kashiwa sato inserts wood-gabled structure inside kura sushi flagship in tokyo

japanese conveyor sushi chain kura sushi has opened a new flagship restaurant in the popular tourist district of asakusa in tokyo. developed under the creative direction of kashiwa sato — known for his work with uniqlo, including the logo — the new space is occupied by over 270 seats and has been designed with tourists in mind.

images by takumi ota and toshiyuki yano

under the concept of SightEating, the new kura sushi flagship store in tokyo had kashiwa sato precisely direct the whole concept and design for the restaurant — from the new logo, to the interiors, staff uniforms, tableware and computerized ordering app. his strong creative direction resulted in a space within a space, where a wood gabled structure surrounded by wooden floors and walls create the seating areas which contain the conveyor belts.

for kura sushi, japan’s second-largest kaiten sushi (conveyor belt sushi) flagship in tokyo, the idea was to create a place where both locals and tourist feel comfortable while celebrating japanese culture. the interiors feature a traditional approach with a contemporary feel, where the edo period is represented with classic ukiyo-e paintings. the contemporary feeling is given through its light and clean design, as well as with the automatization of the service. visitors can self check-in and pay through an app that even tells them where to seat. tablets able to handle 104 languages take care of the food orders.

the company, which has 440 restaurants around japan and more than 20 in the united states and taiwan, has announced it will soon open a new branch in china.

project info

client: kura sushi, inc.
creative director: kashiwa sato
art director: yoshiki okuse
interior designer: yoshihiro saito
lighting designer: on & off inc.
photographer: takumi ota
photographer: toshiyuki yano