無人不愛的東京大倉酒店 如何說再見
TOKYO — The outcry over the demolition last year of the 53-year-old Hotel Okura in Tokyo surprised no one more than some Japanese historians and architectural specialists.
東京——去年，東京有53年曆史的大倉酒店(Hotel Okura)被拆除。對於此事引發的不滿，最驚訝的就是日本的歷史學者和建築專家。
Monocle, the global lifestyle magazine, had circulated a petition, , to register the “outrage from admirers of its unique design.” Tomas Maier, the creative director of Bottega Veneta, an Italian luxury brand, filmed a video memorial and started a social media campaign, #MyMomentAtOkura.
全球生活方式雜誌《Monocle》通過發佈了一份請願書，意圖表達“仰慕其獨特設計的人的憤怒”。意大利時尚品牌Bottega Veneta創意總監托馬斯·邁爾(Tomas Maier)錄製了一段紀念視頻，併發起了一項社交網絡運動“我在大倉酒店的一刻”(#MyMomentAtOkura)。
The hotel’s modernist postwar lobby artfully balanced elements of traditional Japan, like lacquered plum-blossom-shaped tables and chairs, with visions of what was then futuristic, like a lighted world map displaying global time zones. It was frequented by United States presidents including President Obama, and other heads of state, celebrities, artists and designers. It played a central role in the 1960s James Bond novel “You Only Live Twice.”
這座酒店在其戰後修建的現代派風格的大堂裏，以精湛的技藝平衡了日本傳統元素和在當時看來充滿未來感的元素，前者如李子花形狀的漆器桌椅，後者則包括展示全球時區、亮着背光的世界地圖。包括奧巴馬總統在內的歷任美國總統及各國元首、名人、藝術家、設計師都經常在此下榻。它在1960年代的詹姆斯·邦德(James Bond)小說《雷霆谷》(You Only Live Twice)裏扮演了核心角色。
The Taisei Corporation, a construction company, and Mitsubishi Estate, Japan’s second-largest real estate developer, plan to build a 38-story high-rise with 510 rooms, 201 more than the Okura, and add 18 stories of office space. The renovation is estimated to cost $1 billion. The company promised to “faithfully reproduce” several beloved artifacts in the lobby, including wall tapestries, paper lanterns and sliding doors, the lacquered furnishings and map of time zones.
大成建設(Taisei Corporation)和日本第二大房地產開發商三菱地所(Mitsubishi Estate)，計劃修建一座38層高的建築，包含510個房間，比大倉酒店(Okura)現在的規模多出201間，此外還會新增18層的寫字樓。整修預計耗資10億美元。該公司承諾會“忠實地重現”大堂裏數個很受喜愛之處，包括壁毯、紙燈籠、滑動門、漆器傢俱，以及標記時區的地圖。
The hotel’s main building and its signature lobby were demolished in September. The South Wing, erected in 1973, will remain operational, and the owners plan to replicate the lobby’s mezzanine, based on a Japanese painting known as “Bridge of the Dream,”and its hexagonal ceiling lights. A newly designed bar will try to recapture the stylish retro-chic of the former Orchid Bar, the Okura’s elegant, dimly lit cocktail haven loved by diplomats, expatriates and journalists. The new complex will also incorporate upgrades to meet the latest standards in earthquake-resistant construction technologies.
酒店的主樓和它標誌性的大堂已在9月拆除。1973年建造的南樓仍在正常運行，業主計劃重現舊的大堂中，在日本畫作《夢橋》(Bridge of the Dream)基礎上修建的樓廳，以及其六角形的頂燈。新設計的酒吧將會嘗試重現以前“蘭吧”(Orchid Bar)那種典雅的復古時尚風格。大倉酒店的這個酒吧裏燈光柔暗，這裏調製的雞尾酒深受各國外交官、外籍人士和記者的喜愛。新建築還會融入升級措施，滿足抗震建築技術的最新標準。
But those plans have done little to assuage the concerns of preservationists, many of whom contend that Tokyo is destroying its greatest postwar architectural assets to accommodate the 2020 Olympics and a recent surge in tourism. In a twist worthy of Bond, the most outspoken critics are not from Japan.
但這些計劃幾乎沒有緩解保護人士的擔憂，他們當中的許多人認爲，東京爲了迎合2020年的奧運會以及近年來興起的旅遊業，正在摧毀戰後最偉大的建築財富。但最樂於發聲的批評人士並非來自日本，這簡直是一個值得寫入007小說的情節。
“When the reconstruction was announced, many foreigners, especially well-known designers, voiced their regret,” said Yoshio Uchida, professor of architecture at Toyo University. “The magnitude of their protest was beyond our imagination.”
“重建的決定宣佈後，很多外國人，尤其是知名設計師表達了遺憾，”東洋大學(Toyo University)建築學教授內田祥士(Yoshio Uchida)表示。“他們抗議的激烈程度超出了我的想象。”
The original Okura opened in 1962, two years before the first Tokyo Olympics, an event that signaled to the world that Japan had recovered from the devastation of World War II. It was erected across the street from the American Embassy, and became so popular with diplomats it was referred to as “the annex.”
原來的大倉酒店開業於1962年，那是東京首次舉辦奧運會的兩年前，這一活動向全世界昭示，日本已從第二次世界大戰的瘡痍中恢復了起來。大倉酒店就矗立在美國大使館的街對面，它在外交官當中很受歡迎，以至於曾被稱作“附屬樓”。
The architect Yoshiro Taniguchi led a design team appointed by Kishichiro Okura, the founder.
當年，建築師谷口吉郎(Yoshiro Taniguchi)領導了一個由創始人大倉喜七郎(Kishichiro Okura)指派的團隊，開展了酒店的設計。
Unlike many postwar Tokyo buildings, whose primary models of modernism were strictly Western, the Okura was built to evoke Japanese-ness, at least as perceived by foreigners. Among other frills, this meant hexagonal hanging lamps shaped like ancient gems and partitions edged with kimono fabrics.
戰後東京的許多建築主要參考的現代派藍本絕對是西方的，但大倉酒店的建築卻喚起了“日本特色”的聯想，至少在外國人看來如此。這意味着形狀彷彿是古代寶石的六角形吊燈，以及邊角包裹和服織物的屏風，諸如此類。
Recreating the Okura is the original architect’s world-famous son, Yoshio Taniguchi, a graduate of Harvard who 11 years ago redesigned the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Mr. Taniguchi is best known for his lean lines and conservative minimalism – a far cry, some say, from his father’s evocative focus on physical craftsmanship and genius for striking a harmonic balance between East and West.
重建大倉酒店的是原建築師谷口的兒子，世界著名的建築師谷口吉生(Yoshio Taniguchi)，後者畢業於哈佛大學，曾在11年前重新設計了紐約現代藝術博物館(Museum of Modern Art)。谷口吉生最爲人熟知的是簡練的線條和剋制的極簡主義風格。一些人形容，這與他父親的風格大相徑庭。其父關注於物件和實體的精湛工藝，也能天才般地在東西方之間找到和諧平衡，而這些都喚起了觀者的情感。
Mr. Taniguchi is keenly aware of the affection bestowed upon his father’s Okura. He says he can incorporate the spirit and feel of the original in the new building, whatever its specifications.
谷口吉生非常清楚人們對他父親設計的大倉酒店賦予的感情。他表示，他能夠將原有建築的精神和感覺融入新建築，不管通哪種具體方式。
“There were many examples of excellent modern architecture designed in postwar Japan,” he said. “But there are also many that have become rundown over the years. For the structures that were especially beautiful and original, we are trying to restore them with sensitivity to their original forms. We’re constantly making that effort.”
“在日本戰後設計的現代建築中，有很多非常棒的例子，”他說。“但隨着時間的流逝，也有很多建築變得破舊。對於那些特別優美、獨創的建築，我們會盡量恢復原狀。我們會一直努力。”
New York enclaves like Soho and TriBeCa are losing local restaurants to high-rise condos, and many fear the same is happening in Tokyo. Mr. Uchida contends that the fate of the Hotel Okura is emblematic of a trend afflicting Japan’s capital.
紐約蘇豪區和翠貝卡地區的當地餐廳正在變成高層公寓，很多人擔心東京也會出現類似的情況。內田祥士認爲，大倉酒店的命運體現了一種困擾日本首都的趨勢。
“It’s a symbol of our struggle to balance our need for renewal with the treasures of our city,” he said. “That means it’s very important what happens.”
“這標誌着我們在平衡重建和保護城市珍貴建築上所面臨的困難，”他說。“這意味着，接下來發生的事情非常重要。”
Hiroshi Matsukuma, a professor at the Kyoto Institute of Technology and a champion of postwar modernism, sees the virtues of Tokyo architecture in its layers of history. Tokyo’s major edifices of the 20th century, like the 11-story Okura, were modest by comparison with other global cities. But they embodied the organic, rapid growth of the city’s reconstruction, like rings in a tree trunk.
京都工藝纖維大學(Kyoto Institute of Technology)教授、戰後現代主義作品的倡導者鬆隈洋(Hiroshi Matsukuma)認爲，東京建築值得讚歎的一點就是，它們體現了歷史的層次。與世界其他城市相比，東京20世紀的主要建築不算宏偉，比如11層高的大倉酒店。但他們就像樹幹上的年輪，體現了城市重建那種自然、矯健的發展步伐。
Projects undertaken since 2000, like the reconstructed Marunouchi Buildings, tend to be massive, multipurpose skyscrapers. “The multi-layeredness of Tokyo is something we may be losing now in our city’s major centers,” Mr. Matsukuma wrote. “You can only find it in the back streets, the old neighborhoods, and they are disappearing, too.”
自2000年以來開展的項目往往是建造大規模、多用途的摩天大樓，比如重建的丸之內大廈(Marunouchi Building)。“從其主要中心地區來看，東京或許正在失去它的多層次性，”鬆隈洋寫道。“你只能在那些偏僻小巷、老舊社區看到這種多層次性，但這些地方也在逐漸消失。”
Another challenge for Tokyo is more prosaic: The city has a shortage of hotel rooms. The Japan National Tourism Organization announced late last year that the number of foreign visitors to Japan was expected to near a record-breaking 20 million by the end of 2015, an increase of over 40 percent.
東京面臨的另一個挑戰則比較平淡：該市缺少酒店客房。日本國家旅遊局(Japan National Tourism Organization)在去年晚些時候宣佈，到2015年底，日本接待的外國遊客的數量將增加逾40%，達到2000萬，創下記錄。
Occupancy rates for hotels in Tokyo are regularly at 90 percent or higher, and domestic businesses have begun complaining that their traveling salarymen can no longer find affordable rooms. The number of Asian tourists to Japan has exploded in the last year. China alone accounted for 4.7 million visitors, a 109 percent spike in one year.
東京酒店的入住率通常是90%或者更高，國內公司已經開始抱怨，他們的出差人員無法找到價格合適的客房。去年，日本接待的亞洲遊客的數量暴增。僅中國遊客就達到了470萬名，一年內增加了109%。
The small number of additional rooms planned for the reconstructed Okura will do little to mitigate a trend that is forcing Tokyo to embrace another 21st-century development. Airbnb announced last month that Japan is by far its fastest-growing market.
重建後的大倉酒店計劃增加的少量額外房間，將遠遠無法緩和這一迫使東京接受21世紀另一項新發展的趨勢。Airbnb在上月宣佈，日本目前是其發展最快的市場。
