NIPPON SEINENKAN HALL

Nippon Seinenkan spanning over 90 years of history

The Nippon Seinenkan Foundation was established in September 1921 when the Crown Prince of Japan recognized the achievements of 110,000 young men and women who had worked to construct Meiji Jingu Shrine. Four years later, the first Nippon Seinenkan was constructed in the outer garden of the shrine to commemorate that event.

During the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, the hall served as a press center, but due to its age, it was reconstructed as the second generation Nippon Seinenkan in 1979. For more than 30 years since then, the hall has been used for many events, not only for concerts and plays, but also for public television recordings.

Relocation and reconstruction following the traditional image

On August 1, 2017, in order to prepare facilities for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, the grand opening of the third generation Nippon Seinenkan was moved about 100 meters to the south. It is a complex building with halls, hotels, and various organizations.

At first glance, it looks like a modern high-rise building, but it inherits the style and memory of the traditional Nippon Seinenkan. The exterior of the lower part of the building facing the sidewalk is covered with brick-colored tiles, reminiscent of the first Nippon Seinenkan. The tiles, which can be enjoyed for many years, were used with the hope of creating a new history over the passage of time.

The first floor, which includes a gallery space, café, and other cultural functions, is an open space where visitors can feel the connection to the outside, thanks to a glass wall facing the street. From the hall foyer on the second floor, visitors can also enjoy the bustle of the sidewalk and the trees, which allow the facility to be integrated with the Jingu Gaien no Mori.

Custom-made seats exclusively for the Nippon Seinenkan Hall

The Nippon Seinenkan Hall is located on the lower floor of the building. The proportions and interior design of the hall follow the image of the second generation Nippon Seinenkan. The hall is even more elegant thanks to the light that seeps through the acoustic reflectors on the vertical stripes-walls.

At the beginning of the planning process, we also considered relocating the hall's seats from the second generation Nippon Seinenkan. However, the decision was made to install new seats not only to improve seating comfort, but also because of many physical arrangement issues. After some careful deliberation, we delivered original seats which are suitable for the new hall.

The frontage dimension for one seat, which used to feel cramped, has been widened by 5 cm to 50 cm total. Audience members are now less likely to touch shoulders with an adjacent when seated. In addition, the passage spaces have also been improved by changing the size of the seat and installing a "Spacia" seating surface. The "Spacia" seat consists of a thinner area behind the knees, making it easier to stand up and sit down, and also allows the user to tuck their legs under the seat while seated. Furthermore, the depth of the seat itself has been made more compact, making the passageway wider for easier movement.

The armrests and legs have a sharp, light, linear design. Combined with the gently curved shape of the back, the seat gives a gently modern impression.

The coloring of the seats includes the dark brown of the wood and the green of the upholstery, which is reminiscent of the Jingu Gaien no Mori. Green is also the image color of Seinenkan. The design of the upholstery uses a three-dimensional weaving technique resulting in stripes of three different shades of green into a black base. The upholstery is arranged in a random gradation of three patterns of dark, medium and light green, with the pattern becoming lighter from the front to the back, creating a sense of depth in the seating area.

The site will continue to take root in the Jingu Gaien no Mori and be widely loved as a center for youth activities and cultural dissemination.