Hotel Gajoen's Wanoakari x Hyakudan 2025 exhibition

This summer, oni (mythological demons) are in the spotlight. Follow this guide and let your dreams come to life with Japan Experience!

Every year, Gajoen organizes an exhibition in the traditional part of the hotel. This event showcases Japanese craftsmanship while enhancing the architecture of the place, a preserved vestige of the Shōwa era .

Inspired by the horrific "hundred tales" that were told during summer in the Edo Period, the exhibition is held along a 99-step staircase, designated as a tangible cultural asset of Tokyo. A picturesque setting, sublimated by the works on display.

Demons in the spotlight in 2025

The exhibition starts off within an atmospheric bar. Run by animals, this bar represents society, where another presence appears as a strange and elusive being. This bestial vision of the world is inherited from the Heian era, when anyone who didn't fit into the norms (disabled, foreigners, etc.) was referred to as an oni (demon).

Difference is the watchword of this exhibition. Every step you take afterwards will lead you to a room revisiting this theme from the angle of folklore.

Highlights include the Aomori Nebuta, the demonic lanterns already present in 2018, and the wooden fish from the 2024 edition.

As every year, you'll also find goldfish lanterns, emblematic of summer in Japan, as well as a series of cast-iron jewels made by various craftsmen.

Tip: come late afternoon or early morning. The exhibition attracts a large number of visitors every year, and the end of the day is more pleasant for enjoying the play of light without the risk of queuing on the stairs.