Summer illuminations at Hotel Gajoen in Meguro
The annual illuminations of the Hotel Gajoen
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Magic of Aomori in Tokyo
Each year, the Gajoen hotel in Meguro sets up its summer illuminations. A popular two-month event in the capital allows you to discover the charm of Japanese craftsmanship. Indeed, It is by the light of the giant lanterns of the Aomori festival straight out of a fairy tale, allowing you to follow in the footsteps of the myths and legends of Aomori!
An exceptional hotel!
Built in Meguro in 1928, the Gajoen hotel is a trendy luxury hotel restaurant in the Japanese capital.
Halfway between a modern hotel and a ryokan (traditional inn), this high standard establishment is renowned for its classic fairytale decor, a design made of wood and lacquer, making it an idyllic setting for wedding ceremonies.
To read: Marriage in Japan
Rooms are works of art from floor to ceiling
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The Gajoen Hotel has been a favorite of Tokyo newlyweds for almost a century! And whether it's for simple photos or to spend the wedding night, the hotel is complete when the wedding season approaches.
Open to the public during the summer.
Each year, this exceptional place sets up its summer illuminations, an event that highlights Japanese craftsmanship and allows non-regulars to discover the hotel's unique design.
The exhibition follows an original route. Along an old wooden staircase, you will then follow the sleeping kokeshi (traditional dolls) on each of the steps to access the hidden rooms of the hotel, small rooms specially re-arranged for the occasion! An atypical path that allows discovering this hotel's beauty from the 1920s, which mixes Western aesthetics and inspiration from the Edo era (1603-1868).
See also: Japanese dolls.
Can you find the hidden pieces from there?
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Little Kokeshi sleep along the stairs
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Moldings on the ceiling and engravings on the wall, the rooms of the hotel Gajoen are true works of art in themselves! Pieces, however, have a cost since the average space price for the night is around 78,000 yen (almost $625/610€)!
At 1,500 yen (approximately $12.50/11.50€) at the entrance, Gajoen's summer illuminations are, therefore, an excellent way to discover this small hotel usually reserved for the wealthy clientele of Tokyo.
The Gajoen hotel, an exceptional hotel
hotel-gajoen.jp
A tribute to Japanese craftsmanship
If the hotel's design attracts the curious, it is mainly the lanterns of the Aomori festival that are the heart of the exhibition.
Very popular on the archipelago, the Aomori Lantern Festival exhibits a hundred giant lanterns every summer in the small town of Tohoku. True jewels of local craftsmanship, which the managers of the Gajoen hotel also enjoy welcoming to their establishment each year.
Discover: Aomori Nebuta Matsuri Festival
Here the princess and her knights in one of the hotel rooms
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With the theme of ''the myths and legends of the archipelago'', the Gajoen exhibition brings together a dozen lanterns from Aomori and several hundred more modest works, all from crafts in the country's north. An excellent way to discover the work of local artisans is through a theme dear to Japanese culture, and each room is decorated according to a specific theme.
The four seasons, nature, deities, magic, and all the rooms take up elements that are predominant in Japanese tales. And from the princess's room to the room of jewels, passing through the shrine of Shinto deities, it is a fascinating and bucolic journey under the background of traditional music that the Gajoen hotel offers its visitors.
Read also: 5 famous Japanese legends.
A word of advice, though: come in the late afternoon! As the exhibition attracts many visitors each year, the end of the evening is more pleasant to enjoy the lanterns without risking queuing on the stairs quietly.
Address, timetable & access
Address
Timetable
3 min walk from Meguro station (Yamanote).Price
1,500 yen ($12/11€)Access
Early July to early September, 10 am to 6 pm weekdays, 10 am to 8 pm Friday to Sunday.
