Leading up to this year’s hotly anticipated Summer Olympics, Tokyo has seen a surge of striking new lodgings across a number of its 23 wards. The newly opened K5, situated only a few blocks east of Tokyo Station and flanking the Tokyo Stock Exchange, pitches in with an edgy boutique concept. The neighbourhood, called Nihombashi Kabuto-cho, has a history steeped in finance, and it was here where Japan‘s very first bank and stock exchange – indeed, the aforementioned one – were established. Unsurprisingly, K5 occupies a monumental former bank building from the 1920s, and it forms, in fact, a part of a bigger scheme of things. Owner Heiwa Real Estate Co. Ltd. has a few more buildings in its portfolio and has drafted a masterplan to revive the neighbourhood, creating new purposes and functions for each structure. The four-storey K5 building has a façade which incorporates various styles taken from Western architecture, using the most advanced technology at the time.
Enabling its transformation to boutique hotel, Stockholm-based architecture and design practice Claessson Koivisto Rune supervised the architectural and interior design, and quite interestingly, this has resulted in various settings in an intriguingly hybrid Scandic-Japanese boudoir style, and especially the 20 guestrooms. The opening of K5 not only kicks off the neighbourhood’s revitalisation, but the hotel also serves as its social hub of sorts, given the fact that it also features a number of hospitality concepts on the premises. But let’s talk about the rooms first. They’re all situated on the upper floors (read: second to fourth floors), and come in four categories. At 21 sqm. (226 sq.ft.), the Studio may be the most compact room in the house, but has all the elements for a comfortable stay, including a queen-sized bed, a mini bar, a record player, and a separate bathroom with shower. For those who like living large, the K5 Loft is readily available. Measuring 80 sqm. (861 sq.ft.), it has a high ceiling which adds an even bigger feel to the room. Furnishings and amenities include a king-size bed, a mini bar, a record player, a dining table and a kitchen, in addition to a separate bathroom equipped with a bathtub.
Throughout the building, the original concrete shell serves as a backdrop for the interior design, but it’s balanced out by an abundance of lush green plants, all provided by garden centre and landscape company Yard Works. All of K5‘s facilities can be found on the ground floor and in the basement. Caveman is a satellite dining venue of the popular Kabi restaurant in Tokyo‘s Meguro district which serves tasty fare with Japanese, French and Danish influences, and similarly sophisticated dishes will be served here. Mind you, this is also the spot where breakfast is served. Also to be found on the ground floor is Ao, a so-called library bar, and a cosy one at that, surrounded by bookshelves, run by cult bartenders Soran Nomura and Kai Tanaka. Here, tea is served during the day, but as night falls, cocktail concoctions based on Asian teas and Chinese herbs can be ordered. Switch Coffee, a popular local coffee parlour with a number of outposts across town, is also present, and serves both drip coffee varieties and teas. Last but not least, there’s the first ever bar of niche Brooklyn Brewery, offering guests a wide range of craft beers in a laid-back, contemporary bar setting.
K5
3-5 Nihombashi Kabuto-cho (Nihombashi Kabuto-cho)
Tokyo 103-0026
Telephone: +81 3 59623485
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