HOTEL FORK & KNIFE Miyajima, the hotel run jointly by GREENING and FHG HOTELS at the Hiroshima gateway to Miyajima, is holding a talk event themed around the photobook Hiroshima 1958, together with Kengo Nakamoto, head of ref., a Hiroshima-based select shop that curates outstanding products from Japan and abroad. The event takes place on Friday, September 11 and Saturday, September 12, 2026, followed by dinner at the hotel. No overnight stay is required to attend.
HOTEL FORK & KNIFE Miyajima and ref. Head Kengo Nakamoto
Miyajimaguchi serves as the gateway to the World Heritage site of Itsukushima Shrine. HOTEL FORK & KNIFE Miyajima opened here in March 2026, offering a stay experience that carefully conveys Hiroshima's traditions and culture through local gastronomy cooked over an open wood fire using ingredients from Seto Inland Sea and Hiroshima, a space design by architect and artist Fumihiko Sano that makes use of natural materials, and museum-quality art pieces displayed throughout the property.
Adding to that culture is Kengo Nakamoto, head of the Hiroshima-based select shop ref. An entrepreneur and producer who blends fashion with regional culture, Nakamoto has become a central figure in Hiroshima's cultural scene, running ref. while also organizing The Trunk Market, an event that draws more than 20,000 visitors.
The hotel houses ref. Miyajima, the brand's second location, offering a shop where genuinely outstanding items from Japan and abroad, selected without regard to country or genre, bring guests new discoveries during their stay. Nakamoto also curated the main display at the hotel entrance and the exhibition space THE STUDY, where this event will be held, bringing his eye for fashion, art, and design, developed over many years, to add a fresh cultural perspective to the hotel.
Hiroshima 1958: Where French and Japanese Perspectives Meet
Hiroshima 1958 gathers photographs taken by actress Emmanuelle Riva during breaks in filming for Hiroshima mon amour (released in Japan as 24-Hour Affair), which brought her to Hiroshima in 1958. Thirteen years after the atomic bombing, the book captures the cityscape and daily life of a Hiroshima still in the midst of recovery, observed with a quiet yet steady gaze.
At the hotel's in-house exhibition space, THE STUDY, guests can hold the photobook itself while taking in footage from the period and engaging more deeply with the film Hiroshima mon amour. Through the texture of turning its pages and the scenes of Hiroshima projected on screen, guests can revisit the year 1958.
A Talk Session Exploring Planning and Editing
The event offers a chance to go beyond what the exhibition alone can show, exploring the background and editorial thinking behind Hiroshima 1958 and taking a deeper look at the memories of Hiroshima the book conveys. Kengo Nakamoto will be joined by Chihiro Minato, who edited the photobook, for a conversation covering what it means to document postwar Hiroshima, what a photobook as a medium can communicate, and what it means to exhibit a single book within the setting of a hotel. Following the talk, guests will enjoy an 11-course dinner built around Hiroshima ingredients cooked over a wood fire, rounding out a special evening.
Event Details
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Event Name | Hiroshima 1958 — The Memory of Hiroshima Told Through a Single Photobook |
| Venue | HOTEL FORK & KNIFE Miyajima, 1F THE STUDY & 2F Restaurant |
| Speakers | Kengo Nakamoto (ref., planning and curation), Chihiro Minato (Professor, Tama Art University; editor) |
| Dates | Friday, September 11 and Saturday, September 12, 2026 |
| Schedule | 4:00 PM Check-in and free viewing of the exhibition; 5:00 PM Talk session; 6:30 PM Dinner; 9:00 PM Scheduled end |
| Price | With dinner: ¥22,000 (tax included, per person; drinks not included). With overnight stay, dinner, and breakfast: from ¥100,000 (tax and service charge included, per room for two guests) |
| Reservations | info.miyajima@hotelforkandknife.com (advance reservation required; limited capacity) |
About Kengo Nakamoto
An entrepreneur and producer who blends fashion with regional culture, Nakamoto has been a central figure in Hiroshima's cultural scene through the Hiroshima-based select shop ref. and The Trunk Market, an event drawing more than 20,000 visitors. He is involved in the launch of ref. Miyajima and takes part as curator for the hotel's soft-content planning.
About Chihiro Minato
Born in Kanagawa Prefecture in 1960, Minato is a photographer and professor in the Department of Information Design at Tama Art University. Alongside his work in production and publishing, he has served as curator and artistic director for international exhibitions, including the Japan Pavilion at the 2007 Venice Biennale and the Aichi Triennale 2016. In 2008, he introduced Emmanuelle Riva's photography in Hiroshima, Tokyo, and Sapporo, as well as at venues across France. He received the Ina Nobuo Award for his photography exhibition "Colors of Citizens" (市民の色) and the 日本写真家協会賞 for his book Fukeiron (風景論, "On Landscape," Chuokoron-Shinsha). He is the author of numerous books, including Kioku: Sozo to Soki no Chikara (記憶──創造と想起の力, "Memory: The Power of Creation and Recollection," Kodansha), winner of the Suntory Prize for Social Sciences and Humanities, with recent titles including Hilma af Klint (ヒルマ・アフ・クリント, Inscript) and Duchamp, Unmei no Design (デュシャン、運命のデザイン, "Duchamp, the Design of Fate," Book&Design).
About HOTEL FORK & KNIFE Miyajima
Opened in March 2026 within view of the World Heritage site of Itsukushima Shrine, HOTEL FORK & KNIFE Miyajima is a 34-room hotel offering a culture retreat experience centered on food and culture. Its local gastronomy expresses Hiroshima's landscape, from mountains to sea, through wood-fired cooking that draws out seasonal ingredients and regional food culture. Its spaces, designed by architect Fumihiko Sano, who trained under a master of sukiya-style architecture, make use of natural materials for time spent in quiet reflection. The top floor houses a natural hot spring and sauna overlooking the scenery of Miyajima, and art pieces built around the concept of "Keihaku" (繋泊, mooring) are displayed throughout the property, weaving time together with the enduring history of Miyajima.
Website: https://hotelforkandknife.com/
