I love Frank Lloyd Wright’s architectural style and have visited many of his projects.
Unfortunately, seeing his version of the Imperial Hotel in its Tokyo setting is impossible, as a newer version was built in the 1960s, replacing it 48 years after construction began. While Wright may have anticipated the devastating earthquake that occurred in 1923 (and had designed the structure accordingly), he couldn’t have imagined the catastrophic horror that was visited upon the city in 1945.
Still, his work survived it all.
So, in conceiving Into the Sun, I knew that I just had to integrate the hotel into the story. But, where to begin? I had stayed at the successor hotel several times, but it had no resemblance to its former self, and I was without reference points.
Fortunately, while surfing the web, I stumbled upon this website, which offers a virtual tour.
The hotel’s sheer grandeur must have been stunning. The video showcases many of the striking features of Wright’s design for the hotel, including its Mayan Revival architecture and Mayan motifs carved into the native quarried oya stone. There was simply nothing like it in Japan, and it quickly became a popular destination for Western visitors.
Sadly, the Imperial hotel fell into disrepair, and the decision was made to demolish the building in 1967. During my research, I was both stunned and elated to discover that the Japanese had disassembled the hotel’s entrance hall and lobby and relocated them to the Museum Meiji-Mura in Nagoya, which is dedicated to Meiji-era architecture. You can see it here:
It is my fervent hope to visit Nagoya someday!