The Okura Tokyo

History

The Okura Tokyo is an exceptional hotel steeped in the traditions of Japanese aesthetics and design

In the mid-twentieth century, Kishichiro Okura dreamed of building an establishment that combined Japanese authenticity with amenities and services equal to the world’s finest hotels.

The Okura Tokyo, or Hotel Okura as it was known when it opened in 1962, was designed around the principle of understated refinement. This principle dates back to the Heian period a thousand years ago and has been central to traditional Japanese design ever since. The same values were fundamental when planning the rebirth of The Okura in 2019.

Two brands represent The Okura Tokyo: The Okura Heritage and The Okura Prestige. The 41-story Prestige Tower presents contemporary luxury, while The Heritage Wing brings a sense of a more intimate traditional Japanese hotel in Tokyo.

#1. An authentic hotel with japanese hospitality

Extremely cultured, Kishichiro Okura would become Baron Okura.

The Okura's
Beginnings

Kishichiro Okura (1882-1963)

The Okura Hotel's founder, Kishichiro Okura, had a vision. After studying at Cambridge University and later seeing how Japan was internationalizing, he wanted to build an authentically Japanese hotel that would delight guests from around the world. He would see the hotel completed in 1962, built on the former estate of the Okura conglomerate established by his father, Kihachiro Okura.

Father and son were proponents of the arts and education. Kihachiro was an avid collector of Japanese and East Asian antiques, and in 1917, he founded the Ōkura Shukokan (the Okura Museum of Art), which today sits on the hotel grounds. He was also the founder of Tokyo Keizai University. His son, who would become Baron Kishichiro Okura, lived a full and rewarding life that included inventing a new musical instrument and being the first Japanese person in a European motor race.

Iwajiro Noda

President Iwajiro Noda and the Japanese Spirit of Harmony

Iwajiro Noda (1897-1988)

When the hotel was founded, Chairman Kishichiro Okura appointed Iwajiro Noda (1897-1988) as president. Noda actually had no hotel management experience, but he was deeply involved in international business and had stayed in hotels all over the world. He was perfectly placed to take the spirit of Japanese hospitality and apply it to a hotel that reached standards of world-class luxury. He also shared Okura's ambition to make the hotel authentically Japanese. This meant the service would be rooted in the spirit of “harmony and generosity,” and the aesthetics would honor traditions of Japanese design from different historical periods.

The Main Lobby interior design achieved
a tranquil ambiance

A 60,000-㎡ Work of Art

Hotel completion - 1962

Upon completion in 1962, the hotel needed a name, and a Western-style one was preferred. Though several possible names were discussed, it is believed that Iwajiro Noda himself proposed putting the founder’s name after “hotel,” resulting in the name Hotel Okura. The name was modern but elegant, in line with the style that guests would find inside. Heian Period ideas of restrained elegance were valued, and blended with modernist aesthetics conceived by the architect Yoshiro Taniguchi. Taniguchi's legendary lobby design would come to be loved by guests and design enthusiasts around the world, a major reason why The Okura became known as "a 60,000-㎡ work of art.”

#2 Playing Host to the World

President Mateos of Mexico meets Emperor Hirohito during his 1962 visit to Japan

Playing Host to the World

1962 - Present

The prestigious reputation of The Okura Tokyo for impeccable service, warm hospitality, and genuine Japanese design made the hotel a natural choice for dignitaries visiting Japan. President Adolfo López Mateos of Mexico was the first foreign VIP to stay at the original Hotel Okura. Many others followed, including several United States presidents, from Gerald Ford in 1974 to Barack Obama in 2009 and Joe Biden in 2022.

The location of the United States Embassy, opposite the hotel, makes The Okura even more appealing to US presidents. Presidential stays often include a visit to our restaurant venues and banquet rooms. Royals are also among the VIPs who have visited from around the world, including Prince Charles and Princess Diana in 1986.

#3 Legendary Grand Chef

Chef Masakichi Ono

Legendary Grand Chef

Masakichi Ono

Cuisine has been an essential part of The Okura experience since the time of its founding. The contribution of the hotel’s Grand Chef in its early years, Masakichi Ono, has been absolutely integral to the culinary landscape ever since. His dedication to food encapsulated our commitment to all forms of service at The Okura. As a young chef beginning his career, Ono even taught himself French so that he could read cookbooks in their original language.

After gaining experience at several restaurants, Ono was invited to the Hotel Okura before it opened and served as head chef, before becoming Grand Chef in 1969. He came to be known as “the demon of French cuisine” for his uncompromising stance on the flavors and presentation of French cooking. A more affectionate nickname, “Monsieur Ono”, is the name he is still remembered by.

Masakichi Ono (left) and Joël Robuchon (center)

Collaborations with Renowned Chefs

Masakichi Ono, Joël Robuchon, and Paul Bocuse

During the 1960s, many people in Japan viewed Western cuisine as having a single identity, without the appreciation of French cuisine found in Japan today. Masakichi Ono made it his mission to shine a spotlight on the intricate, wonderful details of French gastronomy. He took his own experience of cooking in restaurants in France, acquired before his time at The Okura, and built on it through collaborations with revered French chefs.

Hotel Okura, as it was known then, invited French chefs to the kitchens to burnish the team's skills. Joël Robuchon, named ""Chef of the Century"" by the guide Gault Millau in 1989, was among the most famous names to collaborate with Masakichi Ono. Paul Bocuse, whose restaurant had three Michelin stars, also contributed significantly.

Chef Masakichi Ono’s handwritten notebook

The Spirit of Authentic Cuisine Lives On

The legacy of Masakichi Ono

Cuisine created during the golden culinary age of Masakichi Ono still inspires dishes at Nouvelle Epoque, our French restaurant you'll find in the Heritage Wing. The current restaurant continues traditions established at La Belle Epoque, which opened in the Hotel Okura South Wing when it was completed in 1973.

La Belle Epoque was where Grand Chef Ono mastered his art, striving to make his establishment the most respected French restaurant in Japan. Authentic French cuisine, setting, and service all had to be exemplary for this to be achieved. His success eventually led to his becoming regarded as the father of French cuisine in Japan, and his legacy lives on at Nouvelle Epoque.

#4 The Okura Today

Discover how well-established traditions of hospitality and style continue at The Okura

Lighting in the Prestige Tower lobby

Japanese Aesthetic

From the world-famous Main Lobby to details inspired by traditional Japanese homes, discover how Japanese aesthetics grace The Okura Tokyo

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Experiences

The heritage, culture, and aesthetics that define The Okura become tangible in experiences like a traditional tea ceremony and the "Symbolic Design Tour" of the Prestige Tower Lobby