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To the right of the Entrance Hall, there was a set
of stairs known as the "West Staircase."
The "West Staircase" was perhaps the Kantei staircase most familiar
to people. This was because when new Cabinets were inaugurated, Cabinet members
lined up around the Prime Minister to pose for their commemorative photograph
on this staircase.
There were many other staircases in the Kantei. Some of them had been made
wheelchair-accessible.
Why were staircases used so often in the structure of the Kantei? It is
said that there was a roughly two-meter gap in the grade in the middle of the
construction site, which was located on the former site of the Nabeshima Mansion,
and the designer responsible incorporated this gap into the construction of the
Kantei.
As a result, although the Kantei looked like a two-story building when
viewed from the front, it appeared as a three-story building when viewed from
the South Garden in the rear. |
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