Photo/Illutration The “Goen no Ma” room of the BnA Alter Museum hotel in Kyoto is partially covered with 5-yen coins. (Kenta Sujino)

KYOTO--Enjoy the facilities but don’t touch them is the welcome guests receive when they check in at the BnA Alter Museum here, a 10-story hotel with 31 rooms showcasing contemporary Japanese art.

Each guest room has its own quirky design. Sixteen artists were brought in to add a splash of panache, and in some cases outright weirdness.

Overnight stays per person start at around 8,000 yen ($63).

20220502-hotel-2-L
A mural done with fluorescent paints in the “Nextefx” room can be transformed with lighting. (Kenta Sujino)

A room designed by Mon Koutaro Ooyama features a large dragon on the walls and ceiling, drawn with colorful fluorescent paints. When a button on the side of the bed is pressed, LED lights change colors that seemingly transform the space into a live concert venue.

Parts of the walls in another room are covered with 5-yen coins. One room is designed with a deep-sea theme.

General Manager Fumiyoshi Hayashi is proud of what the artists achieved in giving the hotel such a distinctive feel.

A portion of the room charges goes to the artists, which effectively makes hotel guests their patrons.

“You can’t completely take in the feelings of the artists for their works, no matter how many times you visit,” said art director Kazutaka Tsutsui. “The deeper you get into it, the deeper your experience will be.”

The hotel in Kyoto’s Shimogyo Ward is a one-minute walk from the Kyoto City Bus Kawaramachi-Matsubara bus stop, or about 10 minutes from Hankyu Corp.’s Kyoto-Kawaramachi Station or Keihan Electric Railway Co.’s Gion-Shijo Station.

20220502-hotel-5-L
The “Dream of a trip, journey of a dream” room (Kenta Sujino)

Related News