Hotel Okura Kobe (Hyogo Prefecture, Kobe City Chuo Ward), with President/General Manager: Isogaki Satoshi, announced that Murakami Fumiaki (村上 文啓) will assume the role of Executive Chef effective July 1, 2026. As Executive Chef Murakami, he has long honed his skills in Hotel Okura Kobe’s Western-style cuisine division and has continued to inherit the tradition of "Okura French." From 2011 to 2018, he served as Executive Chef of the French restaurant "Restaurant Emerald." He has since overseen a wide range of areas including banquet and restaurant operations, and will now take on the top chef position. Going forward, while preserving the distinctive "Okura taste," he will provide cuisine that adds Kobe’s local character across the hotel’s eight restaurants and bars, as well as wedding and banquet occasions. Through this, the hotel will continue to deliver rich and memorable experiences for guests from home and abroad as well as local customers in Kobe. 【Message from Executive Chef Murakami Fumiaki】 Murakami stated that he will inherit the tradition of Hotel Okura Kobe, bring out the full charm of premium local ingredients from Hyogo (from a Kobe perspective), and provide dishes that allow guests to feel the passage of the four seasons. Building on "Food and Okura" and "Okura French," he said he will pursue cuisine that resonates with the times and strives to bring guests new and meaningful experiences. 【Profile of Murakami Fumiaki】 Date of birth: September 10, 1974 - 1993: Joined Hotel Okura Kobe Co., Ltd. - 1998: Cafe Restaurant Camelia - 2002: French restaurant "Restaurant Emerald" - 2009: Banquet kitchen, cold kitchen chef - 2011: Executive Chef of French restaurant "Restaurant Emerald" - 2019: Deputy Chief of Hotel Okura Kobe Kitchen Department - 2022: Chief of Hotel Okura Kobe Kitchen Department - 2025: Deputy Executive Chef, Hotel Okura Kobe - 2026: Executive Chef, Hotel Okura Kobe 【Main affiliations】 - General Incorporated Association, All Japan Shokushi Assoc