Guests sip their fermented amazake drinks beneath a pastel pink canopy at this cafe in the Japanese town of Taki, in Mie Prefecture.
Atsushi Suzuki and practice Transit Branding Studio created the space for Uonuma Jozo, which takes direct inspiration from the koji fermentation process used by drinks and food company.
The heat required by koji fermentation sparked the idea for the Koji Saryo Café’s glowing pink interiors – including the rose-coloured, oversized lighting fixtures that create a protective ‘roof’ for guests. Various shades of pastel pink have been used throughout the space, including walls, structural columns, floors and counters.
Transit has kept furniture to a minimum, adding simple, round tables and dotting shelves with koji products. The overall effect is an inviting pink glow that spills out the cafe’s windows and casts colour onto guests’ faces – which, the studio says, hints at the roasting heat of a typical amazake factory.
Vison, Taki, Taki District, Mie 519-2170, Japan
