Photo/Illutration The Belgium Embassy villa in Nikko, Tochigi Prefecture, will be open to the public in summer. (Asahi Shimbun file photo)

NIKKO, Tochigi Prefecture--The Belgian Embassy villa on the shores of Lake Chuzenjiko here will be open to the public in summer for the first time since June 2018.

The villa was reportedly built in the Okunikko district by the founder of the Hotel Okura in 1928 before it was handed over to Belgium.

The two-story, Western-style wooden structure has a total floor space of 400 square meters.

According to officials of the prefectural government’s natural environment division and other authorities, the villa will likely be open to the public on weekends in June and July.

Admission will be free, they added.

When the villa was first opened to the public in 2018, visitors were allowed to enter the first floor of the building and the garden.

They were ushered into the dining hall and the living room with a fireplace before they went out to the terrace to enjoy the views of Lake Chuzenjiko and the surrounding mountains.

The same spots are expected to be open for public viewing this year.

A shuttle bus service connecting a prefecture-run parking lot and the villa will also be available.

In prewar years, the area surrounding the lake was renowned as a summer retreat for diplomats from the United States and Europe.

With a Group of Seven meeting of gender equality and women’s empowerment ministers scheduled in the area in June, the prefectural government sees the occasion as a chance to promote the charms of Nikko at home and abroad.

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