Hotel Okura Kyoto Okazaki Bettei to Open January 20th with GO ON and feng ming zhao yang

Okura Group’s small luxury hotel will herald a new era of Kyoto aesthetics in collaboration with traditional Japanese crafts unit “GO ON”

Nov 25, 2021, TOKYO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Okura Nikko Hotel Management Co., Ltd. is pleased to announce that on January 20^th, 2022 it will open the Hotel Okura Kyoto Okazaki Bettei in the world-famous and much-loved city of Kyoto, Japan’s ancient capital. A small luxury hotel, the new property will collaborate with the “GO ON” project launched by inheritors and proponents of traditional Kyoto crafts.

“A new era of Kyoto aesthetics” in collaboration with GO ON
Kyoto's traditional crafts have a long history and have developed their own unique sense and sensitivity. The new hotel’s guiding mission – to embody “a new era of Kyoto aesthetics” – signifies a modern beauty created through progressive efforts and drawing on new possibilities while inheriting the spirit and techniques of the traditional crafts that have shaped Japanese culture.

Original works of art by members of the GO ON project team incorporating new interpretations of Kyoto's traditions will be displayed in the hotel. This is the first time that GO ON members, whose work has been exhibited around the world, have all worked together in collaboration with a hotel, and all of the items are one-of-a-kind pieces created specifically for the Hotel Okura Kyoto Okazaki Bettei. All guests will enjoy the sensibilities awakened by interacting with the refined handiwork of the craftsmen.

Details of the members of the GO ON project can be found in the appendix below.

Traditional artwork can be found throughout the hotel
The lobby area on the first floor is not partitioned, but is gently connected to maximize the view through the windows, making the most of the characteristics of horizontally-continuous Japanese architecture. It allows visitors to experience the handicrafts scattered throughout the building against a backdrop of the modern beauty of Kyoto.

• Entrance
  Original lighting by the Kyoto company Kanaami-Tsuji, created using wire netting carefully woven by craftsmen from delicate individual strands of copper wire, adds a touch of color to the entrance area. The wire netting casts subtle shadows when the lights are switched on.

• Reception
  Tomoko Kawao, a Kyoto-based shodo calligraphy artist active both in Japan and overseas, has produced a work titled feng ming zhao yang (a phoenix singing in the morning sun), which imbues the reception area with elegant dignity. The work is intended to depict a happy sign of peace in the world, a message which has its origins in a Chinese legend. The drips and splashes of ink are particularly impressive.

• From reception to guest rooms and dining area
  Nishijin textiles created by Hosoo, a long-established nishijin weaving company, hang on the wall leading from the reception area to the guest rooms and dining area. The elegance of the shimmering unique three-dimensional nishijin fabric is bound to lift the spirits of hotel guests.

• Elevator hall
  The walls are decorated with sumushiko (louver made from bamboo strings) created by Kohchosai Kosuga, a long-established manufacturer of creative bamboo crafts. The bamboo lattices, each one delicately finished, give a sense of the warmth of natural materials and invite guests to a more private space.

• Japanese Garden
  All guests can enjoy the rich natural surroundings of the temple next to the hotel. The plum trees and cherry trees in its garden explode with blossoms during the spring, and provide a dramatic golden backdrop of golden leaves in the autumn, giving guests a sense of Kyoto’s four beautiful seasons.

Guest rooms in harmony with the surrounding landscape
The new hotel will offer 60 guest rooms with the theme of a mountain lodge. They will be quiet oases of relaxation for guests, beautifully harmonizing tradition and modernity. Each room will feature nishijin textiles expressing the reflection of water on lakesides as well as traditional Japanese-style shelving supported by pillars made from timber from the famous Kitayama cedar tree, allowing guests to enjoy the feel of the natural texture of the wood. Art using karakami paper and a work of art created by calligrapher Tomoko Kawao will also welcome them.

In addition, the illuminated room numbers in the corridors are fashioned to resemble the tea canisters made by the famous manufacturer Kaikado, the oldest such company in Japan.

Innovative gastronomy at Nouvelle Epoque
The restaurant Nouvelle Epoque breathes new sensibility into the French cuisine of Okura, which has always led its creation and adoption in Japan. The restaurant will be creating innovative and unique meal offerings, with crockery and cutlery patterned with the aesthetic colors of Kyoto.

With the opening date decided, the hotel is now accepting reservations. One Harmony members are being offered a special accommodation plan to celebrate the opening of the hotel. Further details are available at www.okura-nikko.com and bookings may also be made here.

Overview of Hotel Okura Kyoto Okazaki Bettei
Address: Okazaki Tennocho 26-6, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto
Layout: 4 floors
Number of guest rooms: 60
Restaurant: French restaurant and lounge
Facilities: Fitness center
Access: About 25 minutes by car from JR Kyoto station; about 14 minutes on foot from Keage subway station
Note: Mitsubishi Estate managed the development of the hotel, and it will be operated by Okura Nikko Hotel Management.

About Hotel Okura Co., Ltd. and Okura Nikko Hotel Management Co., Ltd.

Hotel Okura Co., Ltd., founded in 1958, opened its flagship Hotel Okura Tokyo in 1962 as a first-class hotel that quickly became renowned worldwide for its blending of traditional Japanese beauty with the very best in accommodation, cuisine and service. It closed its doors in August 2015, and after four years of rebuilding work, it reopened as The Okura Tokyo.

Hotel Okura has extensive expertise in the hospitality world, including asset ownership and hotel development, as well as hotel management, the restaurant business and chain operations through its subsidiaries and other group companies. The brand unites member hotels under its “Best Accommodation, Cuisine and Service” philosophy to ensure that all guests enjoy Okura’s signature hospitality, which combines Japanese attention to detail and Western functionality. Please visit www.okura.com.

Okura Nikko Hotel Management Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of Hotel Okura, operates 77 properties (52 in Japan and 25 overseas) encompassing some 24,023 guest rooms (as of November 26, 2021) under three hotel groups: Okura Hotels & Resorts, Nikko Hotels International and Hotel JAL City. Please visit www.okura-nikko.com.

Hotel interior designers
"GO ON"－a project team comprising six inheritors of traditional Kyoto craft skills who came together in 2012 to promote these.GO ON members

Masataka Hosoo (Nishijin Ori)
President and Chief Executive
Officer, HOSOO
Takahiro Yagi (Tea caddies)
Brand Director / Crafts person,
KAIKADO
Tatsuyuki Kosuga (Bamboo craft)
President,
KOHCHOSAI KOSUGA
Toru Tsuji (Kyoto metal knitting)
President and Chief Executive Officer,
KANAAMI TSUJI
Shuji Nakagawa (Woodcraft)
Atelier Master,
Nakagawa Mokkougei
Hosai Matsubayashi XVI
(Asahiyaki)
Asahiyaki ware
Director of overall interior design
Mr. Ryutaro Matsuura
NOMURA Co., Ltd.
RENS
Creative Director