Bronze Interior Space and Exhibition Design · 2024
Kanizushi Kato Sushi Restaurant
- A' Design Award 2024 Bronze Winner in Interior Space and Exhibition Design
- Awarded April 15, 2024
- CLIENT: Kitagunikaranookurimono Inc.
- Estimated Number of Design Views: 12,056
- Verification code 4DAEF24254 · Verify this award
About Kanizushi Kato Sushi Restaurant
Kanizushi Kato is a sushi restaurant in Niseko, Hokkaido, Japan. The restaurant serves sushi, crab and Japanese cuisine to international visitors at a snow resort. The design draws on Ainu patterns, Japanese shrines and the form of Mount Yotei. Local timber is used throughout, with a ceiling structure of local cedar and a counter of solid Japanese cypress made with traditional shrine woodworking. A plastered passageway recalls a kamakura snow hut, and gold leaf covers the private room ceiling and partitions. A bar at the entrance lets guests enjoy drinks while waiting.
Press Kit
- Unique Properties
- We were asked to design a restaurant in Niseko, Hokkaido, now a world-class snow resort, where international visitors could enjoy authentic sushi, crab, and Japanese cuisine during their stay. We knew that all of the dishes would be of great character, so we designed a restaurant that would allow visitors to enjoy a taste of Japan and Hokkaido, with stylistic design elements throughout the space.
- Dimensions & Packaging
- The walls of the BAR are painted with traditional Ainu tribal patterns. The wooden structure of the ceiling of the sushi counter is made of local cedar wood, and the counter is made of solid Japanese cypress. The walls are plastered. In the private room, gold leaf paper is used for the folded-up ceiling and partitions. The tables are also coated with Japanese paper with urethane.
- Tags
- sushi,restaurant,Hokkaido
- Production Technology
- We aimed for local production for local consumption by using all local lumber. The wood used for the counter tops is traditional Japanese woodworking used in shrines. The passageway tunnel, which resembles a kamakura, a traditional Japanese snow hut built to bivouac during snowstorms, is finished with Japanese plaster. The ceiling and partitions are covered with traditional gold leaf.
- Design Challenge
- Unlike a typical Japanese sushi restaurant layout, the concept of this sushi restaurant at a snow resort was to have customers enjoy drinks such as Japanese sake and Japanese whiskey. Therefore, we designed a layout with a waiting bar at the entrance where customers can enjoy only drinks. It was also difficult to integrate the sushi counter, private rooms, and other spaces with their own unique characteristics.
- Project Duration
- The project period is from August 19, 2022 to November 30, 2022.Located in Niseko, Hokkaido, Japan
- Inspiration
- Our design is inspired by the rich tapestry of Hokkaido's indigenous Ainu culture, the spiritual serenity of Japanese shrines and temples, and the majestic presence of Mount Yotei, known as Niseko's Mt FUJI. The aim of this fusion is to create a space where international visitors can immerse themselves in the essence of Japanese architecture, culture, and cuisine during their short stay.
- Image Credits
- Photographer: Katsumi Hirabayashi