Hotel Okura Kyoto Okazaki Bettei designed by RENS, NOMURA Co., Ltd.
Representing one of Japan’s most respected hotel names, the Hotel Okura Kyoto Okazaki Bettei will be the first new hotel to open in Japan in about 20 years under the Hotel Okura brand. It opened in January 2022 on a site located next to the Okazaki Betsui n Branch Temple in the Okazaki area of Kyoto.
The hotel is located in the eastern part of Kyoto, which is greeted each morning by the rising sun, evoking a sense of new beginnings. Additionally, the culture of Higashiyama that forms the background of this location has given birth to many traditional Japanese cultures. We wanted to showcase new possibilities for traditional crafts rooted in Kyoto’s historical culture and create a hotel that inspires hope for the future. This led us to formulate the concept of “a new era of Kyoto aesthetic sense.” Consequently, we brought together Kyoto artists and heirs of traditional crafts who continue to challenge themselves without being bound by past conventions, and worked collaboratively with them to co-create spaces throughout the hotel.
Kyoto has many world-class traditional crafts produced by artisans using techniques handed down over many generations. To convey the new value generated with traditional Japanese crafts, we collaborated on co-creating spaces within the hotel with “GO ON,” a unit comprising six heirs of traditional Kyoto crafts continually taking on new challenges. Our aim is to create a hotel that connects traditional crafts to the future and allows visitors to feel the possibilities therein. We have created a space that allows people to feel the aspirations of Kyoto crafts and experience traditional crafts applied to areas throughout the hotel in new and unique ways.
There is a light of the tea canister at the entrance of the guest room by tea-canister maker "Kaikado". The bamboo latticework that decorates the elevator halls is delicately crafted one piece at a time by "Kohchosai Kosuga". The lobby is illuminated with the decoration of lampshades made "Kanaami Tsuji”, a Kyoto metalworking technique. "Asahiyaki" ceramic is placed in a private restaurant room. The headboard for the bed is Nishijin weaving inspired by the image of a lakeside setting and manufactured by "HOSOO". Decorating one corner of the suite room is a large tray of "Nakagawa Mokkougei" that uses traditional wooden barrel techniques and reuses Mt. Hiei cedar that has been felled due to overgrowth.
We wanted to address a real issue, the slowing production of traditional Japanese crafts, which is declining year by year. We wanted to demonstrate new potential for crafts that have been handed down for generations and create a hotel space that would inspire hope for the future. The hotel interior incorporates crafts that can be enjoyed over time and is a place where people can experience the beauty and tradition of a new era for Kyoto scattered throughout the property. We would be deeply honored if this project could contribute to the revival of Kyoto’s traditional industries and become a hotel that connects Kyoto crafts to the future.
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For more information: https://www.rens-design.jp/en/