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The Hyakudan Kaidan (Hundred Steps Staircase), a tangible cultural property designated for preservation by the city of Tokyo, reopened on October 1 for the first time in a year, ahead of renovations and rebranding at Hotel Gajoen in Meguro.
Only open to the public when exhibitions are held at the site, the majestic staircase is once again revealed to the world in its full early-Showa-era opulence, replete with painted ceilings, detailed wood carvings and breathtaking artworks on the walls. This time around, unlike the usual exhibitions where works of art are the centrepiece, the building itself gets the spotlight – a rare opportunity to see its seven interconnected rooms, each with its own distinctive character, in their ‘natural state’.
A true ‘temple of art’, the building is decorated with 126 paintings by leading artists of the 1930s, mother-of-pearl inlay, kumiko shoji screens assembled without nails or adhesives, more than 750 cloisonné enamel pieces set into the ceiling, and cypress pillars approximately 200 years old.
The Hyakudan Kaidan stands on the grounds of Hotel Gajoen, a historic wedding venue and hotel that made headlines last year when it suddenly cancelled 180 weddings due to an expired building lease. Initially explained as a temporary closure for renovation work, the underlying issue stemmed from a recent ownership change and the previous operator's failure to secure a lease renewal. The hotel has since reopened its restaurants and rooms in July, and is set to fully rebrand in 2027 under Hilton’s luxury label, LXR Hotels & Resorts, as ‘Gajoen Tokyo LXR Hotels & Resorts’.
Tickets for the special public viewing of the Hyakudan Kaidan are now available via E-tix, with daytime general admission starting at ¥1,800 per person. For those looking to explore the rooms at a leisurely pace, a limited number of nighttime tickets are available for admission from 5pm, after the end of regular opening hours, for ¥2,000.
Guided tours of the historic structure and its elaborate former banquet rooms are also available for ¥2,500 per person (in Japanese only).
For more details, check the exhibition website.
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