With regret, Hotel Okura closed its doors, but after renewal construction, reopened as The Okura Tokyo in September 2019.The former Hotel Okura is an original Japanese hotel brand, established in 1962 in Toranomon, Tokyo. The concept for The Okura Tokyo lighting design inherits the essence of the original Hotel Okura, while proactively incorporating modern technology, for a fusion of the “ultimate Japanese style” and “modern comforts.”
Since its establishment, the original lobby was beloved by foreign and Japanese guests alike and faithfully recreated with a lighting plan incorporating the latest in LED technology. The original atmosphere of soft ambiance from incandescent light sources was beautifully revived with a modern touch. Guest rooms in the two new towers, the Okura Heritage Wing and the Okura Prestige Tower, reflect the new branding image of each, with a relaxing lighting plan of comfortable light and shadow, to fully enjoy the modern day Tokyo nightscape.
The architect for the reconstruction was Yoshio Taniguchi, son of Yoshiro Taniguchi, architect of the original building. Publicly disclosed architectural drawings outline two towers, the Okura Prestige Tower, a 118m tall (41F) office tower, and the 75m tall (17F) the Okura Heritage Wing. Both overlook a large water basin built at the base of the towers in Okura Square. In the Okura Plaza, also serving as a carport, a screen along the promenade is illuminated with indirect lighting. The screen and uplit willow tree dramatically reflect of the basin of water, creating a new style of Okura “welcoming light”.
The interior design is a true replica of the original Okura lobby, but fused with modern needs to impressively creating a new entrance lobby and face of the hotel. To recreate even the comfortable atmosphere of the original building, lobby lux levels were measured at various points from morning to night before demolition and used as a reference during the planning process. LEDs were specified for The Okura Tokyo lighting plan, but the underlying technological theme was to draw close to soft light, simulating an incandescent bulb. Therefore, from light source specification to dimming systems the testing process took ample time.
In the Okura Prestige Tower lobby, “Okura Lanterns”, symbolic of the original Okura lobby, were reproduced with LED light sources. The shade structure and wiring were all studied and tested through several mockups to achieve a light distribution and color temperature similar to incandescent lighting.
Originally displayed in the Heian Banquet Room of the former wing, the “Thirty-six Immortals of poetry” mural was moved to the Okura Heritage Wing entrance lobby to greet guests and decorate the space like an art museum. LED projector-type spotlights, mounted on the wall opposite the mural, softly illuminate the exact external dimensions of each rectangular panel of the mural. Spotlights softly highlight the colors of the art piece and dull shine of the gilt-embossing.
