BnA_WALL BnA HOTEL, which operates unique hotels where you can stay inside artworks, opened BnA_WALL in the Nihonbashi, the business district of Tokyo, in 2021.
In Japan, art and daily life are separate, so BnA's concept of bringing them together created a hotel plastered with murals. Thus, the WALL was born. The hotel acts as a hub for engaging with art and supporting artists.
The WALL is BnA's fourth art hotel, following Koenji, Akihabara in Tokyo - which we have featured in an article, and Kawaramachi in Kyoto.
BnA_WALL is not just a hotel; it's a complete creative facility. As soon as you enter the hotel, you can see a large mural on the wall.
The hub also includes artist studios, residences, and a lounge, adding a new and exciting atmosphere to Nihonbashi.
Artists were involved from the very beginning of the hotel's construction, working with architects to consider the shape and materials of the rooms and the type of experience they wanted guests to have.
The interior design, furniture, and lighting of the rooms are also part of the artwork, and guests complete the art by staying there.
BnA HOTEL has a unique feature: a portion of the accommodation fee is returned to the artist. By staying at the hotel, you can support the artist. This accommodation fee return system is a new initiative, the first of its kind in the world, and it is hoped that it will help make art more sustainable.
The bar on the first floor is run by SHIBUYA OIRAN, a center of music culture in Shibuya. It provides a hub for the international culture scene, focused on art and music enthusiasts.
The lounge also has a cafe and bar and is open to non-guests.
The giant mural "WALL" that takes up two floors in the lounge gets repainted monthly by talented young artists, and as a guest, you can experience the art-making process during your stay.
BnA HOTEL is a platform to connect people traveling in search of encounters with local artists.
The factory in the hotel's basement serves as a studio for artists, providing a space to witness art creation. It also hosts regular events and workshops.
BnA WALL features 26 rooms designed as "art pieces you can stay in," created in collaboration with 23 artists and art directors.
The hotel offers guidebooks and audio guides to help guests fully experience the art rooms.
These guides provide detailed explanations of the design concept through textual and visual aids.
"SUSHI WARS" is a vibrant and playful space decorated with colorful artwork that combines sushi, space, and holographic wallpaper.
"HARDCORE GAME ROOM" features walls decorated with Othello boards, a basketball hoop suspended above the bed, tissues, and light switches emerging from giant nostrils, creating an atmosphere of playfulness.
BnA HOTEL is not just a place where artworks are displayed in the rooms; you can stay inside the artwork itself.
In the "The World After Five Minutes" room, a mirror image of another world is reflected in a large photograph, allowing visitors to experience the extraordinary alongside the ordinary.
"VISIBLE AMBIENCE" — The visible world comprises the invisible world. A painting resembling a laboratory is attached to the ceiling.
A special microscope runs vertically and horizontally across the surface of the painting, projecting the artwork onto a monitor. This allows the painting to be viewed through a microscopic lens, revealing details that are otherwise invisible to the naked eye.
