kengo kuma covers jugetsudo kabukiza tearoom in bamboo

kengo kuma covers jugetsudo kabukiza tearoom entirely in bamboo
photo by takumi ota
all images courtesy of kengo kuma and associates

the fifth floor of the ginza kabukiza theatre houses a café designed by kengo kuma and associates. the tearoom and sweet shop occupies an area of 120 square metres, and is defined by an arrangement of bamboo stalks which have been organized to divide the retail and eating areas. more than 3000 bamboo bars have been installed along the walls of the interior, and take a pitched formation along the ceiling–folded so that from within they visually meet the eave on the exterior, forming a continuous flow between the café and the rooftop garden which sits opposite. the woody elements range in diameters of 20mm to 40mm, that are held together using simple hardware (nuts and bolts). the layered elements of kengo kuma’s scheme for the ‘jugetsudo kabukiza’ ultimately simulates the feeling of a grove.

bamboo stalks are arranged along the interior of the café creating partitions
photo by takumi ota

more than 3000 bamboo stalks are used to create the feeling of a grove within the interior of the tearoom and sweet shop
photo by takumi ota

the wooden elements along the ceiling are pitched so that they visually meet the eave on the exterior
photo by takumi ota

the café sits opposite the theatre’s rooftop garden
photo by takumi ota

context of jugetsudo kabukiza on the fifth floor of the theatre
photo by takumi ota