Park Hotel Tokyo – Where Luxury Meets Japanese Art

Park Hotel Tokyo - Chambre Geisha Goldfish Room

The Park Hotel Tokyo is definitely not your typical hotel. Just like the Japanese capital, Park Hotel Tokyo mixes ultramodernity and traditions. I was lucky to have stayed in one of their “artist rooms” and I’m telling you about it in this blog post! Wondering what an artist room is and how they came up with the idea? Let me tell you!

The Idea Behind Artist Rooms

The idea behind artist rooms came about following two major events that had a significant impact on the hotel’s business. After the economic crisis of 2008 and the violent earthquakes that hit Japan in 2011, Japanese tourism witnessed a sharp drop in visitors and the Park Hotel wasn’t spared by such a decline.

But just as the phoenix rises from its ashes! …the staff decided (not so theatrically though) to get back on track with a little bit of originality and after several tourist seasons of brainstorming, the idea of creating special rooms finally came about. The idea was to restore the image of the Land of the Rising Sun by coming up with a unique concept: artist rooms.

The Park Hotel called upon many Japanese artists, asking them to paint not paintings but the rooms themselves (directly on the walls, that is). The hotel managers told me that the artists were very surprised by that and that the final selection was a bit tough.

The main selection criteria were the artist’s ability to paint an important symbol of Japanese culture while remaining as creative as possible. They even called upon professional artists to participate in the auditions because they wanted to make sure to select profiles that matched expectations. I…can honestly say they made it! To give you an idea of what it looks like, here is the Otafuku Face room:

Here is a selection of my 5 favorite rooms at the Park Hotel but here’s a complete list of the rooms, you can have a look at all the others! Each room has been painted by a different artist to guarantee its uniqueness.

Park Hotel Tokyo – The Otafuku Room

Park Hotel Tokyo - Otafuku Room

The otafuku face is a face that is often found in Japanese culture. Otafuku face literally means a moon-shaped female face, and Aki Kondo wanted to portray kindness and generosity through this painting. This was my favorite room, the colors are beautiful and the whole room made me feel really good. 🙂

Park Hotel Tokyo – The Geisha Goldfish Room

Park Hotel Tokyo - Chambre Geisha Goldfish Room

This room is also one of my favorites at Park Hotel. I guess you all know geishas and their role in the conservation and the transition of Japanese culture from generation to generation.

But Aki Narita wanted to add red fish everywhere on the walls because goldfish, especially when they appear in our dreams, are a symbol of fortune and abundance.

Park Hotel Tokyo - Chambre Geisha Goldfish

Speaking of dreams, here’s a motivational quote I like: success occurs when your dreams become bigger than your excuses. 🙂

Park Hotel Tokyo – The Public Bathhouse (onsen) Room

Park Hotel Tokyo - Onsen Public Bath Room

For those of you who prefer cooler colors, this room is for you. Keiko Migita wanted to illustrate the popularity of public baths in Japan with the great Mount Fuji in the background. This landscape reminds me a lot of Kawaguchiko and its beautiful lake.

Park Hotel Tokyo – The Zen Room

Park Hotel Tokyo - Zen Room

I loved the minimalism of this room; it has a very relaxing effect. The artist has also added a quiet little corner for meditation.

Park Hotel Tokyo - Zen Room Meditation

I practice meditation regularly so this small detail was particularly memorable. 🙂

My Room – The Tale of Genki

Park Hotel Tokyo - The Tale of Genji Room

This is where I spent the night at Park Hotel Tokyo. The tale of Genji is a Japanese folk tale that was written by Murasaki Shikibu more than a thousand years ago. It tells the adventures of Prince Hikaru Genji whose life was filled with surprises. The murals illustrate precisely these stages of his life, namely the different love stories he had.

Park Hotel Tokyo - The tale of Genji Room 1

This room is so romantic, it’s the ideal room for a couple! By the way, The Tale of Genji (in English) will be available in case you want to read it during your stay at the hotel.

That’s it for Park Hotel Tokyo‘s artist rooms! If you can afford it, make sure to stay there at least for one night. It’ll be memorable and I’m sure you won’t regret it. You can book your room here.

Let me know about your experience at the Park Hotel in the comments below! And if you happen to have friends who are travelling to Tokyo, feel free to share this blog post with them!

For more options about where to stay in Tokyo, feel free to also check these articles:

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MF

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