Official Residence Prime Minister of Japan and His Cabinet TOP
Official Residence A virtual tour of the former Kantei (Prime Minister's Official Residence)
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Second Floor - Front Staircase
The Front Staircase > The Cabinet Room > The Prime Minister's Office
The Front Staircase
The staircase leading to important rooms
The front staircase ("Otoko no Hanamichi") - Photo 2
The front staircase ("Otoko no Hanamichi") - Photo 2
Photo No.1 The front staircase ("Otoko no Hanamichi") - Photo 1 Photo No.2 The front staircase ("Otoko no Hanamichi") - Photo 2
Upon entering the Entrance Hall, there was a staircase directly in front called the "Otoko no Hanamichi (Glorious Path of Man)" leading up to the 2nd Floor on which the Prime Minister's Office and the Cabinet Room were located. On either side of this staircase were two narrow staircases that led down to the Large Dining Room, the Small Dining Room, and the Smoking Room.

The said staircase called the "Otoko no Hanamichi," as well as the staircase at the west side of the Entrance Hall, were decorated with tasteful balustrades on both sides. It is said that when Dr. Inazo Nitobe (1862-1933), a famous educator and scholar visited, and saw the complex decorations, he made a humorous comment, "These are built to gather dust, aren't they?"

It is easy to imagine that the architects at the time poured all their expertise and technical skill into constructing the "Prime Minister's Building" in order to show Japan's grandeur overseas.
The Cabinet Room
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