Park Hotel Tokyo, located in Shiodome Media Tower in Tokyo's Minato ward, has opened its 51st Artist Room — a guestroom called "TOKAIDO," created by Fukuoka-based artist Namonaki Sanemasa. The room became available to guests from March 18, 2026.
The Artist Room concept involves artists staying at the hotel and painting directly on the walls and ceilings of a guestroom, transforming the entire space into an immersive, one-of-a-kind artwork. The new "TOKAIDO" room takes as its theme the historic highway that once connected Edo (present-day Tokyo) and Kyoto, channeling "the special sense of time one feels in the midst of a journey" into a guestroom experience.
Situated along the former Tokaido route with views toward Mt. Fuji, the hotel's location resonates with vistas that travelers of the past might have seen along that road. The artist describes the room as offering "a journey on the Tokaido that can be experienced only here."
Namonaki Sanemasa's practice involves combining images gathered from the internet. Anime characters are fragmented through painting and drawing, becoming bodiless yet omnipresent — an expression of the emptiness and ubiquity of digital "ghosts." While working on "TOKAIDO," the artist came across Tokaido-themed sugoroku (a traditional Japanese board game). Because the act of "advancing a piece, pausing at times, and aiming for a destination" mirrors the very process of travel, sugoroku became a key source of inspiration for the room.
Throughout the room, multiple hidden features — symbolizing the chance encounters and discoveries that occur along the way — are tucked out of sight; some may never be found. The artist intends a kind of serendipity: vistas that appear only when you stop, and details you notice only when you let time take the lead. These encounters form a central theme of the room.
Conceived like the post towns that once served travelers along the Tokaido, the room is designed not simply as a place to pass through, but as a space to slow down mid-journey and let both body and mind be at ease.
In cooperation with: Mizuma Art Gallery
About the Artist: Namonaki Sanemasa
Born in Fukuoka Prefecture in 1994 and based in Fukuoka, Namonaki Sanemasa has been primarily active on Twitter using the account @sanemasa5x since 2015. He creates works reflecting his interest in images and anime characters circulating on the internet, with an aesthetic shaped by technologies such as touch panels and social media platforms. In addition to paintings, he produces and exhibits installations, sculptures, and video pieces.
Recent Solo and Two-Person Exhibitions
2024
- "@sanemasa5x #Fishy Story(๑•e ᄆ•๑)" — Mizuma Art Gallery, Tokyo
- "I Captured Fragments of Light Within the Shadows of My Hands" — IAF SHOP*, Fukuoka
2022
- "@sanemasa5x #Zero Person Singular" — Roppongi Hills A/D Gallery, Tokyo
- "@sanemasa5x #landscape・and・so forthಠ_ಠ" — Mizuma Art Gallery, Tokyo
2021
- Solo exhibitions at OIL by bijutsutecho (Tokyo), NADiff Gallery (Tokyo), and IAF SHOP* (Fukuoka)
- "Taishi URAKAWA × Namonaki Sanemasa: Ikei no Mado" — Contemporary HEIS, Tokyo
- "Taishi URAKAWA × Namonaki Sanemasa: Ikei eno Mado" — Seiriki Art Museum, Fukuoka
What Is an Artist Room?
Artist Rooms at Park Hotel Tokyo are guestrooms where artists stay at the hotel and paint directly on the walls and ceilings, expressing their unique worldview within the entire space. Based on the concept of "experiencing Japanese aesthetics through time and space," each room offers a one-of-a-kind art experience. The Artist Rooms have received the Excellence Award in the Japan Tourism Awards. The hotel has 268 guestrooms in total, 51 of which are now Artist Rooms.
