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On the fifth floor, which is home to
the Prime Minister's Office, the Prime Ministerial Reception Room,
the Office of the Chief Cabinet Secretary, The Offices of the Deputy
Chief Cabinet Secretaries and Prime Minister's Meeting Room, is a
grand and slightly mysterious space.
From the elevator hall, as one enters the passageway which surrounds
the well of the Inner Court enclosed by glass on the sides, one will
find two stone gardens that face each other across the well on the
east and west sides.
As is the case with the Inner Court on the second floor, on top of
white pebbles and paving stones, a number of large natural quarried
Aji stones are set out in each garden. In a bold configuration,
one of the Aji stones is placed with its tip jutting out over
the Inner Court.
In addition, when the retractable roof above is opened, the white
stones glimmer in the rays of the sun, and a mysterious feeling is
achieved, as if there really is a "garden in the air" right in front
of one's eyes.
Although there are no plants in this stone garden, the bamboo in the
Inner Court reaches the fifth floor, and one can feel a certain integration
between the two gardens. While simple in conception, this is a space
where one can sense a very delicate "Japanese spirit."
This space provides the people who work on the fifth floor, including
the Prime Minister, with a little spiritual respite from their daily
duties. |
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