[Gajoen]
Gajoen will temporarily close its doors starting October 1, 2025. Established in 1931 (Showa 6) in Meguro, Tokyo, Gajoen was Japan's first comprehensive wedding venue and was once called the “Showa-era Dragon Palace.”
The roots of “Meguro Gajoen,” the predecessor to “Hotel Gajoen Tokyo,” lie in the purely Japanese-style restaurant “Shibaura Gajoen,” which founder Rikizo Hosokawa created by renovating his home in Shibaura, Tokyo. Amidst the modernization following the Meiji era, Meguro Gajoen was created as a restaurant where more people, including the general public and families, could easily dine. Its splendidly luxurious interior, adorned with art pieces, lacquer, and gold leaf, embodied the founder's vision for everyone to spend a day feeling like a wealthy patron, enjoying elegant surroundings.
At the time, weddings typically involved separate locations for beauty services, dressing, commemorative photos, and the ceremony itself, followed by a reception at a restaurant or hotel. Moving between venues was especially arduous for brides and guests, particularly on rainy days. Thus, the founder conceived the idea of consolidating all wedding functions within the Gajoen complex. This marked the beginning of Japan's first integrated wedding venue, bringing together a shrine, dressing rooms, beauty salon, photography studio, and banquet halls under one roof. In 2017 (Heisei 29), celebrating its 88th anniversary, the facility's name changed from “Meguro Gajoen” to “Hotel Gajoen Tokyo.”
Among the many art and craft treasures that adorn Gajoen, the Hundred-Step Staircase stands as a landmark. It is the only remaining wooden structure at Gajoen, built in 1935 (Showa 10) and designated a Tangible Cultural Property of Tokyo in 2009 (Heisei 21). I first visited the Hundred-Step Staircase during a previous trip to Gajoen. Looking up at the long staircase corridor with its 99 steps, created precisely because it was built on a 16-meter slope, the end seemed impossible to see. This surreal, dreamlike world felt as if it stretched on endlessly. The staircase corridor connects seven rooms where splendid banquets were held. The ceilings and transoms of each room depict worlds of beauty created by some of the most renowned painters of the time.
Most recently, I returned to Gajoen to attend a friend's wedding. Both the reception hall and the welcome space were breathtakingly beautiful and splendid in every detail—from the black lacquer inlaid with mother-of-pearl (raiden), to the murals and ceiling paintings. Recent research suggests that Gajoen's decorations belong to the Momoyama style, or even the lineage of Nikko Toshogu Shrine, or to Edo culture seen in Kabuki and other arts. There is no doubt that Gajoen was one of the pinnacles of places where one could experience Japan's traditional aesthetic sensibility, preserved to this day. I was shocked by the sudden news of its temporary closure, but I can only hope that this cultural treasure, like a jewel of Japan, will be properly passed on to the future.
Hotel Gajoen Tokyo
https://maps.app.goo.gl/vxvEdNnZhG18Pr3X6
Showroom Information
https://www.shokunin.com/en/showroom/
Reference
https://www.hotelgajoen-tokyo.com/history
