When James Bond first arrives in Tokyo in You Only Live Twice, he meets up with Dikko Henderson.
The crowd parted unresentfully to let the giant through, and Bond followed in his wake to a smart Toyopet saloon waiting in a no-parking area. The chauffeur got out and bowed. Henderson fired a torrent of instructions at him in fluent Japanese and followed Bond into the back seat, settling himself with a grunt.
‘Taking you to your hotel first – the Okura, latest of the Western ones. American tourist got murdered at the Royal Oriental the other day and we don’t want to lose you all that soon. Then we’ll do a bit of serious drinking. Had some dinner?’
The Okura in Tokyo opened in 1962, making it indeed one of the newer hotels at the time of Bond’s visit.
The main lobby of the hotel is largely unchanged from the day that it opened.
Bond and Dikko pass a few hours doing some “serious drinking in the Bamboo Bar of the Okura.” While there is no Bamboo Bar, Bamboo is prominent throughout the facility.
It looks like the Highlander Bar would be a good fit for Bond and Dikko.
Sadly, the original building of the hotel is scheduled to be torn down in September, 2015. There is an online petition against the demolition.
I had occasion to visit the Okura main building on its last day open to the public. I located the Orchid Bar and had occasion to speak to a male employee who looked to be about 60. I asked him if the original name of the Orchid Bar was the Bamboo Bar. His reply was, “No, the Bamboo Bar was located on the 6th floor. It’s been gone at least 25 years.” He was pleased at my question and told me that recalled the bar from the days that he first started working at the hotel.
Outstanding! Thanks for the report.