Meguro Gajoen


The Hotel Gajoen Tokyo, better known by its former name Meguro Gajoen, is a historic hotel, wedding and restaurant building located on the eastern edge of Shimomeguro.

History

The Meguro Gajoen was established by Rikizo Hosokawa in 1931. Previously, he had operated a ryōtei in Shibaura, and upon acquiring the Meiji-era house of shipping tycoon Shoichi Iwanaga in Shimomeguro, he decided to relocate his business there. The house was renamed Meguro Gajoen and became known for its Japanese and Beijing cuisine.
The original building, featured in Osamu Dazai's novel Kajitsu, was demolished except for the Hyakudan Kaidan, which has been incorporated into the new building complex. The current complex is largely the result of an 85 billion yen renovation completed in 1991. Designed by Nikken Sekkei and Kajima, much of the ornamentation and artwork, or in some cases whole rooms from the old building were preserved and integrated into the new structure.