Passing through a door on the first-floor lobby library of NOT A HOTEL HIROO, a set of stairs leads to a French restaurant called HAKUNEI. The design concept of this restaurant, which serves dishes that fuse the techniques of French cuisine with Japanese culture, is “a space that combines the characteristics of a fireplace in Western architecture and the cultural qualities of the Japanese tokonoma, or alcove.” In Japan, a tokonoma is an alcove where seasonal scrolls and flower arrangements are displayed to express the hospitality of a once-in-a-lifetime encounter. We combined this cultural concept with the Western notion of a fireplace where people gather around the fire in a peaceful atmosphere to create an East-meets-West design. The restaurant has a fully equipped open kitchen and a counter that serves only eight seats. The counter is made of solid cypress wood to evoke sophisticated orderliness and serenity. The minimalist Zen-like design echoes the qualities of the Japanese tokonoma.
Please watch the “NOT A HOTEL / HAKUNEI” movie here.
HAKUNEI: 4-9-11 Nishiazabu Minato-ku,Tokyo