Exploring the Social Divide Through an Investigation of Luxury Senior Home Sakurabia Seijo

Nonfiction writer Hironori Jinno’s “Reporto: Super Luxury Nursing Home for the Elderly” (Diamond Inc.), an in-depth report on “closed retirement homes,” is now on sale.

In the previous article , “Sacravia Seijo,” we reported on the unparalleled luxury inside the Sacravia Seijo, a super-luxury nursing home in Setagaya Ward, Tokyo, including rooms with an initial deposit of over 400 million yen. What makes this facility “high-class” is not only the individual rooms.

We present an excerpt and re-edit of the content from the much-discussed book “Report: Ultra-Luxury Senior Homes.”

On the third floor, there is a hall with the spaciousness of a gymnasium. Of course, the ceiling features a chandelier. Since playing musical instruments is prohibited in the rooms due to noise issues, some residents enjoy playing the grand piano or bringing their own instruments to play in this hall. Mr. Koichi Ishizuka (pseudonym), who guided us through the facility, explains. (Unless otherwise noted, quotes are from Mr. Ishizuka)

“Currently, the grand pianos here include two of the world’s top three piano brands: Steinway and Bechstein.”

For reference, Steinway and Bechstein models can cost between 20 million and 40 million yen. The hall also has a stage, and concerts featuring pianists, violinists, and orchestral performances are occasionally held.

Passing by the mahjong room, I saw residents, both male and female, gathered around a table.

“We have two fully automatic mahjong tables here. We also offer a health mahjong class, where beginners are paired with instructors to learn and enjoy the game. Residents can invite friends from outside to play mahjong as well.”

It turns out that mahjong is surprisingly popular among female residents. I was curious if high-stakes gambling might be taking place secretly and tried to take a quick peek inside, but was promptly directed to another room. There are also rooms for go, shogi, and chess, but mahjong is overwhelmingly popular at Sakurabia Seijo.

“Across the courtyard from the mahjong room, there used to be a tea room, but it has seen little use in recent years. At the request of the residents, we have renovated it into a private training room. We also have a rehabilitation room where physical therapists from affiliated medical institutions are dispatched.”