An "Alternative Hotel for Going to Get Tired"? BnA_WALL Opens in Nihonbashi, Tokyo

TRAVEL｜BnA_WALL

Enjoy personal transformation through diverse art experiences and encounters. A new kind of hotel where various artists have designed the guest rooms.

The alternative hotel "BnA_WALL" will have its grand opening on Friday, April 2, 2021. Leading up to the grand opening, events will be held regularly in the first-floor lounge, launching a "hotel for going to get tired" where guests can enjoy personal transformation through diverse art experiences and encounters.

Text by YANAKA Tomomi｜Edit by TSUCHIDA Takashi

A Grand Art Project Two Years in the Making

The "BnA HOTEL" brand aims to create an economy driven by inspiration by establishing spaces where artists and entrepreneurs can connect. Following its locations in Koenji, Akihabara, and Kyoto Kawaramachi, "BnA_WALL" is the fourth establishment, opening in the Nihonbashi area, which has been a commercial hub since the Edo period and is also the starting point of the five major highways.

"BnA_WALL," comprising one basement level and five above-ground floors, aims to become a new cultural hub for Nihonbashi, an area undergoing redevelopment, through a wide range of activities including "Play," "Work," "Life," and "Creation."

An "Alternative Hotel for Going to Get Tired"!? BnA_WALL Opens in Nihonbashi, Tokyo | TRAVEL

Instead of simply displaying artwork in completed rooms, the approach here is to create the space itself from scratch with artists. Utilizing the existing building, formerly the Tokyo head office of a Nishijin textile trading company, 26 lodging-style art pieces were created in collaboration with 23 leading contemporary artists and directors, including YOSHIROTTEN and Kura mura Yuki.

The creation of each guest room began with selecting the shape, materials, and colors for the floors, walls, and ceilings. The artists collaborated on every detail, including the artwork, furniture, curtains, and accessories, to build a unique worldview. This resulted in a grand art project that took two years from the start of design to completion.

Consequently, each art room is a completely distinct spatial artwork, unique to its artist. When staying, guests are encouraged to immerse themselves in the artist's thoughts and intentions behind the room, finding enjoyment in their own transformation – this is the origin of the "hotel for going to get tired."

Available for use beyond just lodging. The lobby lounge, which doubles as a bar space managed by the popular Shibuya OIRAN warm-up bar, features a large mural "WALL" that is regularly repainted. In the basement, a "Factory" is established for artists to use as a workshop, creating an experimental space where one can witness the moment art is born, something usually unseen.

Furthermore, a unique system has been devised where a portion of the accommodation fees is returned to the artists who created the rooms. By proposing new forms of cultural creation through the facility, the aim is to foster an economy where people, things, and events are driven by inspiration generated not only by reason but also by sensibility.