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Japanese aesthetics are defined by balance, intricate detail, and a sense of calm
Japanese aesthetics define The Okura, epitomizing traditional elegance and thoughtful design
Experience alluring moments throughout your stay at The Okura by immersing yourself in the Japanese aesthetics that shape our hotel. These design elements are found in everything from delicate objects in display cases to the striking grandeur of the Prestige Lobby.
Many of these elements are inspired by Japanese tradition, including the use of light and shade, representations of nature, and lobbies that remain true to the spirit of the original 1962 hotel. You'll also discover contemporary creativity worthy of any art hotel in Tokyo, and even the corridors are blessed with intriguing details. Aesthetics fitting for a hotel that shares its grounds with the Okura Museum of Art.
The subtle design of the Heritage Wing lobby is based on a tokonoma alcove - a Japanese-style reception area where artistic items are displayed for the appreciation of guests. The floor and ceiling remain free of decoration, providing the simplicity and tranquility so often found in Japanese design. There are displays to admire, like the front wall inspired by the Heian-Period poetry collection The Thirty-Six Immortals of Poetry. The display is taken from the original Heian banquet room where VIPs and dignitaries dined. The glass petals, from the original Orchid Bar, were designed by Toshichi Iwata, considered to be the founding father of modern glass-making in Japan. This floral theme also flows through into the elevator halls, where fresh seasonal flowers are displayed.
In the Heritage Wing lobby, admire the mural based on the motif from the scroll of the Heian Period poetry collection The Thirty-Six Immortals of Poetry. This anthology brought together the work of thirty-six revered Japanese poets working during a prominent period in Japanese culture, from the seventh to the tenth centuries.
The Okura Prestige Lobby is a faithful reproduction of the iconic Main Lobby from the original 1962 hotel. Like the Heritage Lobby, the current Okura Prestige Lobby was designed by Yoshio Taniguchi, whose father, Yoshiro Taniguchi, designed the original. Take a moment to discover the eclectic details of this fascinating place. In the lobby lounge area, each lacquer table has five chairs arranged like the petals of plum blossoms. The tables sit on a sunken, carpeted floor that reduces noise. The lobby's central tree is a species only found in Japan, and the surrounding stones - taken from the original lobby - are a now-protected type no longer quarried. The wall clock is built around a map of the globe and carries fine detail, even on the sails of ships. Unlike most maps of the world, Japan is at the center.
When you relax in the lounge area of the Prestige Tower Lobby, the tables and chairs you'll use - arranged to resemble plum blossoms - are an example of adept Japanese lacquerwork. This technique, using the sap of the Japanese lacquer tree as a coating, dates back to at least the seventh century.
The original Main Lobby, in the previous incarnation of The Okura, was an eminent example of Japanese modernism, in which the traditions of Japanese design interacted with European influences and new ideas. Today, Yoshiro Taniguchi's fusion of traditional and modernist design sensibilities endures, following a masterful restoration overseen by his son, Yoshio Taniguchi. The atmosphere of tranquility associated with the original lobby, and with traditional accommodation across Japan, lives on in the new hotel. Twenty-first-century luxuries and amenities enhance the experience of every guest, while each one also has the opportunity to appreciate this seminal example of the Japanese architecture that emerged during the mid-20th century.
Ikebana is the art of Japanese flower arrangement. Saido Iwata, the head of a prominent school dedicated to flower arrangement in Japan, underlined how each gesture of flower arrangement is an act of hospitality, even when performed out of sight of guests.
The interplay of light and shadow is an integral design feature of the Main Lobby in the Prestige Tower. This beguiling balance is particularly captivating in the Okura Lanterns suspended from the ceiling. These lanterns, which capture light on a pendant of five polyhedrons, are inspired by ornamental crystal balls of the ancient Kofun Period. Along with LED, natural light plays its part after entering through a wall finished in oma-shoji - a traditional door, window, or other divider on a lattice frame. Lighting in the lobby is adjusted throughout the day to make the most of natural light outside.
Charming lanterns found in the Prestige Tower lobby represent the shape of ornamental beads from the ancient Kofun period. Five strings each consist of five pentagon-shaped plates with gold-colored panels.
The Heian Room is the largest and most prestigious event space at The Okura Tokyo. The past and current incarnations have an illustrious history of hosting major international congresses and banquets attended by dignitaries, celebrities, and other VIPs. As such, prominent Japanese aesthetics provide a sense of occasion and highlight the beauty and tranquility of Japanese design. The most prominent aesthetic feature is the extensive mural with a motif based on the ornamental paper used for the Introduction to the Kokin Wakashū, an anthology of poems in the waka style of classical Japanese poetry. The towering golden partition is also a breathtaking feature of this special room. Smaller details add extra charm, like the ornate brass door handles taken from the old Heian banquet room.
Latticework consisting of hemp-leaf patterns can be seen across some windows, with natural light illuminating the lattice. They are examples of kumiko woodwork created without nails and are designed with triangular sections slightly lower than the lattices to present a three-dimensional shape.
The enduring aesthetics of Japanese antiquity are found in every detail of our tea ceremony room. Be sure to admire the tatami floors, intricate bamboo ceiling tiles, and traditional low entrance. The space epitomizes the philosophy of wabi-sabi, which finds beauty in simplicity. Named Chosho-an, a pseudonym for the hotel’s founder, the room is a replica of the Yuin tea pavilion of Kyoto's Urasenke school, one of the three main schools of Japanese tea ceremony in Japan. The master carpenter, Sotoji Nakamura, designed the room in the sukiya-zukuri style. This centuries-old concept celebrates cultivated taste and taking pleasure in elegance. Authentic tea ceremony rooms like Chosho-an are embodiments of this idea. This space is particularly pleasing because it is found in the center of modern Tokyo.
The art of architectural design is perhaps most delightful, and yet not most obvious, in the alignment of the two buildings' entrances. The entrances of both the Prestige Tower and the Heritage Wing align perfectly with the island in front of the Okura Museum of Art, facing the hotel. Indeed, both entrances align perfectly with the yanagi (willow) tree in the center of the island. The museum itself contributes greatly to the exterior aesthetics. Established in 1917, the art museum is designed in the style of classical Chinese architecture, with its upturned eaves and jade-tone copper sheets on the roof. This historical building contrasts captivatingly with the contemporary Prestige Tower. The Heritage Wing entrance, meanwhile, is more discreet, reflecting the intimate nature of this part of the hotel.
When Iwajiro Noda, the hotel’s first president, gazed out of his office window at the Okura garden, the gingko tree he saw on the grounds inspired him. Images of three gingko leaves formed the Okura logo you'll still see today. The gingko leaf also inspired many other aesthetic concepts around the hotel. Look out, too, for the hishi pattern, inspired by the hishi plant. Originating in the sixth century, the pattern forms a diamond shape from four diagonal lines, and is often seen in traditional Japanese design from kimonos to pottery. Gokaibishi (five overlapping hishi patterns) forms the Okura family crest.
Begin your Okura garden stroll beside the water pool in Okura Square - the main entrance pavilion beside the art museum. Throughout the garden, discover gems across four seasons. Along with the large, historic gingko tree, notable flora includes iris found in abundance. Trails of white stones represent "streams" that provide refreshment in summer without using water. This incorporates the style of karesansui, a dry garden also known as a Zen garden. Allow the streams to guide you around the gardens, which undulate across different elevations. Items such as lanterns and stone monuments from the Okura Museum of Art are placed along the paths. Staying at The Okura Tokyo is a sensory experience, from the scent of wholesome cooking in Yamazato, to the sound of birds and insects in the garden, changing across the seasons.
There is a distinctive charm to traditional Japanese homes and ryokan inns, which are often homes that have been opened to guests. Many of the same aesthetic elements blend naturally into the design of The Okura Tokyo, particularly in the Heritage Wing. Rooms in the Heritage Wing feature oak engawa benches, which in traditional homes are a raised section of wood flooring or a verandah between the inside and outside of the home. A place to admire the view while remaining in comfort. On the lower level of the Heritage Wing lobby, you'll find a large example of a byōbu folding screen. These screens have provided privacy in homes since at least the eighth century and are often highly decorative, being adorned with calligraphy or paintings of natural scenes.
A love of art, culture, and aesthetics inspired the Okura family in their creation of the hotel.
The founders of The Okura Tokyo were very familiar with both international hospitality and Japanese high culture. Discover how they created one of the world's great hotels.
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.
2-10-4 Toranomon, Minato-ku, Tokyo 105-0001, Japan
