Suisu-Tei (Former Swiss Embassy)

Kanto | Nagara Town

Historical Figures & Locations

The majestic villa that hosted the Swiss Embassy in central Tokyo is now a restaurant in Chiba. How come?

Swiss zen

In the middle of Nagara-machi Furusato-mura stands a particularly beautiful Japanese restaurant. Made mostly of Japanese cypress wood, this 90 years-old, 741m2 Kansai-style villa is surrounded by a large zen garden, azaleas, and an abundant vegetation. Guests get to enjoy high-quality kaiseki cuisine and sushi in a purely traditional setting… or so it seems.

Indeed, a few details hint at the fact that this villa has a bit of history. For example, the swimming pool located next to the garden is named “Lac Leman Pool”, in reference to Switzerland’s Lake Geneva. More obviously, however, the name of this restaurant is “Suisu-Tei (Former Swiss Embassy)”. But if the Embassy of Switzerland is located in central Tokyo, what is this building really about? To answer that question, we need to go back in time, to the beginning of the Showa Era.

Building from scratch

The villa that would eventually become Switzerland’s first Embassy in Japan was originally built in 1930 in Hiroo-machi by businessman and House of Peers member Shigeya Kondo (son of Nippon Yusen KK founder Rempei Kondo). Modelled after Kyoto’s magnificent Katsura Imperial Villa, the 3,000m2 property was designed by renowned Japanese architects Toshikata Sano and Teitaro Takahashi, and constructed by Bannaka Shinji.

Despite having represented the interests of the United States and Great Britain in Japan during the Asia-Pacific War, the Swiss legation was officially dismissed by the Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers during the Occupation period (1945-1952), and only a mere Swiss diplomatic mission was allowed to stay. The building the legation rented in Mita before the war having long been destroyed by bombings, Swiss diplomats thus chose the villa in Hiroo-machi to set up their office. Promoted to Legation in 1952 and to Embassy in 1957, the representation of Switzerland in Japan eventually bought the building in 1963.

Rebirth in Chiba

In 1977, the construction of a newer and more modern Embassy building was ordained by the Swiss Confederation. Conscious of the former villa’s cultural value and historical importance, Pierre Cuénoud, Ambassador of Switzerland to Japan (1975-1980), then decided to make sure it would not fade away. He proceeded to donate the Katsura-like building to Tochi Kairyo KK, a real estate company, but with a clear instruction: the villa was to be entierely disassembled and reassembled in Furusato-mura, which then was negotiating a sister-city agreement with the Swiss village of Grandvaux.

In November 1978, the former building was thus relocated to center Chiba, and was soon listed as a Registered Tangible Cultural Properties by the Japanese government. Even though the new Embassy has not moved since its inauguration on October 31, 1978, its staff frequently organizes its annual outings at the Suisu-tei. And every time, the villa seems to reclaim the diplomatic atmosphere of its glory days…