment projects, Hyakudan Kaidan has been preserved largely in its original state.
“As the cityscape continues to transform, the survival of Hyakudan Kaidan, nearly unchanged since the early Showa period, holds profound significance, allowing the area's history and memories to remain present within the modern landscape,” the office said.
Earlier, Qazinform News Agency reported that Japan reclaimed the top spot among 110 economies in the World Economic Forum's 2026 Travel and Tourism Development Index rankings.
