The historic Hyakudan Kaidan building in Tokyo reopened to the public on October 1 after a year-long closure, with a special event that allows visitors to experience the architecture and 1930s ornamentation “directly.” Jiji Press reports that the event, running until March 30, 2027, displays only a few artifacts inside the property designated as a cultural asset by the Tokyo metropolitan government, unlike past exhibitions that used displays and showcases that partially obscured views of ceiling paintings, pillars and architectural details. “Our goal is for visitors to experience the architecture firsthand and to perceive its charm directly,” the Hyakudan Kaidan public relations office said. Through seven traditional Japanese rooms connected by a 99-step wooden staircase, visitors can find about 100 motifs associated with good fortune in the paintings and architectural decorations on ceilings, walls and alcove pillars.

Among these are numerous depictions of the folding Japanese fan, sensu, which express the concept of suehirogari—literally “spreading toward the end,” like an open fan—and symbolizing growing prosperity, good luck and future success. In the Jippo room, the building’s first room, what is believed to be Japan’s oldest surviving rotating table is on display. Restored from a piece dating before World War II, the table is decorated with mother-of-pearl inlay, a traditional technique in which the iridescent white-silver parts of shells are cut and fitted into lacquered surfaces and other objects. The architectural features and the rotating table offer a window into Hyakudan Kaidan’s history, when it served as a ryotei (traditional Japanese restaurant) at the former Meguro Gajoen, a famous venue for lavish banquets and wedding receptions after its completion in 1935.

Although most of the buildings in the original 1935 complex were demolished in 1988 as part of redevelopment, Hyakudan Kaidan has been largely preserved in its original state to the present day. “As the urban landscape continues to change, the survival of Hyakudan Kaidan, almost unchanged since the early Shōwa period, carries deep significance, allowing the area’s history and memories to remain present within the modern landscape,” the office said.