A luxury hotel in central Tokyo much loved by visitors for its classic Japanese ambience reopened Thursday after four years of renovations.
The Okura Tokyo has reused much of the original decor from its old main building's lobby, which was considered a Japanese modernist masterpiece, for its new lobby area.
"I challenged myself not only to recreate the lobby my father created, but to make it even greater," said Yoshio Taniguchi, the 81-year-old designer of the rebuilt hotel and eldest son of the original architect, Yoshiro Taniguchi.
The opening ceremony was attended by Tokyo Gov Yuriko Koike and Princess Takamado, widow of former Emperor Akihito's late cousin, among others.
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The newly renovated hotel is comprised of two buildings -- a 17-story structure which houses guest rooms from the sixth floor up, alongside a 41-story tower which includes hotel rooms between the 28th and 36th floors, as well as office space from the eighth to 25th floors. In total, the hotel has 508 rooms in two buildings. Rates start at 70,000 yen per night for a double room with the most expensive suite being 3 million yen per night.
The smaller of the two buildings, The Okura Heritage Wing, which has its own reception, is a 75-meter, 17-story structure with views of gardens and greenery on three sides. The spacious guest rooms in The Okura Heritage Wing offer generous floor areas of 60 square meters.
The larger Okura Prestige Tower is a 188-meter, 41-story structure combining premium quality accented with refined Japanese aesthetics. Guest rooms begin on the 28th floor; standard-size rooms measuring some 50 square meters.
