A 1938 Lodging House with a Copper Dome
The Seiko Lodging (西郊ロッヂング, Seikō Lodging) is a two-storey timber apartment building completed in 1938 in Ogikubo, Suginami City, Tokyo, which in 2009 was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property.
The Agency for Cultural Affairs describes an L-shaped building of 13 rooms that follows the northwest corner of the site, beside the west side of the main building. The roof is tiled, partly in copper sheet, and the building area is 145 square metres.
The registered name Seiko Lodging refers to this 1938 annex. The main building of 1931 is registered separately as the Ryokan Seiko Main Building; this article covers the annex.
From Hongo to Ogikubo
Suginami City's local history site says the Seiko Lodging began when its founder moved the lodging house he ran in Hongo, Bunkyo, to Ogikubo in 1931. Seiko means the western suburbs of Tokyo, and the second word is the English lodging.
At the time, lodgers usually rented tatami rooms divided by sliding paper doors. The Ogikubo house instead offered Western-style rooms with lockable doors, floors of Douglas fir, built-in beds and wardrobes. Each room had an extension telephone: when a lodger's family called from home, the landlady put the call through to the room.
The annex was later converted to rental apartments. Suginami City dates the renovation to 2000; the Agency records alterations in the mid-Showa years and in 2001, one year apart.
Why It Was Registered
The Seiko Lodging was registered for its contribution to the historic landscape.
The Agency points to its distinctive exterior: the northwest corner is a curved wall topped by a copper-roofed dome, and together with the beige walls it gives the building a friendly character. On a residential street corner, that curve shapes the view along the road.
What to Look For
Start at the northwest corner. Instead of meeting at a right angle, the walls sweep round in a curve, capped by a small copper dome that has weathered to a greenish tone.
Suginami City reproduces a photograph said to date from 1937, and notes that the rounded modern exterior survives unchanged. Standing at the corner, you can follow the L-shaped building as it turns along two streets.
According to the same source, the original doors survive inside; only the brass doorknobs were replaced when locks had to be changed for tenants. The north-south street the domed building faces leads to Tekigaiso, the former residence of Prime Minister Konoe Fumimaro.
Visiting the Seiko Lodging
The Seiko Lodging annex is still let as rental housing and its interior is not open to visitors. The exterior can be seen from the street at the northwest corner; as it stands in a residential area, please be considerate of residents and neighbours.
The nearest station is Ogikubo on the JR Chuo Line and the Tokyo Metro Marunouchi Line, with the building in the residential streets to the south. The Agency gives the address as 3-63 Ogikubo; Suginami City uses 3-38-9 Ogikubo.
Q&A
- When was the Seiko Lodging built?
- The registered annex was built in 1938; the main building of 1931 is registered separately.
- What are the features of the Seiko Lodging?
- A curved northwest corner topped by a copper-roofed dome, on an L-shaped two-storey timber building of 13 rooms.
- Can I go inside the Seiko Lodging?
- No; the annex is rental housing and the interior is not open. The exterior is visible from the street.
- What does the name Seiko Lodging mean?
- Seiko means the western suburbs of Tokyo, and lodging is the English word for a boarding house.
- When was the Seiko Lodging registered?
- It was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 2 November 2009.
Basic Information
| Name | Seiko Lodging (西郊ロッヂング) |
|---|---|
| Location | 3-63 Ogikubo, Suginami City, Tokyo |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (building) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2009/11/2 (Heisei 21) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Two-storey timber, tiled roof partly copper, building area 145 square metres |
| Owner | Not recorded in the Agency for Cultural Affairs database |
| Public Access | Rental housing; interior closed, exterior visible from the street |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs Database: Seiko Lodging (Japanese)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00007882
- Cultural Heritage Online: Seiko Lodging (Japanese)
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/173182
- Suginami City, Suginami-gaku Club: Seiko Lodging (Japanese)
- https://www.suginamigaku.org/2016/11/seiko-lodging.html
Last verified: 2026.09.27