Restaurant in Bakurocho

Restaurant in Bakurocho 

UENOA

Restaurant in Bakurocho
© Naomichi Sode

ARCHITECTS
Uenoa

LEAD ARCHITECTS
Yoshinori Hasegawa, Fumie Horikoshi

LIGHTING DESIGN
Modulex Katsumasa Asada

LOGO DESIGN
Ido Shouhei Iida

COOPERATION
Kurashikihampu

PHOTOGRAPHS
Naomichi Sode, Uenoa

AREA
70 M²

YEAR
2022

LOCATION
Japan

CATEGORY
Restaurant

Restaurant in Bakurocho
© Naomichi Sode

Text description provided by architect.

Soft and massive surface.
This is an interior design project for a new restaurant of "Tokiwa Shokudo", a long-established diner that has been in business for 100 years.
We focused on the "noren," a traditional blind curtain, to create a new look for the next 100 years while preserving 100 years of tradition.

Originally installed at entrances and exits to block sunlight or to shield people's eyes from the sun, the noren, which is a uniquely Japanese cultural element, began to incorporate unique designs such as family crests around the Kamakura period and began to function as a "media".

Restaurant in Bakurocho
© Naomichi Sode
Restaurant in Bakurocho
© Naomichi Sode

The noren has become a common recognition among Japanese people that it is a sign that a store is open for business, and as the phrase "noren wo mamoru" ("to protect goodwill") suggests, it has become a special presence that includes time for those who are in the business of doing business.

In this way, the noren displayed in front of the storefront is a symbol with multiple meanings, and we wanted to bring out the charm of the noren as an object by incorporating it into the interior design.

Restaurant in Bakurocho
© Naomichi Sode
Restaurant in Bakurocho
© Naomichi Sode

Ten large "noren" curtains are hung in a series of layers in the seating area. While a typical noren is made of No. 11 canvas, the curtains used for the interior are made of thicker No. 8 canvas, sewn together in a bag-like shape, and are very large and heavy, measuring 6 meters wide.

These curtains are soft yet have a sense of weight and move when touched.

The front and back sides of the curtain are made of different colors of canvas, and the length of each side increases as one moves toward the back.

Restaurant in Bakurocho
© Naomichi Sode
Restaurant in Bakurocho
© Naomichi Sode
Restaurant in Bakurocho
© Naomichi Sode

The length of each side is longer the further back you go. This gives a different impression when you stop by the restaurant from the street and when you take a seat or leave the restaurant after finishing your meal.

The intention was to create a sense of space in the dining area, which tends to be a fixed background for dining.

Unlike the hard, immobile wall surface, the noren, which sways slowly when people actually move, is used to create a more relaxed atmosphere.

Restaurant in Bakurocho
© Naomichi Sode
Restaurant in Bakurocho
© Naomichi Sode
Restaurant in Bakurocho
© Naomichi Sode

While respecting the tradition of the noren, we attempted to create a relationship between the noren and the architecture and interior design. We feel that we were able to embody the store's philosophy of "enriching daily life through Japanese culture" through Noren.


Restaurant in Bakurocho
Plan
Restaurant in Bakurocho
Axonometric Drawing