Fabio Su · CLIENT: Zendo Design
This Japanese conveyor belt sushi restaurant incorporates the principles of local, sustainable, and environmentally friendly. The exterior features woodgrain aluminum louvers that depict the imagery of Mount Alishan. The interior continues the Japanese colonial architectural style, featuring a palette of natural materials. The space incorporates Ukiyoe motifs and Japanese aesthetics, creating a dining experience that blends nature and culture.
Press Kit
- Unique Properties
- To reflect the local culture and natural landscape, the exterior of the building uses a wood grain aluminum louvers to outline the shape of Alishan mountain, while the interior part retains the building during the Japanese occupation period and plenty of materials. To emphasize the cultural background of conveyor belt sushi, Japanese cuisine and the deliciousness of the ingredients, the most representative "Ukiyo-e" wallpaper is stretched along the space, reappearing bustling scene of Edo period.
- Dimensions & Packaging
- The 261 square-meters space is divided with a semitransparent material with wooden louvers and different lanterns to create an open visual. Unprocessed cypress wood and rustic iron are used to reduce the environmental impact. Subverting the tradition, the design team adopts double tracks to meet the diverse needs, and by narrowing the distance between the chefs and guests at Itabasahi area, giving a rich and cozy experience for them.
- Tags
- Restaurant, Japanese, Taiwan, Integration, Conveyor belt sushi, Local, Sustainable, Environmentally friendly
- Production Technology
- Cypress wood, granite skin, night pearl antique surface, incense fir, H-shaped steel, wood grain aluminum grille, Ukiyo-e output map, wood grain brick, rust plate, cola stone
- Design Challenge
- The creative and research challenge of this project lies in seamlessly integrating local natural imagery, architectural elements from the Japanese colonial period, and Japanese aesthetic principles within the efficiency-driven conveyor-belt sushi dining model. At the same time, the design must balance the use of sustainable materials, rational circulation planning, and enhanced customer interaction, ultimately creating a dining space that achieves both cultural depth and spatial comfort under functional, cost, and environmental constraints.
- Project Duration
- The project was designed to begin in January 2024 and be completed in Yuanlin, Taiwan, in November 2024.
- Operation Flow
- I With the concept of "handling complexity by simplicity," the restaurant interprets sustainability through reinforcement methods to stabilize the structure. The exterior draws the local natural landscape, exploring the harmony between human and nature, and the Japanese "shaded" aesthetic. As Japanese Ukiyo-e "the Kanagawa Surfing" throughout the interior, it reflects the Japanese cuisine background and presents a fresh dining experience.
- Research
- This study takes a Japanese conveyor-belt sushi restaurant as a case example to explore the application of the concepts of locality, sustainability, and environmental responsibility in dining space design. By integrating imagery inspired by the Alishan mountain landscape, architectural elements from the Japanese colonial period, and the Japanese aesthetic principles of simplicity and shadow, the design combines sustainable materials with a dual-track circulation system to create a dining environment that balances cultural depth, interactivity, and comfort.
- Inspiration
- This project is located in Yuanlin, Changhua, Taiwan and is a Japanese conveyor-belt sushi branch in Yuanlin.We continue the design language of our Chiayi flagship store while incorporating local characteristics and elements of Japanese dining culture to create a restaurant space rich in storytelling.With the main concept of "local, sustainable and eco-friendly", we draws on the characteristics of Chiayi's most famous Alishan mountain landscape and the characteristics of the forestry settlement, while blending into the essence of Japanese dining culture.
- Image Credits
- Image#1:Photographer LIN FU MING, zendo, 2025
Image#2:Photographer LIN FU MING, zendo, 2025
Image#3:Photographer LIN FU MING, zendo, 2025
Image#4:Photographer LIN FU MING, zendo, 2025
Image#5:Photographer LIN FU MING, zendo, 2025
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