Former Kotei Restaurant
The steep streets of the Shinonome-cho district were once lined with the homes of Otaru’s wealthy merchants. The Kotei Restaurant opened there in 1937 as a traditional place of entertainment that accepted guests only by introduction and provided the services of geisha. Such restaurants were typically used for important private business or political meetings. A series of interconnected two-story buildings provided separate dining areas and performance spaces.
The Kotei was a branch of a restaurant in Tokyo’s Shinjuku district. It was built in sukiya-zukuri style with interior decoration based on the simple aesthetics of tea ceremony rooms. The central building has a tea room on the first floor and a large tatami-floored hall above for hosting parties. Adjoining the hall is a room with a cypress-floored stage for dance and music performances. Until the 1950s, there were at least five such restaurants in the area, and the sounds of shamisen and koto music were said to fill the air.
In the postwar years, Otaru’s importance as a trade port faded. Oil replaced coal as Japan’s main source of energy, and herring fishing, which had built the fortunes of many merchants and shipowners, collapsed due to overfishing. The Kotei was repurposed in 1957 as a private villa, and its architectural features have been preserved. The building is not open to the public.
