Sarah Boxer

For whatever reason, the Okura seems to be an acceptable loss to Japan. It is not purely Japanese enough, nor purely Modernist enough, to be saved. It is not a temple, not a tree, not a neighborhood, not a monument, not new enough, not old enough. It’s only obvious if you see it in person that the Okura’s end would mean not just the end of a building, but also the end of an idea and the end of an atmosphere and a topography.