OKINAWA (JAPAN): Luxury hospitality company Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts and Berjaya Land Bhd have launched their second hospitality project on the southernmost island in the Japanese archipelago.
A ground-breaking ceremony for the Four Seasons Resort and Private Residences Okinawa (Four Seasons Okinawa) was held at the project site in Onna Village here on Wednesday.
Onna Village mayor Nagahama Yoshimi officiated at the ceremony, witnessed by key representatives from the local community and Berjaya Okinawa Development Co Ltd.
The project is being developed by Berjaya Okinawa Development, a wholly owned subsidiary of Berjaya Land, in partnership with Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts (Four Seasons).
The Four Seasons Okinawa is part of a master plan development project comprising about 40ha (100 acres) of beachfront land along the western coast of the island, known as the Sunset Strip, where most of the luxury resorts are located.
It is close to the famous Manzamo Cape and is easily accessible by highway from Naha Airport. It is also located close to major tourist attractions.
The Four Seasons Okinawa will be an exclusive, low-density and low-rise resort development.
There will be 279 accommodation units, comprising 127 hotel rooms, 124 condo residences and 28 villa-type private residences.
In keeping with the Four Seasons brand of unparalleled standards of hospitality, the resort facilities will include a lively mix of epicurean restaurants and bars, a banquet venue, pool, fitness and spa treatment facilities, beach club and sports facilities, as well as public grounds and gardens.
The low-density layout of the resort will enable guests and homeowners to get to every amenity on foot, bicycles or golf carts.
The project, designed by Japanese architects Kengo Kuma and Kuniken in collaboration with landscape architecture firm EDSA Inc, is expected to take approximately three years to complete, with a gross development value estimated to be about US$1 billion (RM4.2 billion).
Berjaya Corporation executive chairman Tan Sri Vincent Tan said that apart from Okinawa, the company is also building a Four Seasons hotel in Yokohama.
“We plan to build a total of 10 hotels with Four Seasons branding across Japan,” he said in statement issued yesterday.
“Given the considerable effort and investment that will go into the design and construction of the Four Seasons Okinawa, as well as of the future property development projects which make up the remaining land in our master plan development, I am confident that our huge mixed development project in Onna Village will have vast commercial potential, and will add immense value to the economic development and growth of the island,” Tan said.
“Besides creating a host of long-term employment and business opportunities for the local community, it will put Okinawa on the world map as a prime destination to visit in Japan,” he added.
Berjaya Land chief executive officer Syed Ali Shahul Hameed noted that Okinawa, known as the Hawaii of Japan, has become an increasingly popular tourist destination.
“Coupled with the world-class reputation of the Four Seasons brand, Berjaya Land Bhd sees a great opportunity in Four Seasons Okinawa as the most exciting iconic luxury resort destination of the highest standards on the island of Okinawa, contributing significantly to the local economy.”
The Four Seasons Okinawa will be Berjaya’s second hotel on the island. The group opened the ANSA Resort Okinawa in November 2019. The hotel is located in Uruma.
