Airbnb offers tea in Tokyo with Kengo Kuma and tour of his under-construction Olympic stadium
by Kim Megson | 18 Jul 2018
Kuma has designed the new Tokyo Olympic stadium
– Kengo Kuma
Airbnb has offered an exclusive meet and greet with Japanese architect Kengo Kuma, which will include a visit to his under-construction Tokyo Olympic stadium.
Five guests were given the opportunity to book the rare experience on a ‘first come, first served’ basis, with the places quickly snapped up.
The lucky few will begin their special ‘Airbnb Experience’ with a tour of Kuma’s studio in Tokyo’s Aoyama neighbourhood. The architect will then take them to Yoyogi National Gymnasium – built by Kenzo Tange for the 1964 Tokyo Olympics – and explain how it informed his perspective on architecture and design.
A tour of his own Olympic venue, the New National Stadium, will then follow. Guests will learn about the materials used in construction, the inspiration behind the structure’s design and the buildout process.
The experience will conclude on the rooftop of nearby SunnyHills, a tea shop for which Kuma designed the striking latticework exterior. Guests will be able to enjoy pineapple cakes and tea while getting to know the architect.
“As the number of tourists visiting Japan increases towards 2020, I feel a commonality with Airbnb’s aim of letting travellers feel they can ‘belong anywhere,’” said Kuma. “With this experience, I am looking forward to offering people my own style of hospitality and sharing my inspiration as an architect with them.”
Kengo Kuma Associates are currently working on a number of museums around the world, including a fairytale-themed museum dedicated to the life and work of author Hans Christian Andersen in Odense, a contemporary art museum in Turkey, the V&A Dundee design museum in Scotland, a the Museum of Indigenous Knowledge in the Philippines, and a bucolic art museum in Busan, South Korea’s second-largest city.
There are now several architecture-themed Experiences on Airbnb, in cities as diverse as Chicago, Brasília, Shanghai and Moscow.
Airbnb Kengo Kuma Tokyo 2020 Olympics13 Dec 2016
Construction begins on Kengo Kuma's National Stadium for 2020 Tokyo Olympics
FEATURE: Interview – Kengo Kuma
Airbnb has offered an exclusive meet and greet with Japanese architect Kengo Kuma, which will include a visit to his under-construction Tokyo Olympic stadium. Five guests were given the opportunity to book the rare experience on a ‘first come, first served’ basis, with the places quickly snapped up. The lucky few will begin their special ‘Airbnb Experience’ with a tour of Kuma’s studio in Tokyo’s Aoyama neighbourhood. The architect will
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