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Official Residence A virtual tour of the former Kantei (Prime Minister's Official Residence)
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First Floor - North Side
The Entrance Hall > The Grand Hall > Scar of the Kantei > Welcoming VIPs
The Entrance Hall
With Art Deco fashioned in the Frank Lloyd Wright style
Front view of Kantei
Front view of Kantei
Photo No.1 Front view of Kantei Photo No.2 The Entrance Hall Photo No.3 Art Deco design above the entrance door
Photo No.4 Decoration on the ceiling of the Entrance Hall    
Through the main entrance to the Kantei was the Entrance Hall. In the hall, the geometrical curves and a symmetrical zig-zag motif typical of the Art Deco style surrounded the hall. The subtle details gave the Hall an unconstrained feeling of space.

After the Kantei was completed, then Prime Minister Giichi Tanaka, upon entering to view the hall for the first time, is said to have exclaimed, "This is just like a cafe, isn't it?" At that time, the Kantei was a building ahead of its time.

It seems that the popular architect of the day, Frank Lloyd Wright, had an influential hand in that walls split the inner rooms as little as possible, and that variety is given to the space through changes to the decor and through changes to the height between the ceiling and the floor. The architect of the Kantei at the time said in an interview, "The interior that is most reflective of the Lloyd Wright influence is the Entrance Hall."

In this way, the Entrance Hall was a reflection of the style, popular architecture and art during the early Showa period (late 1920s-1930s).
The Grand Hall
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