Pharrell And NIGO’s Immersive Tokyo Takeover With NOT A HOTEL Is Set To Open In 2027

sake, and street culture converge.

Well-planned public spaces can be a powerful catalyst in a city’s cultural landscape. Within Tokyo’s cityscape, these liminal, publicly accessible spaces unfold as a kaleidoscopic mosaic of ephemeral architecture, neon-lit façades, and rare pockets of stillness. In this cacophony of urban ambition, NOT A HOTEL—the Japanese hospitality venture—moves away from its conventional escape-style properties with a bold experiment titled, ‘JAPA VALLEY TOKYO’. In partnership with its creative advisors, singer and fashion designer Pharrell Williams and Kenzo’s artistic director, NIGO, this one-hectare site in the Yurakucho district of central Tokyo is set to open in 2027. Anchored by artworks, retail spaces, and a hospitality complex, this project—conceptualised in collaboration with Mitsubishi Estate, a storied force in shaping Tokyo’s architectural legacy—transforms the city’s public spaces into sites of cultural encounter.

Just a stone’s throw away from Yurakucho Station, the project is a strategic move to harness the station’s central location and transport links. Situated at the intersection of the major business hub of Marunouchi and the shopping district of Ginza, this project seeks to weave art into everyday life through a concept deeply rooted in Japan’s cultural rhythm. Its strategic location establishes it as a vital node for both business and leisure, while the initiative gestures toward a forward-looking model of urban development, laying the groundwork for future architectural and neighbourhood evolution. This announcement follows closely on the heels of NOT A HOTEL’s recent debut on Ishigaki Island, Japan; a striking circular retreat conceived by Sou Fujimoto, that reimagines insular living.

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Cultural Inversion

It borrows references from the storied model of Napa Valley in California—a region renowned for its rich history of pioneering vintners, resilient recovery, and deep-rooted community stewardship. In turn, by swapping the long-established estates and their wine culture with sake brewing and Japanese cuisine, JAPA VALLEY TOKYO reinterprets the original concept within the urban fabric of Tokyo. Embodying the city’s pop-up culture, adaptability, and the Japanese aesthetic of ‘ma’ (negative space), it reflects a localised craft tradition with a distinct set of social cues and celebrations. With the razing of Yurakucho and Shin-Yurakucho buildings, this place-making project is about the spirit of place and how design, sound, flavour, and recurrence can foster emotional belonging. 

The Art Of Coming Together

For its creative advisors, NIGO and Williams—the iconic duo behind countless cultural yardsticks—JAPA VALLEY TOKYO marks the culmination of a two-decade creative partnership, intertwining cultural authenticity with commercial vibrancy. Founded in 2020, NOT A HOTEL appointed them earlier this year, as a reinforcement of their friendship with the brand and for their innate ability to distil culture into spatial poetry. With THE NIGO HOUSE—a cliffside retreat in Futtsu, Chiba—as their first brick-and-mortar brainstorm, it laid the foundation for the brand’s expanding portfolio. From the vintage Prouvé furniture to a hand-built tea room for the traditional sadō ceremony, NIGO lent his architectural acumen to shape the cliffside retreat. While Pharrell’s cross-continental influence and his auction platform, JOOPITER, offered a chance to stay at the house before its public opening, melding the lines between luxury, leisure, and lifestyle. With this dynamic duo at the helm, NOT A HOTEL is charting a course to carry its distinctly Japanese hospitality ethos across global shores.

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The Gathering Ground

As much remains under wraps, this project assembles a medley crew of curated retail, street-savvy saké bars, arty cafés, and pop-ups steeped in local and global cachet. It is anchored by a giant reclining COMPANION sculpture by New York-based artist KAWS, who previously collaborated with NIGO on their first cliffside home with NOT A HOTEL. Infused with Williams and NIGO’s ethos of cultural confluence, the site is imagined as more than a lifestyle hub; it stands as a testament to community-first urbanism. “NIGO and I have always shared the same design language—centred in heart, creativity with meaning,” Williams reveals.

The park features a constellation of arched structures, meticulously arranged amidst a verdant garden backdrop that evolves according to Japan’s cyclical pattern, bringing people together for seasonal experiences that imbue a sense of place. A nod to Japan, these timber-clad structures feature floor-to-ceiling glass that blurs the line between indoors and out, while flooding the space with natural light. Co-designed with Williams and NIGO’s unmistakable flair, this interlude offers an open invitation to linger, lounge, and lose track of time. With equal parts Zen garden and sci-fi daydream, JAPA VALLEY TOKYO unveils a revolving tableau of haute couture pop-ups, immersive gastronomic experiences and elaborate saké ceremonies that sway between sacred ritual and spirited revelry.

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In a city that never hits pause, this project is exactly that: a deliberate pause button on the urban hustle. “JAPA VALLEY is us bringing that language to life, turning it into space and shape for everyone to experience,” Williams shares. By flipping the script on conformist urban development, this project serves as a masterclass in how public spaces can be more than sidewalks and communal seating areas through intentional rewiring. An alluring waypoint on Tokyo’s cultural map, it draws in the curious and the cultured alike, casting Japan’s contemporary creativity through a kaleidoscope of heritage and future-forward experimentation.