* 파렐 윌리엄스와 니고가 제안하는 새로운 호스피텔리티 pharrell williams & NIGO partner with NOT A HOTEL on 'japa valley tokyo', launching in 2027

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"건축은 영원하지 않다. 그것은 시간과 함께 변화하고, 사람들의 기억 속에서 살아간다." - 안도 타다오

pharrell williams & NIGO partner with NOT A HOTEL on 'japa valley tokyo', launching in 2027
나파밸리를 일본적으로 재해석한 'Japa Valley Tokyo', 2027년 도쿄에 등장

가수이자 패션 디자이너 파렐 윌리엄스와 켄조 아티스틱 디렉터 니고가 도쿄 중심부에 전혀 새로운 형태의 문화 공간을 선보인다. 2027년 개장을 목표로 하는 'Japa Valley Tokyo'는 유라쿠초역 인근 1헥타르 부지에 조성될 예술, 리테일, 호스피텔리티가 융합된 복합시설이다. NOT A HOTEL과의 파트너십으로 실현되는 이 프로젝트는 기존 호스피텔리티 개념을 넘어선 새로운 목적지를 제안한다.

두 크리에이터는 캘리포니아 나파밸리를 개념적 출발점으로 삼되, 포도밭을 사케 양조장으로 대체하는 방식으로 와인 문화를 일본적 맥락으로 완전히 재구성했다. 이는 단순한 공간 이식이 아닌, 두 문화의 본질적 가치를 융합한 창조적 번역이다. 한국에서도 익숙한 K-컬처와 글로벌 브랜드의 협업이 공간으로 구현된 사례로 읽힌다.

구 신유라쿠초빌딩 부지를 활용한 이번 프로젝트는 현재 미쓰비시 부동산이 운영하는 임시 공원을 한정 기간 동안 특별한 문화 거점으로 변모시킨다. 영구 시설이 아닌 '한정 운영'이라는 개념이 핵심이다. 이러한 접근은 국내에서도 활발해진 팝업 문화와 임시 설치의 연장선에서 이해할 수 있지만, 그 규모와 완성도에서 차별화된다.

공간은 임시적이면서도 완전히 몰입 가능한 구역으로 설계된다. 파렐과 니고가 20여 년간 쌓아온 우정과 협업 경험이 하나의 통합된 비전으로 구현되는 장소다. 두 사람은 이 프로젝트의 공동 수석 비저너리로 활동하며, KAWS의 대형 조각 작품을 중심으로 다양한 아티스트, 셰프, 디자이너들의 순환 설치를 선보일 예정이다.

주목할 점은 이들이 단순히 유명인의 이름을 빌린 상업 프로젝트가 아닌, 문화적 깊이와 사려 깊은 디자인을 추구한다는 점이다. 이미지에서 확인할 수 있듯 목재 아치 구조의 파빌리온 시스템이 KAWS의 흰색 조각품을 둘러싸며 친밀한 규모의 공간감을 조성한다. 격자형으로 배치된 녹지와 벚꽃이 도심 속 자연적 맥락을 제공하는 동시에, 야간에는 따뜻한 조명이 브랜드 아이덴티티를 강화한다.

파렐과 니고의 NOT A HOTEL 파트너십은 지속적으로 확장되고 있다. 2020년 설립된 이 일본 호스피텔리티 스타트업은 현재 4개 사이트를 운영하며, 이시가키, 미나카미, 세토우치 지역으로 확장 중이다. 특히 비야케 잉겔스 그룹이 설계한 세토우치 프로젝트는 건축계의 주목을 받고 있다.

두 사람의 크리에이티브 어드바이저 겸 투자자 위촉은 단순한 협업을 넘어 브랜드 정체성 형성에서의 영향력을 보여준다. NOT A HOTEL이 추구하는 '호스피텔리티를 큐레이션된 경험으로 정의하는' 방향성과 정확히 부합한다.

2025년 초 발표된 'THE NIGO HOUSE'는 이러한 철학의 구현체다. 치바현 훗츠의 절벽 위에 자리한 이 휴양지는 니고가 빈티지 프루베 가구부터 전통 다도를 위한 수제 다실까지 모든 요소를 직접 큐레이션했다. 파렐의 경매 플랫폼 JOOPITER를 통해 공식 개장 전 특별 숙박 기회를 제공한 것도 이들만의 독특한 마케팅 접근법을 보여준다.

Japa Valley Tokyo에서 두 사람은 더 나아가 계절적 경험을 통해 사람들을 연결하고 장소성을 형성하고자 한다. 이는 한국의 전통적인 절기 문화나 계절별 축제 문화와도 공명하는 접근이다. 임시성을 전제로 하되 그 시간 동안만큼은 완전한 몰입을 제공한다는 개념은 기존 호스피텔리티 산업의 패러다임을 전환하는 시도로 평가된다.

프로젝트의 규모와 비전은 단순한 관광지를 넘어 문화적 깊이와 사려 깊은 디자인을 중시하는 새로운 형태의 목적지를 예고한다. 이는 경험 경제 시대에 부합하는 접근으로, 물리적 공간보다 그 안에서 일어나는 경험의 질에 집중한다는 점에서 의미가 크다.

프로젝트 정보
명칭: Japa Valley Tokyo
크리에이티브 어드바이저: 파렐 윌리엄스, 니고
개발: NOT A HOTEL
위치: 일본 도쿄도 치요다구
부지면적: 약 1헥타르
피처링 아티스트: KAWS
부지 개발: 미쓰비시 부동산
개장 예정: 2027년 

Write by Claude & Jean Browwn


limited-run destination Japa Valley Tokyo to open in 2027
Singer and fashion designer Pharrell Williams and artistic director of Kenzo, NIGO, present Japa Valley Tokyo, a one-hectare art, retail, and hospitality complex sited near Yurakucho Station in central Tokyo, set to open in 2027. Conceived in partnership with NOT A HOTEL, the project transforms the site of the former Shin Yurakucho Building, currently a temporary park developed by Mitsubishi Estate, into a limited-run destination. Drawing from California’s Napa Valley as a conceptual model, the duo reimagines the wine region through a Japanese lens, replacing vineyards with sake breweries.

Japa Valley Tokyo is designed to operate as a temporary yet fully immersive precinct, built to channel a vision that Pharrell and NIGO have cultivated over more than two decades of friendship and collaboration. The two creatives serve as co-chief visionaries of the site, which will also feature artwork by KAWS and pop up installations from a rotating lineup of artists, chefs, and designers. While much remains under wraps, the project’s scale and vision suggest a kind of tourism that values cultural depth and thoughtful design.

Pharrell and NIGO appointed Creative advisors for not a hotel
Founded in 2020, Japanese hospitality startup NOT A HOTEL has carved out a distinctive business model in the Japanese market, currently operating at four sites, and has announced upcoming properties in Ishigaki, Minakami, and Setouchi (the latter designed by Bjarke Ingels Group), with further expansions underway. Pharrell and NIGO’s recent appointment as creative advisors and investors in the company formalizes their growing influence in how the brand defines hospitality as a curated experience.

Pharrell and NIGO’s partnership with NOT A HOTEL has been steadily expanding. In early 2025, the company announced THE NIGO HOUSE, a cliffside retreat in Futtsu, Chiba, curated in its entirety by NIGO, down to the vintage Prouvé furniture and the hand built tea room for the traditional sadō ceremony. Pharrell’s auction platform JOOPITER offered a chance to stay at the house before its public opening.

In Japa Valley Tokyo, this fresh, short term experiment of theirs, Pharrell and NIGO aim to bring people together through seasonal experiences that shape a sense of place.

name: Japa Valley Tokyo | @japavalley_official
creative advisors: Pharrell Williams | @pharrell, NIGO | @nigo
development: NOT A HOTEL | @notahotel_official
location: Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan
site area: approx. 1 hectare
featured artist: KAWS | @kaws
site development: Mitsubishi Estate

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