Iconic Japanese hotel featured in James Bond movie closes ahead of demolition.
The doors of Hotel Okura — an icon of Japanese modernist design — have finally shut. The 1960s landmark, which has welcomed a bevy of storied guests including U.S. President Barack Obama in 2009, is scheduled for demolition later this month.
The hotel was built in 1962 in time for the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. Since its opening, the hotel has remained practically unchanged. Attendants still wear kimonos and guests can visit salons to play traditional Japanese board game, Go. But after half a century, the hotel’s management said the building is in need of redevelopment to meet demands of, somewhat ironically, the 2020 Olympics, the BBC reports.
“It is difficult for us now to provide a top Japanese hotel due to the building’s age,” an Okura spokeswoman told news agency Agence France-Presse.
Since opening, Hotel Okura has been a favorite haven for world leaders, dignitaries and movie stars, though also became something of a celebrity in its own right after appearing in the James Bond film, You Only Live Twice.
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