日本のよいものを世界へ

Holding period

2023.12.02 〜 2025.01.14

Immerse yourself in a journey through time and space with neon art, local food culture, and traditional crafts in a fictional spa town.

Hotel Gajoen Tokyo (Meguro-ku, Tokyo; General Manager: Takeaki Moriki), a museum hotel of Japanese beauty, is currently holding “Nostalgic and New: Retro Scenery of East and West Japan” at the Hyakudan Staircase, a Tangible Cultural Property designated by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, from December 2 (Sat) to December 24 (Sun), 2023 and from January 1 (Mon) to January 14 (Sun), 2024. Traveling through “Retro” Scenery of Old, New, and East-West Japan” is being held from December 2 (Sat.) to December 24 (Sun.), 2023 and from January 1 (national holiday) to January 14 (Sun.), 2024.

The theme of this year’s exhibition, which begins with an exhibit reminiscent of an inn’s entrance, is “Nostalgic and New Scenes of Japan. Passing through the noren curtain, visitors proceed to the first room, “Jumo no Ma,” and are met with a retro ryokan guest room, which seems to have time-traveled back to a time long ago. The scenery of the destination that begins here varies from festival scenes, kokeshi dolls and toys from the Tohoku region, neon signs in an imaginary hot spring resort town, and store fronts in tourist spots. Each room offers a different view, and the highlights of this exhibition will take you on a journey through time and regions.

Highlights 1: Play in imaginary retro cityscapes spun with rich colors.
In the “Still Water Room” exhibit, 20 illustrations by Kyoko Nakamura depicting retro landscapes with colorful colors will be on display. The retro-pop items and animal characters are placed among the illustrations of buildings, creating a nostalgic yet somehow new worldview that makes visitors want to get up close and personal. Visitors who pass through a narrow corridor that looks like a back alley and continue on to the “Starlight Room” will find themselves in an imaginary hot spring resort town lit by neon lights. A three-dimensional display of two-dimensional works drawn by artist Harawa Chunko, reproduced with actual neon tubes, and colorful works of his line drawing illustrations, finished with acrylic panels and lights, shine like neon lights floating in the city at night. In the “Fisherman’s Room,” visitors can enjoy a variety of scenes of Japanese colors, depicting lively festivals and celebrations.

Highlights 2: Tracing the Handicrafts and Beauty of Japan
Approximately 200 kokeshi dolls, classified into 11 families from six prefectures in the Tohoku region, are gathered in the “Souka-no-Ma” area. The exhibition features illustrations and explanatory panels showing the distribution map, various shapes, structures, and paintings of kokeshi dolls from “Kokeshi Illustrated Book” by Kazumi Sasaki (published by Seibundo Shinkosha), which highlights the traditions, climate, craftsmanship, and personalities of the makers of kokeshi dolls. We recommend that visitors compare the different expressions, styles, and patterns of kokeshi dolls from different angles, such as from the side or from the top of the head, depending on the region and the maker.

Highlights 3: Bread Tour with Minori Kai’s Collection
In the “Room at the Top,” there will be a panel display introducing bakeries and breads rooted in each of the 47 prefectures of Japan, as well as 100 bread bags collected by Minori Kai from her book “Local Breads throughout Japan” (published by Exknowledge), which introduces local breads that have been loved for many years and are unique to each region. In addition, 100 bread bags collected by Mr. Kai will be on display.
The breads are unique and even the bags and wrappers are adorable, filled with the charm of their hometowns that you can only encounter if you visit the area.

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