Hotel Okura, a Symbol of Japanese Architecture, Rising From the Ashes

After more than six decades of good and loyal service, Tokyo’s Hotel Okura was demolished in 2015. Designed by architects Yoshiro Taniguchi and Hideo Kosaka, this modernist-style hotel in the centre of Tokyo welcomed a host of notable figures, including former American presidents Richard Nixon and Barack Obama, as well as many celebrities. The hotel was also known for being used as a location in the 1967 James Bond film You Only Live Twice, starring Sean Connery.

The original hotel opened in 1962, two years before the first Tokyo Olympic Games, an event that showed the world that Japan had managed to rebuild itself after World War Two. It was built opposite the American embassy and became so popular with diplomats that some referred to it as ‘the annex.’

Reproducing the original spirit

In 2019, the hotel reopened its doors as The Okura Tokyo. Rebuilt following the original plans, it now comprises a large tower with 38 floors housing 510 rooms—102 more than the former Okura—and 18 floors of office space. With the total cost estimated at 735 million euros, the builders promised to ‘faithfully reproduce’ several decorations and features found in the lobby, including wall tapestries, paper lanterns, and sliding doors, as well as lacquered furniture. The same treatment was given to the new bar, designed to recapture the retro-chic ambiance of the former Orchid Bar.

More information on The Okura Tokyo can be found on its website.