Hospitality brand NOTA and creative collective SKWAT are joining forces to transform the Imperial Hotel Plaza Tokyo into a cultural space. Not a Museum will be temporarily taking over the former commercial centre while awaiting its deconstruction in 2031.
Since its opening in 1983, Imperial Hotel Plaza Tokyo has been a luxury shopping haven. Yet cityscapes change, consumer behaviour evolves, and the building is currently lying vacant while awaiting demolition before the reconstruction of the Imperial Hotel Tokyo tower. While the demolition had initially been scheduled for 2024, the works have been postponed until 2031 due to rising costs.
Instead of leaving the building as is until then, the former commercial centre is now set to temporarily house a cultural centre known as Not a Museum. To make the project possible, hospitality brand Nota – known from initiatives such as Not a Hotel – and Tokyo creative collective SKWAT – which already runs SKWAT Kameari Art Centre – will be joining forces.
From the Summer of 2027 until 2031, the cultural space will be taking over the first, second, third, and fourth floors of the building. The two companies will be in charge of the entire project.
“Since 1983, Imperial Hotel Plaza Tokyo has been a source of cutting-edge fashion and culture. Not a Museum aims to keep on that storied legacy with a new project that highlights the best of contemporary Japanese culture. Art, music, books, cinema, and fashion: an experimental ground for the future where diverse forms of expression converge, allowing you to experience culture as it unfolds,” Not a Museum explains on its website.
The core concept of Not a Museum will be ‘Culture in the making’, meaning the accent will be put on the process instead of the final product as would be the case in a normal museum. Nothing has been shared as of yet about the artists who will be participating in the project.
Not a Museum is the second project that is part of Not a City, part of the wider Nota brand. The aim of the company is to make the most of unused spaces in Tokyo, especially those which are awaiting deconstruction and are thus temporarily standing vacant.
Another Not a City project is Japa Valley Tokyo, a “visionary art, retail, and hospitality precinct” designed by Nota creative advisors producer Pharrell Williams and fashion designer Nigo. The project will be set on a plot of land left empty since the demolition of two buildings from the 1960s.
“Inspired by California’s Napa Valley, Japa Valley Tokyo will be a new tourist hub that combines the best of Japanese food, fashion, and culture. The setting for the project is Yurakucho Park, which Mitsubishi Estate is currently developing in front of Yurakucho Station as a temporary space before it commences construction on a new major building complex,” Not a City explains.
Japa Valley Tokyo will be open for a limited period beginning in 2027, covering one hectare of ground and featuring artwork from KAWS, event spaces, and pop-up stores.
