JAPA Valley

Not A Hotel, Pharrell Williams and NIGO to open a creative hub in Tokyo.

Set to launch in 2027, Japa Valley Tokyo is a bold experiment in place-making and urban acupuncture. Positioned just steps away from Yurakucho Station, Tokyo, the project transforms a one-hectare site into a pop-up creative micro-valley—hosting events, exhibitions, culinary collaborations, fashion activations, and immersive installations.

Rooted in the concept of urban acupuncture, the design strategy treats the compact site as a pressure point—channeling creativity, commerce, and culture through precise, high-impact interventions. Inspired by California’s Napa Valley but rooted in Tokyo’s hyper-creative urban culture, Japa Valley Tokyo reimagines how spaces can drive creative culture and tourism. By limiting both footprint and lifespan—scheduled to exist only until the area’s redevelopment begins—the project adopts impermanence as a both a generative design principle as well as tourist attraction. JAPA Valley overlays the logic of vineyards with the transience of Tokyo’s built environment.

Central to the design is a large-scale sculptural installation by KAWS, anchoring the valley’s ecosystem while acting as a cultural landmark. Built-in modularity allows spaces to evolve organically, with lightweight, movable structures that can be rapidly assembled and disassembled—echoing principles of circular design.

Scheduled to dissolve with the site’s future redevelopment, JAPA Valley elevates impermanence as both cultural and urban strategy. Rather than offering permanence, the space invites ongoing transformation. As cities grapple with land pressure and shifting cultural economies, Japa Valley Tokyo demonstrates how temporary architecture can yield long-term resonance.