TOKYO: The State Guest House Akasaka Palace in Tokyo is set to be partially opened to the public as the first of a series of special events to mark the 50th anniversary Thursday of the start of its use as a venue to host foreign dignitaries visiting Japan.

To be opened from Thursday to April 26 is the “Nishi no Ma” room, which preserves items such as folk crafts that were donated by prefectures around Japan at the time the building started to be used as a state guest house.

Its Western-style main building was constructed in 1909, during Japan’s Meiji era, initially as Togu Gosho, or the Crown Prince’s Palace. It underwent renovations after World War II, and has been used as a venue for diplomatic events, such as Japan-U.S. summits, since it began to play its role as a state guest house in 1974.

It is the first time for Nishi no Ma to be viewed by members of the public. Some areas at the State Guest House Akasaka Palace, located in the Motoakasaka district in Minato Ward in the Japanese capital, have been open to the public year-round since fiscal 2016.

Soon after the completion of the building, Nishi no Ma had been used to store books and other materials for study by Emperor Yoshihito, posthumously called Emperor Taisho, when he was Crown Prince.

As other special events, scheduled for May or later, the salon and the “Higashi no Ma” room at the state guest house will be opened to the public, and vases associated with the Imperial Family and works by famed painter Tsuguharu Fujita (1886-1968) will go on display.

Visitors will be allowed to take pictures in areas including the “Kacho no Ma” hall, where state banquets are held. Photographing is usually banned in these areas.

Also planned are a sketching event at the front yard and a performance by the brass band club of a Tokyo high school.

JIJI Press