Surprising Inside View of the Ultra-Luxury Salon Built on the Former Site of the Famous “Kurosawa” Restaurant in Nagatacho

“The price per person for a meal and service fee is 100,000 yen. It is said to have seven Michelin-starred chefs.” (an employee of a nearby restaurant).

There is a mansion-like building just behind the National Diet Building in Nagatacho. There is an intercom, but there is no nameplate or sign, and the door is tightly closed.

The salon, which is only open to domestic and foreign VIPs, is located on the former site of the famous restaurant “Kurosawa,” which was once a favorite of big-name politicians such as Junichiro Koizumi (81) and Taro Aso (83). According to investigations, the “Michelin chefs” serve everything from Japanese, Western, Chinese, French, and Italian cuisine, according to the customers’ requests.

 

“Kurosawa had been closed since around three years ago when the new Corona virus broke out, but around June of this year, I saw a foreign VIP-like customer enter the restaurant and wondered if it had reopened. It doesn’t seem to be a salon exclusively for politicians, but I did see people with ministerial experience. The salon is characterized by its many young employees, and some of them are good-looking women who look like they could be receptionists at major companies.”

 

The salon does not accept first-time visitors, and basically only customers who are introduced to the salon are allowed to use it. There is not even a website for the store. According to the registration of the management company, it was established two years ago and seems to be engaged in a wide range of businesses, including the restaurant business, consulting, real estate, and brokerage for corporate acquisitions. The company’s treatment of its employees is also said to be exceptional.

A veteran secretary of the Liberal Democratic Party of Japan said, 

“A concierge in his 20s can earn a monthly salary of 500,000 yen to 1 million yen even if he has no experience; an experienced concierge in his 30s can earn well over 10 million yen a year. According to the person who interviewed for the job, the clients are foreign customers and Diet members. They were told, ‘Don’t worry, we have lots of money.’ But they didn’t give me any details about what the company did, and no matter what I asked, the answers were always ‘secret’.”

 

When we actually looked at the job site, we found the following catchphrase: ‘We are looking for founders and current CEOs of major companies, as well as for current employees.’ “The salon is a members-only salon for founders and current presidents of major companies, foreign state guests and dignitaries, and current ministers. We would like to extend our hospitality to foreign dignitaries who come by private jet and enjoy their trip to Japan.”

The secretary continued, “They would like to branch out into politics in the future.”

“It seems that they are actively contacting people in Nagatacho, especially those in the Liberal Democratic Party. My acquaintance was also approached by them. I guess they want to expand their network of contacts in the political world as well. However, only a few politicians in Nagatacho can afford to pay more than 100,000 yen per person. Moreover, with the people’s lives being drained by high prices and tax hikes, politicians would be looked upon with a cold shoulder if they frequented such upscale restaurants.”

Will the super high-end eateries that have suddenly appeared in Nagatacho become a place for politicians to socialize, as Kurosawa once did?