先日、赤坂見附のホテルニューオータニに宿泊しました。
大きなホテルですよね。調べてみると部屋数1479だそうです。
そんなにあったんですね！
The other day, I stayed at Hotel New Otani Tokyo.
It is an enormous hotel complex with 1479 guest rooms.
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| ガーデンタワー Building called Garden Tower そこでとってもいいものを発見！ なんだと思います？ There, I found something that made me very happy! Guess what it is! |
バスルームで見つけたんです！
It's in the bathroom!
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| おおっ！Wow! |
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| 「名所江戸百景」の89景ではないですか！ It's View 84 from "A Hundred Views of Edo"! |
広重の絵がタイルになってるなんて、嬉しくって。
＼(^o^)／
＼(^o^)／
I was so happy to see Hiroshige's work printed on the tile.
＼(^o^)／
＼(^o^)／
バスルームのタイルだけでは失礼なので、素晴らしい日本庭園も紹介しましょう。
Not only does the hotel have Hiroshige's work in their bathroom(^_-), but also it has a beautiful Japanese garden.
Not only does the hotel have Hiroshige's work in their bathroom(^_-), but also it has a beautiful Japanese garden.
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| この後ろの建物はザ・メインと呼ばれています。The building behind the garden is called The Main. |
江戸時代ここは井伊家の中屋敷でした。
（井伊家の上屋敷は桜田門の近くにあります。）
In the time of Edo, its premises were the residence of feudal lord Ii.
（井伊家の上屋敷は桜田門の近くにあります。）
In the time of Edo, its premises were the residence of feudal lord Ii.
(They had their main residence near Sakurada-mon gate. This was their secondary residence.)
明治以降は伏見宮邸でした。
After Edo, it became the residence of Fushiminomiya (a member of the Imperial family.)
戦後、東京オリンピックの宿泊施設不足を解消するため、実業家大谷米太郎（1881～1968）はこの地にホテルを建てることになりました。その際、米太郎は庭園を残すことに心を砕いたそうです。
ホテルはちょうどオリンピックの年1964年に開業しました。
In 1962, a self-made businessman Yonetaro Otani was asked to build a hotel there to accommodate visitors for the Tokyo Olympics. He insisted the traditional garden stay intact to be enjoyed by the hotel's guests.
The hotel opened in the year of the Tokyo Olympics (1964).
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| 大谷米太郎 Yonetaro Otani |
4万平方メートルもの庭にはレストラン、茶室、教会も点在しています。
気持ちのいい散歩ができました。
In the garden over 40,000㎡, they have several restaurants, a tea house and a church.
I enjoyed a little walk there.
気持ちのいい散歩ができました。
In the garden over 40,000㎡, they have several restaurants, a tea house and a church.
I enjoyed a little walk there.
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| 中には鎌倉時代のものもあるそうです。 I heard some of these stones date back to Kamakura era. |
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| 滝と鯉 waterfall and koi fish |
東京には素敵なホテルはたくさんあって、特に最近新しいホテルがたくさんできましたね。
でもニューオータニも落ち着いたいいホテルです。
なんてったって広重の絵を眺めながらお風呂に入れるんですからね。(^_^)v
There are many nice hotels in Tokyo, some of them much newer. But Hotel New Otani is also very good, and you see, you can take a bath looking at Hiroshige's work. (^_^)v
でもニューオータニも落ち着いたいいホテルです。
なんてったって広重の絵を眺めながらお風呂に入れるんですからね。(^_^)v
There are many nice hotels in Tokyo, some of them much newer. But Hotel New Otani is also very good, and you see, you can take a bath looking at Hiroshige's work. (^_^)v
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13 comments:
I was lucky to stay there once on one of those cheap summer deals they do. Lovely gardens! I also like that the exterior featured in the James Bond movie "You Only Live Twice" as the headquarters of "Osato Chemicals" in 1967. I had fun looking for Bond villain - style retro interiors there (although the Hotel Okura is much better for retro). I don't remember the Hiroshige tiles. Must go back again!
Dear Meibutsu,
Thank you for your comment.＼(^o^)／
It was a good deal this time, too. Try JTB 「泊まるんば」. They often have a good deal.
When I was there last time, I was in a room very different from this one. So, I don't know, they have Hiroshige tiles in a few of their 1479 rooms, and you have to be very lucky to be there??(^_-)
James Bond? Oh, I didn't know about that! I have to watch the DVD. Thank you!
Printed on a tile! It could last forever.
As you know, Henry Smith says that the little Benten shrine is still there, now named Kagata Shrine.
I have known that the New Otani had a great garden but I didn’t understand how historical it is. I am beginning to appreciate that about so many gardens and parks in Tokyo. Even Shimizudani Park, up the street between the two hotels and on the right, has a Tokugawa connection I just discovered. Thank you for the great information.
By the way, have they started the demolition across the street of the Grand Prince Hotel Akasaka designed by the noted architect Tange Kenzo?
It's not just a print that hangs in the bathroom; it's actually a tile? That's cool! ^^
I've read that the hotel has a nice Japanese garden, but I've never been there. I see the words "Hotel New Otani" and I think "too expensive". It makes me frown like that statue in the third photo from the bottom. :)
Tall Gary,
You know a lot about the area. Maybe you used to enjoy Akasaka night life?(^^)
Yes, the area of both Shimizudani Park and Akasaka Prince Hotel was the secondary residence of Kii, one of the three top Tokugawa-related families.
They are now taking down the hotel. I took some photo. I might use it in my later post.
Rurousha,
The Hotel New Otani would never hang a print in their bathroom. (^^)
Don't frown like the statue man. People who can enjoy a nice view of Tokyo from their window (and I know you are looking at the Sky Tree!) don't need to stay in a hotel in Tokyo.
The more I look at the Hiroshige the more I think that, when the hotel staff saw your reservation, they installed it just for you. They even had to cut the bathroom tiles specially to get it in. Are you famous by any chance?
I regret that I never delved much into Akasaka nightlife but I like to think that I have saved any number of hostesses from the displeasure of my boring company.
I know the area a little bit because when I was an exchange student at ICU I had a Sophia University student friend. We had a daytime drink break in a restaurant in the New Otani (I wrote home to tell about the most expensive glass of orange juice I had ever had); lunch at the Indian restaurant Moti in Akasaka; and also shared a walk in Shimizudani Park. Before that I was impressed with the design and the special white exterior of Akasaka Prince Hotel when a busload of we exchange students passed by on our way to a tea-ceremony demonstration. A few years after that I did hatsumode at Hie Shrine (and severely sprained my ankle racing someone down the stairs to the subway—“Taking two steps at a time is easy. I’m gonna try three steps at a time. Whoops! Ow!).
The only time I partook of Akasaka nightlife was with an izakaya double date with a crazy Scotsman. He tried to show off by using three chopsticks in one hand. I mentioned that he was crazy; but, as you can see, memorable.
Tall Gary,
I think you are so funny. The Akasaka hostesses would have loved your company, and still charged you a lot.(^_-)
Thank you very much for sharing such fun stories. I laughed aloud!
I do have a soft place in my heart for hostesses. Contrary to popular opinion, I always had them, for very little money, actually, eating out of my hand.
By the way, more recently, I was there not much more than a decade ago, WeST PArk CaFE Akasaka is quite nice.
Tall Gary,
You scared me! Had them?? Eating out of hand?? Then, click! And now I understand! Very funny!(^o^)
Idioms can be tricky (especially idiomatic phrases). Forgive me if you know this already (you probably do know this already). “To have someone eating out of your hand” means: that they think you are wonderful and will do anything you ask. Cambridge has a definition here. Wiktionary here. A performer can have an audience eating out of their hand: passively going along with wherever the performer takes them, and glad to go.
Tall Gary,
I didn't know that idiom. But now, I think I'll remember it forever,(^o^)
Thank you!
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