Meguro Gajoen is one of the very “Japanese” hotels in Tokyo. Especially, it’s worth visiting their “hyakudan-kaidan” building which consists of the stairway of 100 steps and several rooms built in 1930s, now being designated as one of the Tokyo Metropolitan’s cultural assets. It’s also known as one of the places where Hayao Miyazaki got inspiration for “Spirited Away”.
Usually it’s not open for public but there are two ways to visit: one is to book the special guided tours with meals and the other is to enter during the exhibition. From October 1 to October 25, the unique exhibition is held by one of the most famous Japanese flower artists, Shogo Kariyazaki.
- Date: October 1 to October 25, 2015
- Time: 10:00-17:00 (Last entrance: 16:30)
- *Only on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and National Holidays, “Twilight Exhibition” is held from 17:00-19:00, which allows photo-shooting without strobes, flashes and tripods.
- Entrance fee: Adult – 1,000 JPY (Twilight Exhibition – 1,500 JPY) / Students – 500 JPY / Elementary school & under – Free




I visited this exhibition last night alone. Experiencing the new world of arts is one of the top things to do when I feel I need to charge up myself.
The rooms were so gorgeous and decorative, even dazzling. Mr Kariyazaki’s ‘delicate yet bold’ artworks created an exceptional, dreamlike atmosphere, making the space completely divorced from the ordinary. But at the same time, it seemed that lots of contrary concepts are incorporated into his works – old & new, dark & bright, innocent & matured, natural & artificial, classical & pop…just like the reality with full of contradictions. And there was no hesitation in his expression.
Yes. The reality is not simple at all. That’s why we get lost, and that’s why the life is exciting.
So it was stimulation. For me, it wasn’t something like the pretty, sweet rose tea of his brand sold at the souvenir shop at the venue. Rather, it was like a spicy, colorful, exotic hot pot with lots of different ingredients challenging my tongue and stomach.
I have to admit that I wanted some moments to escape from the reality. But perhaps I need to do the opposite.
Links:
Meguro Gajoen (English)
Shogo Kariyazaki
Like this:
Like Loading...