A Model of the Merging of the Two Worlds

De Pijp, a trendy and hipstersclustered neighborhood, can be said to be another city language outside Amsterdam‘s crowded old town. It is a convenient base to go to the city center and most destinations, and the roads are also wider. Multiethnic culture and boutique coffee houses blossomed in the residential areas here. The area is filled with the vibrancy of the new city without losing the classical style of the canal view. It is in this area that stands a 23story new highrise building, which is extremely rare in this dam city. This building is the first overseas hotel of the Okura Hotel Group in Japan Hotel Okura Amsterdam.

A New Landmark Destined to be Born

Japan and the Netherlands have a deep history in the past, which is not known well to the public. In the Edo period, the only Western merchants allowed to conduct business in Japan was Dutch, and for two centuries, Japan‘s bnowledge of Western culture was limited to the literature brought in by Dutch. Japan and the Netherlands have established a cultural and economic alliance at an early stage. 400 years later, the Okura Group has set up its overseas flagship hotel in the Dutch capital and it is the only one in Europe. Coincidentally, the quality and professionalism of the Netherlands and Japan are both internationally renowned. The hotel philosophies of the East and the West meet here and go hand in hand.

The initial construction of the hotel originally belonged to a cultural project planned by the City of Amsterdam in 1969. In addition to Hotel Okura, there was also a Grand Theatre and a subway station in the construction plan, and due to budgetary debates, the other two buildings eventually failed to realize, and only Hotel Okura was set up in 1971 as the original plan, and eventually became the unique landmark of the region‘s tallest building, lighting up the skyline of Amsterdam.

The Perfect Work Made by the West and the East

Designed by two Japanese designers and two Dutch designers, the clean delicate Japanese style and  modern tolerant Dutch style are combined to create a very harmonious space. The lobby is dominated by walnut wood and beige walls, and the slightly sunken guest area provides a sense of security of the homely living room. The scattered independent light source and the main color tone create a warm atmosphere, while at the same time, different materials such as glass, metal and marble add a modern and artistic atmosphere to the overall space. The umbrellashaped chandelier and the thousand paper crane chandeliers hung on the ceiling have the magical finishing touch.

The 23story highrise building provides the hotel with an abundance of space and an unbeatable view, so most of the hotel‘s 300 rooms are spacious with an open city view. Even with a large number of rooms,designers still bring ingenuity to each room and create a variety of styles for customers to choose from. With a clean and refreshing tone, the design furniture with beautiful lines and tranquil colors gives customers some ”space” to rest,work and appreciate the view. The hotel has the largest suite in the Netherlands, with a total of 485 square meters of space in two floors.The space is carefully planned for family sharing or meetings and events. The two bedrooms ”Emperor‘s Room” and ”Queen‘s Room”demonstrate their full styles, with an independent home theater that accommodates up to 12 viewers, and exquisite artwork, giant chandeliers and glass staircase that are nothing but amazing.

The Index of Cuisine Culture

When night falls, welldressed gentleman and ladies walk into the hotel one after another. The Okura Hotel, which houses a total of four Michelin stars, is not only the treasure land of Amsterdam‘s top culinary enjoyment but also the leader of the entire city and even of European food culture for decades. On the first floor of the hotel, 4 restaurants and 1 bar are included, with Sazanka, the only Michelin teppanyaki restaurant in Europe, and Yamazato, the first Michelin Japanese restaurant in Europe, as well as the casual allday dining restaurant Serre; the twoMichelinstar restaurant Ciel Bleu is located on the top floor of the hotel and is staffed by chefs Onno Kokmeijer and Arjan Speelman to create a lowkey and exquisite international cuisine.

The best experience in this trip is dinner at Yamazato.Yamazato, which means ”in the mountain” in Japanese,offers the most elegant Kaiseki cuisine made with seasonal ingredients. It is not only the first Michelin Japanese restaurant in Europe, but also the first Michelin Kaiseki restaurant outside Japan. When the restaurant was first opened, the chef worked very hard to find the right ingredients in the Netherlands, and even personally cooperated with local farmers to grow qualified vegetables. At the time, the whole of Europe knows very little of Japanese cuisine. With the efforts and insistence of the chef, the locals finally get to understand the beauty of oriental cuisine, which is full of life philosophy.

We tasted the recommended menu of Chef Masanori Tomikawa. The sommelier matched each dish with the sake of different concentration and flavors. It is very interesting to taste the sake in a glass instead of a traditional Japanese cup. The sommelier said this is to better taste the scent of sake, because the sake here is brewed over the years, just as the red wine, each has its own merits; the dishes are made after the theme of the Japanese royal flower ”Sunflower”. This is a winter special menu, from one soup one meal, to one piece of fried food, sashimi platter ... and then to the last dessert, everything fit together perfectly, so that the guests can understand the taste of the ingredients, since the presentation and utensils are all in harmony with the food; the waitress dressed in kimono, the traditional Japanese house design, and the colorful Japanese courtyard,everything exists to achieve a balance of five senses. During the meal, I saw a very beautiful crane flying to the courtyard, only stopping for a short stay.

After the dinner, I returned to the room slightly tipsy. The smog was strong in Amsterdam, and bridges appeared in the distance. It was dreamlike.