Ryotei Nicho
Ryotei Nicho (料亭二蝶, also written Ryōtei Nichō) is a restaurant in the ryotei tradition in Hyakken-machi, Takamatsu City, Kagawa Prefecture, founded in 1946; four of its buildings of 1950, the main house, the large tatami hall, the teahouse and the front gate, were registered as Registered Tangible Cultural Properties on March 2, 2006 (Agency for Cultural Affairs). All four are owned by Nicho Co., Ltd.
According to the Ryotei Nicho website, the name was handed down from a geiko called Nicho in prewar Takamatsu. Nicho means two butterflies, and the house likens its hopes of prosperity to a pair of butterflies spiralling upward together. The company's recruitment site says it opened in 1946 as an inn.
The website describes a sukiya-style building of about 450 tsubo (roughly 1,500 square metres) with 13 rooms of various sizes. The four registered buildings are part of that complex.
The Site and Its Four Buildings
The Agency records that the Ryotei Nicho site lies southeast of Takamatsu Castle and faces north onto the street one block south of the main shopping district. The front gate opens toward the west end of the north side, with a wall running east and west; the main house stands in the northeast corner, with the entrance and cashier's office in a single-storey wing to the west.
The large tatami hall, a 65.5-mat banquet room, stands south of the main house, and the 8-mat teahouse lies southwest of the entrance and northwest of the hall (Agency for Cultural Affairs). The Agency names Tanigawa Masutaro as architect of both, describing him as a Tokyo architect in one entry and as a native of Kagawa in the other.
Their registration numbers are 37-0287 for the main house, 37-0288 for the hall, 37-0289 for the teahouse and 37-0290 for the gate. The main house and gate were registered for their contribution to the historic landscape, the hall and teahouse as models of design (Agency for Cultural Affairs). Each building has its own page.
Visiting
Ryotei Nicho is still in business, and only diners with a reservation can go inside. The Japan Restaurant Association listing describes it as reservation only, with dinner from 5:30 p.m. to 10:00 p.m., closed on Sunday evenings and Mondays (subject to change on public holidays).
According to the Ryotei Nicho booking page, lunch is accepted only on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays, and the association listing gives lunch hours of 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
The same listing puts the restaurant about 1 minute on foot from Kataharamachi Station on the Kotoden (Takamatsu-Kotohira Electric Railroad) and about 5 minutes by car from JR Takamatsu Station, with parking for 7 cars. The front gate and wall face the street to the north and can be seen from outside. No official information was found on visits for viewing only or on photography.
References
- Ryotei Nicho Main House (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00005361
- Ryotei Nicho Large Tatami Hall (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00005362
- Ryotei Nicho Teahouse (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00005363
- Ryotei Nicho Front Gate (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00005364
- About Nicho (Ryotei Nicho official site)
- https://www.2chou.jp/en/about/
- About the work (Ryotei Nicho recruitment site, Japanese)
- https://nichonet.co.jp/service/
- Ryotei Nicho (Japan Restaurant Association, Japanese)
- https://japan-restaurant.jp/shop/detail.php?p=501418
- Ryotei Nicho reservations (TableCheck, Japanese)
- https://www.tablecheck.com/ja/2chou/reserve/landing
Last verified: 2026.11.01
Basic Information
| Name | Ryotei Nicho |
|---|---|
| Location | 7-7 Hyakken-machi, Takamatsu City, Kagawa Prefecture |
| Owner | Nicho Co., Ltd. |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Properties (4) |
| Coordinates | 34.34488, 134.05356 |
