Stay for a while or have a party

Sometimes we run across something so incredibly random, we just have to do it because it is so off the wall. 

Today we went as a family to tour the local... hotel.  Actually, Hotel Cadenza Hikarigaoka is the only hotel in Nerima.  But who does that?  Well, when I was an event coordinator, I did.  But that was my job.  It was not a family activity on a Saturday morning.  But when I mentioned it to a friend, she said "I saw they were offering tours.  I think I might do it, too!"  She was not teasing.

When we arrived, we signed in and found a seat in the Azelea Room.  I was more than surprised to see 47 other people in attendance.  There were people ranging in age from less than a year to 70+.  I asked my husband why other people were there, and he shrugged his shoulders.  He had no clue and he wasn't going to ask.  Fair enough.  I wouldn't have the nerve to ask either.

The hotel was in the midst of celebrating their 25th anniversary as well as holding a bridal fair.  So, it was all decked out with dresses set up everywhere and special decorations.

The hotel staff gave a few comments regarding the tour and then broke the group in half.  Our group started by touring the 5 restaurants.  The hotel itself has only 91 rooms, and 5 restaurants to serve those 91 rooms.  The offerings were diverse: Japanese, buffet, Chinese, lounge/bar, and a bakery/café.  Each restaurant had at least one food that included local Nerima produce.  The Chinese restaurant used Nerima cabbage in their hum bao and the bakery used blueberries, honey, and miso in some of their treats. 

Private room in Japanese restaurant

Chinese restaurant

Café where you can enjoy items from the bakery

I got such a kick out of the treats featuring local honey and miso

displayed on boxes that said "imported".

Mount Fuji saying hello when we were in the bar

(on the 22nd floor)

The interesting part of the hotel wasn't getting to see the room or the ballrooms.  They were pretty standard (nice, but standard).  The interesting part was seeing the chapel and shinden.  Western style weddings are very popular in Japan.  When an acquaintance showed me her wedding photos full of a big white dress, a chapel, and a priest, I asked if she was Christian.  She laughed and reported "Christian for a day!"  Since then, I have come to learn that white weddings are very big business here - all the way down to the white priest that they hire.  So the big chapel that seats 70 didn't surprise me.

The more traditional shinden is what surprised me.  The shinden is a room for a traditional Shinto wedding ceremony.  Most hotels do not have a shinden.  It was so interesting to see.

The other interesting thing to learn was that the hotel has appeared in many television shows and movies.  There are TV and movie studios in Nerima and since this is the only hotel in the area, it is the go to place for on location shots.

At the end of the tour, we received some little gifts of baked goods from the bakery.  It was a nice tour and an interesting way to spend the morning, even if it was a little unusual.