After creating one of the most talked about restaurants in Hirafu, and building a few elegant but low key developments in the lower village, Shouya Grigg appears to have officially launched the beginnings of ‘Empire Sekka’.
At the forefront is the refurbishment of the old J-Second Hotel on the lower side of the traffic lights next to Downtown Café – rebranded J-Sekka.
The chic new exterior is just the beginning – the huge old building houses the new Sekka restaurant, a Japanese tapas restaurant, a high end lounge bar in the old hotel foyer, a french bistro in what was originally a huge disco hall, a massage space, four luxry holiday apartments, and the new Rhythm and Beats ski hire retail store. On the street front Sekka Deli is a much needed alternative to the local konbini – providing gourmet local fare predominantly from across Hokkaido.
He’s also busy working on the development arm of the business and what promises to be one of the more spectacular homes Hirafu has seen. And what of the ingeniously stylish space of the old Sekka restaurant? This year it will be a Sekka office and project gallery, before being knocked down in spring to make way for a much more utilitarian space.