PUBLIC AREA -HOTEL SOSEI SAPPORO M GALLERY-

Hokkaido was an undeveloped area until the early Meiji period when the pioneers – Kaitakushi (Hokkaido Development Office) was established in Sapporo.  This establishment invited foreign advisors to gather the wisdom of the world which led to the island to become rapidly civilized.  During this time, an American chemical engineer employed by the pioneersdiscovered wild hops during a geological survey of Hokkaido and this discovery developed into the current beer industry as we know today.

The “Hotel Sosei Sapporo M Gallery” is planned on the site of the current Sapporo Factory, which is also the site of the first full-scale beer brewery in Japan, the “Kaitakushi Beer Brewery”.  The hotel aims to be a new base that connects Sapporo’s past with its future, and to become an entity that leads to the further development of the region.

The main theme of the interior design is “frontier spirit (pioneers’ spirit),” followed with two main characters of the story – the pioneers the central figure in the development of Sapporo, and “Braumeister”, a key figure in the beer brewing business within the “Sapporo Brewery”.  The passion and exuberance of those days and the “artistic chaos of the mixture of the Japanese and Western influences, the past and future” which was influenced by the modernization will be subliminally portrayed in each area.

Moreover, the rich nature of the north, which was indispensable for the pioneers’various industries at that time are incorporated, namely wheat and hops used to make beer, plants such as Hanamasu flowers and lavender used to make perfume, and other materials and creatures unique to this region, as an icon in various appearance of products, graphics, color schemes, and artwork, creating a new interpretation of the environment. 

We hope that the hotel will embody the emotional scene of the time in a unique artistic expression where the “frontier spirit” is deeply rooted.

Upon entering the entrance, guests are greeted by an art piece influenced by one of the primary ingredients of beer – hops, as it graciously symbolizes the beginning of the story.

In the lobby space, old Japanese architectural techniques with elegant Western building materials are meticulously blended, and the buildings of historical village of Hokkaido are extracted and reconstructed to become a modern design.

The lobby is also surrounded by a collection of books that showcase the charms of the region, and a collection of imported goods brought in from overseas by the pioneers evoking scenes from social gatherings of the time.