Hotel Okura Tokyo revives a lost midcentury icon in Japan

Its modernist lobby is recreated for a new generation of travellers

Japanese modernism fans can breathe a sigh of relief: Hotel Okura has made good on a promise to rebuild its lost midcentury lobby, four years after the iconic space was demolished.

Now known as Okura Tokyo, the Japanese hotel has emerged from a $1bn makeover which, according to Bloomberg, recreates the ‘ambience of the old hotel, with the modern rooms, event space and restaurants demanded by the well-heeled these days.’

The original lobby was designed in 1962 ahead of the Tokyo Olympics and featured round ‘petal tables’ with five or six chairs, red-lacquered tables and Okura lanterns. These details have been reinstated, alongside the clean lines and minimalist midcentury Japanese decor of the original.

Fresh for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, the complex now comprises two buildings, a museum and a 17-storey Okura heritage wing of traditional Japanese-style guest suites, which start from $930. In the 41-storey tower are 550 hotel rooms – priced at a more modest $650 a night – and office spaces.

Hotel Okura Tokyo revives a lost midcentury icon in Japan
Via Okura Tokyo
Hotel Okura Tokyo revives a lost midcentury icon in Japan
Via Okura Tokyo
Hotel Okura Tokyo revives a lost midcentury icon in Japan
Via Okura Tokyo
Hotel Okura Tokyo revives a lost midcentury icon in Japan
Via Okura Tokyo

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