Hotel Gajoen Tokyo is known for highlighting the best of Japanese culture, with some rooms used for art exhibitions. To celebrate the coming of spring and the cherry blossoms in full bloom, the location is offering some sakura-themed menu items and a room with a sweeping view of Meguro River and the many sakura trees that line it.
Special Sakura Kaiseki: ¥6,050 (Tax Included) / Available Weekdays from March 15 – April 8
Sakura Afternoon Tea: ¥4,950 / With Champagne: ¥6,820 (Tax Included), Available from March 14 – April 10
Lunch Set: ¥4,950 (Tax Included) / Available from March 14 – April 10
The hotel’s four restaurants are each offering limited-time cherry blossom items. The Japanese restaurant Tofutei will offer the Special Sakura Kaiseki Set, while the New American Grill Kanade Terrace has added cherry blossom petals to its popular seasonal afternoon tea. The Chinese restaurant Shun Yuki has a themed lunch set,
Spaghettini with Shrimp, Bamboo Shoots and Sea Urchin: ¥2,200 (Tax Included) / Available from March 1 – March 31
The Italian restaurant Ristorante Canoviano is offering guests a spring-inspired course using seasonal ingredients.
The hotel’s patisserie is selling a limited number of Cherry Blossom Viewing Bento sets perfect for taking on a picnic.
Meguro River Cherry Blossom Viewing Room: ¥89,000~ (Tax Included) / 1 room, 2 guests / Available from March 18 – April 7
For overnight stays, guests can enjoy cherry blossom viewing from the Meguro River Cherry Blossom Suite. The executive lounge, exclusively for guests, also overlooks the river and is open for afternoon and evening tea. The food and drink menu changes every hour.
The historic Hotel Gajoen Tokyo, which blends a hotel and a traditional Japanese museum, will offer a tour of the Hyakudan Kaidan (Hundred Stairs) from December 3 until December 25, 2022. This Tangible Cultural Property of Tokyo is an incredible sight, and those with an interest in Showa-era architecture won’t want to miss it.In 1988, part of the old Gajoen structure was torn down to make way for new structures along the Meguro River basin, and the hotel underwent a large-scale renovation over a period of three years. The Hundred Stairs were originally built in 1935 and designated as a Tangible Cultural Property by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government in 2009.Over the years, the Gajoen has served as a restaurant and gathering place for visitors from both the Showa-era and Heisei-era. Filled with traditional Japanese aesthetics, the location is now filled with art and pieces of cultural significance. A number of special exhibitions are held throughout the year. Why not come enjoy this tour of a piece of Japanese history?
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Winter Tour: Hyakudan Kaidan 2022 ~Architecture, Beauty, and Tales of Tradition~
Running: December 3 – December 25, 2022 Hours: 12:30 – 18:00 (Last entry at 17:30) Venue: Hyakudan Kaidan (Hundred Stairs) Tangible Cultural Property of Tokyo, Hotel Gajoen Tokyo Details: https://www.hotelgajoen-tokyo.com/100event/tour2022
Hotel Gajoen Tokyo Displays India-Ink Painting from the Film ‘Sen wa, Boku o Egaku’
From October 1 until November 27, Hotel Gajoen Tokyo will hold a special event in conjunction with the film Sen wa, Boku o Egaku. Visitors to the hotel’s historic One Hundred Steps Staircase will be surrounded by a world of color and paintings made from India Ink.
Fisherman and Woodcutters Room with Colored Wood Carvings
Grapevine, Hiromasa Togami.
Atelier (Image courtesy of Toho)
The coming-of-age story Sen wa, Boku o Egaku won 3rd place in the 2020 Honya Taisho and the 2019 TBS King’s Brunch Book Grand Prize. The book received rave reviews from booksellers nationwide and has now been adapted into a live-action film by Norihiro Koizumi, best known as the director of the Chihayafuru film adaptation. The film will be released on October 21, 2022. As a tie-up project with the film, the One Hundred Steps Staircase, a Tangible Cultural Property of Tokyo built in 1935, will be the setting for an incredible display of paintings that appear in the film.
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Sen wa, Boku o Egaku at the One Hundred Steps Staircase ~The World of India-Ink Filled with Color~
Running: October 1 – November 27 *Open daily during event period Hours: 11:00-18:00 (Last entry at 17:30) Venue: Hotel Gajoen Tokyo, One Hundred Steps Staircase (Tangible Cultural Property of Tokyo) Tickets/Details: https://www.hotelgajoen-tokyo.com/100event/senwabokuoegaku
Light and Shadow 2022 Event at Hotel Gajoen Tokyo Attracts Over 10,000 Visitors
Hotel Gajoen Tokyo, which blends a hotel and a traditional Japanese museum, is celebrating summer in the spookiest way possible. From July 2 until September 25, guests can enjoy the ‘Wa no Akari x Hyakudan Kaidan 2022 ~Light and Shadow: 100 Stories~’ event, inspired by the tradition of telling ghost stories in summer to send a chill down your spine. Since opening, over 10,000 visitors have come to experience this once-in-a-lifetime event. Each of the seven exhibition areas is connected to the stairway, and each has its own theme pulled from the overarching theme of light and darkness. From Light of Passion to Midnight Light, guests will be surrounded on all sides. As you ascend the stairs, a festive atmosphere transforms into a more frightening one. Although the ghosts are out to play, guests are welcome to enjoy the many art pieces and crafts on display.
Sokyu Room / Lights of Passion
This Kabuki stage is filled with the passion of women who are addicted to love, a common theme in many traditional plays. The eye-catching Japanese umbrellas and lanterns will no doubt leave an impression, and the wistful music is titled Red Thread. The tale depicted here tells the story of a woman who becomes a haunting specter clad in flames of passion, sobbing and laughing in time with the song.
Still Water Room / Inverted Light
The three trees crowned with horse heads were created by the artist Eros Nakazato. Guests will feel as though they’ve been transported to the middle of a meadow as they explore this fantastical room covered in traditional paintings. In the work The Reverse of the Reverse, there are no wild horses on the earth, and those who have been tamed by humans sway in a beautiful and sad way. To make this scarier, the story has been reimagined as guests look through a crystal ball–now, humans are ruled by horses
Starlight Room / Midnight Light
Passing through a corridor of suspiciously flickering yokai lanterns, you will find that the clock has struck midnight. In the darkness, as most humans are asleep, specters are having a lively party. Playful cats dance and play and a number of artistic works by contemporary artists are on display. The music played fuses Japanese and ethnic instruments, some of which are interspersed with the voices of creatures of the night.Experience this immersive art experience that will delight all five senses through light and shadows while you can!
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Wa no Akari x Hyakudan Kaidan 2022 ~Light and Shadow: 100 Stories~
Running: July 2 – September 25, 2022
Hours: 11:30-18:00 (Last entry at 17:30) *Closing at 17:00 on August 20 (Last entry at 16:30)
Venue: Hotel Gajoen Tokyo Hyakudan Staircase (Tangible Cultural Property Designated by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government)
Hotel Gajoen Tokyo, which blends a hotel and a traditional Japanese museum, is celebrating summer in the spookiest way possible. From July 2 until September 25, guests can enjoy the ‘Wa no Akari x Hyakudan Kaidan 2022 ~Light and Shadow: 100 Stories~’ event, inspired by the tradition of telling ghost stories in summer to send a chill down your spine. The art illumination exhibition promises to be a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
Jounen no Akari (Lights of Passion)
Bamboo Lights
Without light, there are no shadows. In this exhibition, light and shadow complement one another, portraying the popular 100 ghost stories in a new way. Last year’s event received critical acclaim as guests found themselves moving breathlessly from room to room, exploring the many incredible pieces put on display. Along the dusk-lit promenade, goldfish lanterns lead guests to the start of their mysterious adventure. The atmosphere changes from room to room, with bamboo lights and shadows surrounding you from all sides.
An Immersive Light Art Space
Odawara Wind Chimes at Dusk
Luxurious Cherry Blossom Hairpins
Glass Lamp, Iroshita Studio
Flower Arrangement, Rikou Otsuka
As you ascend the stairs, a festive atmosphere transforms into a more frightening one. Although the ghosts are out to play, guests are welcome to enjoy the many art pieces and crafts on display, from flower arrangements by master ikebana artist Rikou Otsuka and sculptures by some of Japan’s most influential traditional creators.
Enjoy Traditional Summer Ghost Stories with Light Art
Ghost Lanterns
Born from the Earth, Yasumaro Ozawa
Byakko, Yuji Nishijima
Inverted Light, Eros Nakazato
Mysterious music will drift through the air, making guests feel as though they’ve been transported into another world. The eerie space is lit by Ghost Lanterns made by a 200-year-old company in Fukuoka, and the venue is decorated with art blending ukiyo-e with contemporary styles.
Culture and Crafts from Around Japan
Paper Lanterns from Ise
Bamboo Lights, Akarinowa
3D Knit Lights
Paper Fireworks
Summer fireworks have been recreated in colorful paper form by an artist in Nagaoka, Niigata Prefecture, and materials found in a neglected bamboo grove in Shizuoka Prefecture were used to create the many iconic lights seen throughout the unique exhibition. Local craftsmen are at the heart of the event, with pieces brought in from areas all around Japan.
Wa no Akari Room
A concept room featuring gently flickering lights and lanterns is available to book for a limited time. Why not come spend your summer in this otherworldly atmosphere?
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Wa no Akari x Hyakudan Kaidan 2022 ~Light and Shadow: 100 Stories~
Running: July 2 – September 25, 2022
Hours: 11:30-18:00 (Last entry at 17:30) *Closing at 17:00 on August 20 (Last entry at 16:30)
Hotel Gajoen Tokyo, which blends a hotel and a traditional Japanese museum, will hold a Taisho Romanticism exhibition from April 16 to June 12, 2022. The event will take place at the famous Hyakudan Staircase, a tangible cultural property designated by Tokyo Metropolitan Government.
This year's exhibition will feature collaborative exhibits with works by Yumeji Takehisa, a leading painter of the Taisho period, and popular illustrator Hiromi Matsuo's famed piece Department Store Waltz. Coordinated displays of kimono and modern girl's outfits based on the concept of Taisho Romanticism by Shochiku Costume will also appear, and guests can visit a modern coffee shop with retro stained glass windows by an artist belonging to the Stained Glass Artists Association.After the Meiji Period when Japan was opening to the outside world, a new blend of cultures never seen before blossomed into the world of Taisho Romanticism. Come enjoy this unique atmosphere and learn more about this time period while you can!
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Taisho Romanticism x Hotel Gajoen Tokyo Hyakudan Staircase Running: April 16 – June 12, 2022 *Closed on May 25 Location: Hotel Gajoen Hotel Tokyo Hyakudan Staircase (Tangible Cultural Property Designated by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government) Tickets/Details: https://www.hotelgajoen-tokyo.com/100event/roman
Cherry Blossom Menu Appears at Cafe Accueil Ebisu for a Limited Time
Cafe Accueil Ebisu is currently offering a limited Sakura-themed menu featuring pancakes, afternoon tea, and drinks until April 10, 2022.Sakura & Strawberry PancakesSakura Afternoon TeaSpecial Latte with Cherry BlossomsThe seasonal menu includes Sakura & Strawberry Pancakes with pale pink and strawberry red accents, and savory items such as a croissant with cherry cheese cream. Guests can also enjoy Sakura Afternoon Tea, a colorful 12-item menu featuring cherry and strawberry delights. Come enjoy the coming of spring at this gorgeous Tokyo cafe!