Kurashiki Bikan Historical Area is steeped in history and culture.
Kurashiki Kokusai Hotel serves as its gateway.
This long-established hotel has a history of more than 50 years and has built a reputation for trust.
For example, when members of the Imperial Family stay in Kurashiki, Kurashiki Kokusai Hotel is the hotel of choice.
The work by Shiko Munakata displayed in the hotel’s atrium lobby is a monumental woodblock print, one of the largest in the world, and a must-see!
Here, we introduce Kurashiki Kokusai Hotel, where you can experience history and culture.
The information presented was current when this article was published in May 2023. Please note that it may differ from current information.
Overview of Kurashiki Kokusai Hotel
Kurashiki Kokusai Hotel is a long-established hotel located about an eight-minute walk from JR Kurashiki Station, at the entrance to the Bikan Historical Area.
It opened on December 1, 1963, and has welcomed visitors from Japan and abroad ever since.
It has also been chosen by VIPs from Japan and overseas. For example, representatives from each country stayed there when the G7 Kurashiki Education Ministers’ Meeting was held in 2016.
Going back to the Showa era, the French philosopher Sartre and writer Beauvoir are also said to have stayed there.
The hotel has the following facilities:
- Guest rooms (105 in total)
- Restaurant
- Bar
- Cafe lounge
- 4 banquet rooms
In addition to overnight stays, the hotel can be used for lunch, meetings, weddings, and more.
Its excellent location makes it easy to visit the Bikan Historical Area, so you can easily enjoy a trip that includes “a stroll to admire the night views after dinner.”
Architecture of Kurashiki Kokusai Hotel
The hotel was designed by Shizutaro Urabe, an architect who helped shape Kurashiki.
The year after it opened, in 1964, it received the Architectural Institute of Japan Award, and even today many people visit to see its architecture.
The following article offers a detailed introduction to the architectural appeal of Kurashiki Kokusai Hotel, so be sure to check it out.
History of Kurashiki Kokusai Hotel
Kurashiki Kokusai Hotel was founded by businessman Ohara Soichiro.
Allow us to share a little about Ohara Soichiro and the townscape.
Preserving the beautiful townscape
Ohara Soichiro served as president of the company that later became Kurabo and Kuraray, and as chairman of Kurashiki Central Hospital, making major contributions to the development of industry and Kurashiki.
Soichiro also greatly expanded the Ohara Museum of Art, founded by his father, Ohara Magosaburo.
Soichiro was deeply impressed by how residents of Rothenburg, an old German town, were preserving its historic townscape through their own efforts.
Soichiro wanted to make Kurashiki a beautiful town that preserved its historic buildings and pass it down to future generations as a cultural heritage.
In the 1940s, thanks to the efforts of people invited by Soichiro, a townscape preservation movement began here, ahead of the rest of Japan.
A hotel in harmony with the beautiful town
In Kurashiki in the 1950s, the rapid development of the Mizushima coastal industrial zone led to growing calls for a hotel of international standards.
In response to requests from local business and political leaders, Soichiro founded Kurashiki Kokusai Hotel.
The Bikan Historical Area is characterized by a townscape of white-walled Japanese-style buildings alongside Western-style architecture reminiscent of the Greek temple of the Ohara Museum of Art.
The goal was a hotel that blended Japanese and Western styles, conveyed the spirit of the town, and felt at home in Kurashiki’s local setting.
In 1963, the hotel was completed as envisioned: a Japanese-Western fusion hotel that is not overly imposing and has beauty in every detail.
For more than 50 years, Kurashiki Kokusai Hotel has welcomed guests from Japan and abroad.
Although it has undergone several renovations, it has carefully carried on the original concept and traditions from its founding.
The atrium lobby and Shiko Munakata
The lobby of Kurashiki Kokusai Hotel is an atrium extending up to the third floor.
Looking up, you’ll see The Great World Fence: Kon—From Humanity to the Gods, a woodblock print created by world-renowned artist Shiko Munakata to mark the hotel’s opening, perfectly fitted into the space.
Munakata called his woodblock prints “ita-ga,” meaning “pictures born from the woodblock.”
It measures 12.84 meters wide and 1.75 meters high.
It is the largest of Munakata’s works and one of the largest woodblock prints in the world.
It is said to have been inspired by the impression Picasso’s “Guernica” made on him.
The Ohara family were great admirers of Munakata and developed a close friendship with him.
The Crafts and Oriental Art Gallery at the Ohara Museum of Art has a Munakata print room, where you can also see works he sent to the family personally.
When Ohara Soichiro died, Munakata is said to have published a tribute describing him as “the greatest appreciator of Japanese beauty.”
Hotel guests can view it from closer vantage points on the second and third floors, so take your time to admire it.
When I look at Guernica, I feel sadness and anger, as well as the preciousness of life.
In “The Great World Fence: Kon—From Humanity to the Gods,” I felt a more uplifting compassion.
The hotel displays many works of art, not just those by Shiko Munakata.
The mosaic tiles and the graceful curves throughout the hotel are beautiful, and even just visiting the lobby left me captivated by the architecture.
Tranquil guest rooms
Kurashiki Kokusai Hotel has the following types of guest rooms:
- Single room
- Standard twin room
- Deluxe twin room
- Deluxe corner twin room
- Triple room
- Connecting rooms
- Suite
Guest rooms in shades of brown
The guest rooms, themed around “luxury,” have a chic appearance that lets you feel the warmth of wood.
The interior and layout vary from room to room.
In the Deluxe Corner Twin Room in the main building, the curves of the ceiling, illuminated by indirect lighting, create gentle shadows, giving the room a distinctly Kurashiki Kokusai Hotel feel.
More spacious than a typical business hotel room, it has not only beds but also a table and chairs, creating a calm, relaxing atmosphere.
The room is refined and elegant, meticulously cleaned, and looks like a comfortable place to stay.
The bathtub is spacious enough for most people to stretch out in.
Guests have commented that they can “relax and unwind” and that “the warmth amid the old-fashioned feel makes it comfortable.”
Suite Room
The highest-grade suite is divided into a living room and a bedroom.
A reproduction of Claude Monet’s Water Lilies, from the Ohara Museum of Art collection, was displayed in the classical living room.
Monet’s Water Lilies can be found in collections around the world, but the one at the Ohara Museum of Art was selected by Monet himself as one of his favorite works.
There is also a separate shower booth in addition to the bathtub.
The door, reminiscent of a storehouse with namako-kabe (sea-cucumber-patterned walls), is stylish too.
Enjoy dining at the restaurant and hotel-operated establishments
Guests receive discount vouchers that can be used at the following establishments.
- “Restaurant Wisteria” on the hotel’s first floor
- “Bar Regina” in the hotel’s basement level 1
- “Restaurant Kiyuutei” in the Bikan Historical Area (hotel-operated)
- “Restaurant Tsurugata” in the Bikan Historical Area (hotel-operated)
The hotel’s restaurant serves French-style cuisine.
Its carefully crafted sauces are said to be made using traditional methods, with plenty of time and effort.
As part of its SDGs initiatives, the restaurant focuses on local production for local consumption and uses plenty of vegetables from the Takahashi River Basin.
It also uses local edible flowers, making the dishes a treat for the eyes as well.
The hotel-operated establishments are also well-regarded.
Tsurugata has even supervised meals served in JAL domestic first class. When the Emperor and Empress at the time (now the Emperor Emeritus and Empress Emerita) made an imperial visit to Kasaoka City, Okayama Prefecture, Tsurugata was reportedly asked to provide boxed meals despite the distance.
An imperial visit refers to an occasion when the Emperor and Empress travel together.
As of April 2023, breakfast is served as the “Takahashi River Basin Breakfast Buffet,” featuring around 40 Western and Japanese dishes made with an abundance of ingredients from the Takahashi River Basin, with a focus on local production for local consumption.
Photo courtesy of Kurashiki Kokusai Hotel
Lunch and afternoon tea are popular with people who are not staying at the hotel, too.
The menu served as part of “Kurashiki Afternoon Tea” features sweets that bring out the flavors of their ingredients, with Victoria cake—said to have been a favorite of Queen Victoria—as the centerpiece.
Kurashiki Kokusai Hotel is a gathering place not only for guests but also for people in the neighborhood.
We spoke with Ryo Shiraiwa of the Kurashiki Kokusai Hotel Sales Support Team.
Kurashiki Kokusai Hotel Information
| Name | Kurashiki Kokusai Hotel |
|---|---|
| Address | 1-1-44 Chuo, Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture (next to the Ohara Museum of Art) |
| Contact | 086-422-5141 |
| Check-in | 2:00 p.m. |
| Check-out | 11:00 a.m. |
| Payment methods |
|
| Facilities | All rooms are non-smoking; three smoking areas are located outside the guest rooms Western-style toilet in each guest room Choose from plans including room only, breakfast included, or breakfast and dinner included |
| Bath | Bathtub in each guest room No communal bath |
| Wi-Fi | Available |
| Parking | Available For hotel guests: ¥1,000 per night (tax included) Available from 1:00 p.m. to 11:00 a.m. the following day; outside these hours, ¥250 per 30 minutes 40 spaces, available on a first-come, first-served basis |
| Website | Kurashiki Kokusai Hotel |
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