The 1923 opening of the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo, Japan, was the culmination of one of Frank Lloyd Wright’s most ambitious and elaborate commissions. It was Wright’s first international project, inaugurating him as one of the first twentieth century architects of global significance. In celebration of the Imperial Hotel’s 100th anniversary, the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation and the Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy are partnering to offer a series of online conversations about Wright’s engagement with Japan and the world.

Wright first visited Japan in 1905 and ultimately made seven trips there, spending a total of nearly three years in the country. The Imperial Hotel commission was an opportunity for Wright to experiment with themes and ideas that had been in gestation for years and that would later resurface in his work: Japanese prints, the relationship between architecture and landscape, and a deep interest in global cultures. Talks, moderated by Jennifer Gray, Vice President of the Taliesin Institute at the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation, will highlight the network of people and places that intersect with Wright’s experience in Japan and resurface in projects around the world.

November 9
Report from Japan: 1923-2023
Professor Ken Tadashi Oshima
University of Washington

December 7
'To See A World In A Grain of Sand'
Matthew Skjonsberg
Director, Praxis Institute

January 11, 2024
Apprentice to Frank Lloyd Wright: Kameki & Nobu Tsuchiura
Atsuko Tanaka, Ph.D.
Architectural historian; lecturer, Kanagawa University

February 8, 2024
Frank Lloyd Wright's Water Gardens, 1893-1959: The Japanese Tradition
Kathryn Smith
Author, historic preservation consultant, and lecturer

Time: 7:00 p.m. EST

Via Zoom

Full series: 
$45 public
$30 members

Individual talks:
$15