In the lobby of the International House of Japan, sofas were arranged in a circle

Sofa at the International House of Japan — Lobby of the International House of Japan

From the road connecting Roppongi Hills and Azabu Juban Station, I walked up Torii-zaka to reach the International House of Japan. In a nutshell, the International House of Japan is a members-only club with lodging, conference facilities, restaurants, and a library.

Perhaps because it is a members-only club, there is no sign at the entrance of the site. Moreover, since the building of the International House of Japan is not visible from Torii-zaka, the entrance is such that people who are neither members nor non-members may wonder whether they should enter the building. Maybe I'm being overly cautious, but it seems as if they are screening the visitors.

Shaking off the feeling that I was being blocked from approaching, I continued on my way and arrived at the entrance of a building that represents Japanese modernist architecture. As I entered, I noticed that the building, built in 1955, had a low ceiling and looked a bit old. Nevertheless, the interior of the building, which is constantly bathed in sunlight from the large windows, does not look old-fashioned, partly because there are no unnecessary decorations. It gives the impression of having aged elegantly.

The sofa placed by the window in the lobby was also bathed in sunlight. It looked like turtles drying its shell as it sat still in the sunlight.

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