Japan Is Opening Up,

led by the Japanese government, 

hubs around the world, specifically, Los Angeles, Sao Paulo and London, that will showcase Japan via events, exhibitions, retail and food, and this is the Japan House project in London, under the creative direction of Kenya Hara,

 and Masamichi Katayama, all 3 spaces are now open, so here is a look into the most recent: Japan House London, which opened this summer,

 the London location has three floors and includes a shop and café stand on the ground floor, restaurant and bar on the 2nd floor, and a multipurpose hall, gallery, and library on its lower floor,

 the concept for the shop and gallery is the tokonoma, an alcove in traditional Japanese guestrooms,

 the concept was inspired by Tenshin Okakura’s concept of 虚 (vacuum) and 空 (emptiness) "describing a space in which others can freely enter as the most versatile and essential,"

 explains the architect, “For this floor, our goal was to create a space that echoes the unique Japanese quality in which the atmosphere of the room changes according to the various elements and events taking place inside.”

 Katayama’s concept for the restaurant is the doma, a traditional room with an earthen floor, 

 “This was not only a place of communication where neighbors would stop by, but it was also the center of food with a kitchen in its corner filling the air with aromas and sounds of cooking,” says Katayama,

“Harnessing the unique qualities of the doma, we designed a space that amplifies and expands the joys of gathering, conversing, and dining together.” so another place to put on our must visit list, when we next go to London.