Celebrating the Centennial of Wright’s Imperial Hotel 1923-2023
On September 1, 1923, Wright’s Imperial Hotel opened in Tokyo. This year, the Frank Lloyd Wright Trust partnered with Imperial Hotel, Ltd. for a celebration at Robie House. The 100-year celebration was marked by a gift of cherry blossom trees from the Imperial Hotel, Ltd. for the Robie courtyard garden.
Guests gathered to commemorate Frank Lloyd Wright’s legacy in Japan and the United States. Hideya Sadayasu, President of the Imperial Hotel, Ltd. travelled to Chicago for the occasion. Guests included the Consul-General of Japan in Chicago, Bureau Chief of America from Japan Broadcasting Corporation (NHK), Managing Director of Leading Hotels of the World, and the Executive Director of the Japan National Tourism Organization. John Rafkin, Chairman of the Board of the Frank Lloyd Wright Trust, read a personal message from Rahm Emanuel, U.S. Ambassador to Japan and the former Mayor of Chicago.
Event Photos
Guests (from left) in a group photo in the Robie House courtyard garden:
Tsutomu Shibata (Director, Japan Information Center, Chicago)
Risa Sekiguchi (Travel Manager, Frank Lloyd Wright Trust)
Hisashi Tsumura (Tokyo Convention & Visitors Bureau)
Hideya Sadayasu (President, Imperial Hotel, Ltd.)
Patrick Smith (Managing Director, The Americas, Leading Hotels of the World)
Ryoji Ito (Bureau Chief of America from Japan Broadcasting Corporation NHK)
Andrew Wylegala (President, National Association of Japan-American Societies)
Tsuyoshi Tane (Architect, Atelier Tsuyoshi Tane Architects)
Consul-General Hiroshi Tajima (Consulate-General of Japan in Chicago)
John Rafkin (Chairman of the Board, Frank Lloyd Wright Trust)
Janice Katz (Roger L. Weston Associate Curator of Japanese Art, Art Institute of Chicago)
Celeste Adams (President & CEO, Frank Lloyd Wright Trust)
Professor Ken Tadashi Oshima (University of Washington, Seattle)
George Kobayashi (Delegate, U.S.-Japan Council)
Michiaki Yamada (Executive Director, Japan National Tourism Organization)
Reverend Ron Miyamura (Midwest Buddhist Temple)
Sarah Holian (Curator, Frank Lloyd Wright Trust)
Photos: Michael Moenning Photography