The Okura Tokyo is set to replace the former Hotel Okura Tokyo in September 2019 with a unique blend of traditional and contemporary luxury. Leading the charge of the redesign is designer Yoshio Taniguchi, whose father Yoshiro Taniguchi crafted the Hotel Okura Tokyo’s iconic lobby.
The original Hotel Okura Tokyo opened in 1962. Legacy decorations from the original hotel will grace the new lobby of the Okura Prestige Tower, including hexagonal Okura Lantern ceiling lights, lacquered tables and chairs arranged like plum flowers, the world map and clock displaying global time zones, and standing paper lamps. A number of decorations will be reproduced for the new lobby, as well, including the Four Petal Flowers wall tapestry, a Nishijin-weave silk brocade originally designed by potter Kenkichi Tomimoto, and shoji paper windows with the Asanoha-mon leaf-pattern lattice work.
“The original lobby designed by my father was extremely popular,” said Yoshio Taniguchi, “so I felt a special responsibility to create distinctive Japanese designs that would similarly inspire guests for years to come.”
The property’s 508 guestrooms will span two buildings, partially covered with lush greenery and gardens. The smaller of the two buildings, the 17-story Okura Heritage Wing, will convey a sense of classic Japanese luxury and will also be home to the returning Yamazato Japanese restaurant and the Chosho-an tearoom. The 41-story Okura Prestige Tower will frame Tokyo vistas from its guestrooms and house fine dining concepts as well as banquet facilities. Also making its return to the property will the Okura Museum of Art.
