Japanese architect Kengo Kuma is apparently taking a little break from his tear of turning Starbucks and bakeries into, uh, piles of sticks, to instead devote some time to a medium oft neglected by famed architects: the soy sauce shop. Over the past year, he's completely redone Kayanoya, a 120-year-old retailer in Tokyo, with a renovation inspired by the company's traditional manufacturing warehouse in Kyushu, Japan. Sticking with his favored raw wood palette, but abandoning all spiky edges, the storefront ceiling is covered with huge wooden barrels, while the product sits on tables and display cases made from malt rice making trays. The entire space—which also offers a tasting bar and seating area—is lined almost completely in cedar wood produced by people native to kyushu, there for "highlighting the importance of community oriented design." Find a few more interior shots, below, then head over to Design Boom for the full tour.
· Kengo Kuma recreates traditional soy sauce warehouse in Tokyo [Design Boom]
· All Kengo Kuma coverage [Curbed National]