Works
Tsubo-Niwa in Gion









A French bistronomy has been opened in Gion.
The client requested that the space would make him feel he feasts diners at his home. I associated it with Nordic perspective on nature.
Like Nordic, Japanese formerly regarded themselves as part of nature. In this time, our focal point is to return to the spirituality that people revere nature and keep harmony with it. A space where you can feel in a wood even before stepping out into the garden. A world where boundaries between human and nature, in and out, oneself and others melt away…our goal is to reach these states.
We raised the ground level and transplanted mountain-dug trees into the slope. We let a stump alone while we added water-carved stones and moss-covered brick shards. Trees stand close together, wind sways leaves and stones convey a sense of water. The light reflects off the water surface and time is etched into this garden. We singled these elements out and designed the space on the aesthetic sense of Sukiya.
The client was so particular about hospitality that he determined to start business in the Gion district in Kyoto, neither in Paris nor in Tokyo. I expect that everyone would cherish the congenial mind in this space.