Archinect - News

Tokyo's iconic and newly reborn Okura hotel opens

2019-09-18T17:41:00-04:00

Step into the newly reopened Okura Tokyo, and you might be forgiven for believing in the existence of time travel. That’s because the lobby, where John Lennon or Steve Jobs might have relaxed when they stayed, was demolished four years ago, to the dismay of patrons of the iconic hotel. And now it’s back, seemingly plucked from the past. During the hiatus, craftsmen recreated and restored the gold-hued space adorned with discreet touches [...].

Bloomberg writer Reed Stevenson visits Japan's iconic and recently reopened Okura Tokyo (formerly Hotel Okura) after undergoing a substantial $1 billion makeover.

Fearing that the unique and charming mix of 1960s mid-century modern and traditional Japanese architecture, especially in the lobby, would be lost forever in the planned demolition of the old hotel, Monocle magazine launched the Save The Okura petition in 2014 to preserve the original building.

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A post shared by The Okura Tokyo (@theokuratokyo) on Aug 16, 2019 at 4:50am PDT

While the fate of the property was ultimately already sealed and reconstruction started a year later, Stevenson now writes about the new hotel's interiors, "designers and architects have recreated the ambiance of the old hotel, with the modern rooms, event spaces, and restaurants demanded by the well-heeled these days."

Another bittersweet look at Hotel Okura's legacy, as redesign is underway

2016-01-07T14:18:00-05:00

The company promised to “faithfully reproduce” several beloved artifacts in the lobby, including wall tapestries, paper lanterns and sliding doors, the lacquered furnishings and map of time zones...But those plans have done little to assuage the concerns of preservationists, many of whom contend that Tokyo is destroying its greatest postwar architectural assets to accommodate the 2020 Olympics and a recent surge in tourism.

The New York Times profiles the historic Hotel Okura Tokyo, which began reconstruction last September, much to the dismay of preservationists worldwide. The Times covers its modernist legacy and the pressures of the real estate and tourist market that Tokyo can't avoid.

Previous news about the Hotel Okura:

Hurry if you want to own a piece of Tokyo's iconic modernist Hotel Okura

It's lights out at the old Okura: reconstruction of the iconic Tokyo hotel starts next week

As the Okura says sayonara, Tokyo doesn't seem to care much

Hurry if you want to own a piece of Tokyo's iconic modernist Hotel Okura

2015-11-13T14:32:00-05:00

For those former guests and architectural buffs who lamented the demolition of the iconic Hotel Okura Tokyo, they can soon preserve a piece of it in their homes. Hotel officials plan to sell on the Internet some of the furniture and fixtures used in the guest rooms and restaurants during the main building's 53-year history, with the proceeds going to charity. [...] The 11-story main building, which opened in May 1962 [...], was called “a masterpiece of Japan’s modernism architecture.”

Previously:

It's lights out at the old Okura: reconstruction of the iconic Tokyo hotel starts next week

2015-08-28T15:02:00-04:00

Tokyo’s venerable Hotel Okura is getting a remake, starting next week. Over the course of the past 53 years since its opening on May 20, 1962, the Okura, located in Toranomon, has earned an unsurpassed reputation both at home and abroad as a luxury hotel to represent Japan. The hotel said in a statement that it will maintain the Japanese traditional aesthetics and the basics of the architecture style of Hotel Okura.

Previously on Archinect:

And before the wrecking ball ends an era of Japanese 1960s Modernism to make way for the new, shiny, 41-story, $836M Okura Hotel, here a few more impressions of all its glory on the way out.

Rest in peace, old friend, and say hi to the ones we've lost.

All images via Monocle Magazine's savetheokura.com petition site.

As the Okura says sayonara, Tokyo doesn't seem to care much

2015-06-08T13:11:00-04:00

The Hotel Okura, built in 1962 in time for the 1964 Olympics, is slated to be torn down in September to make way for a bigger, fancier Okura, in time for the 2020 Olympics. (The less-good, less-famous southern wing of the old Okura, added in 1973, will be allowed to stay.) [...] There will never be this particular hush again in the middle of Tokyo. You will have to have been there to know what you will soon miss.

Previously: Farewell to the Old Okura

Weekly News Round-Up for August 11, 2014: Monumental politics, smart homes and GSAPP's new dean

2014-08-18T12:53:00-04:00

Friday, August 15

Farewell to the Old Okura: The famous Hotel Okura, built in the 1960s in a distinctive fusion of modern and traditional Japanese styles, is closing in response to prohibitive earthquake retrofits and larger, newer hotels in the area.
Samsung Acquires SmartThings, A Fast-Growing Home Automation Startup: SmartThings, an aggregator for all "smart" internet-connected devices in the home, cost Samsung an estimated $200 million —chump change in comparison to Google's $3.2 billion acquisition of Nest.

Thursday, August 14

One ridesharing app to rule them all: Ridescout moves into the competitive world of rideshare: Ridescout aggregates hundreds of ridesharing services to compare trips, and will now include "carpool" options that can help users share trips. The announcement comes after last week's news that Uber and Lyft are now both offering carpooling services.
Revisiting the American Folk Art Museum controversy, through comics: A thoughtful and diplomatic look at AFAM's his...

Farewell to the Old Okura

2014-08-15T13:54:00-04:00

News of the planned destruction of the Hotel Okura building in Tokyo to make way for a larger 38-story glass tower has brought cries of protest in Japan and elsewhere in the world. Monocle, the wide-ranging global magazine, has started a petition to save the old Okura on behalf of “all lovers of modern Japanese architecture.”

Monocle's savetheokura.com petition website is still up, but it seems that the fate of Ol' Okura has been sealed.