nana’s green tea KIRARINA KEIO KICHIJOJI
Tokyo, Japan / 2014

“Furosaki byoubu“

Nanaha Co., Ltd. is a company that sends the “new form of Japan” to the world through “mattcha”. They provide high quality mattcha in menus that are arranged modernly, such as mattacha latte. The space inside the shop is desired to be a “modern tearoom”, not a “Japanese style tea room”. According to the owner, it is a way of expressing their feeling to make a shop that allows the customers to enjoy the traditional Japanese culture with a modern interpretation.

Furosaki byoubu is a kind of equipment used in tea ceremonies. It is a folding screen that is placed at the far end of dogu tatami when making tea at a tea room. One of the functions of Furosaki byobu is to flatter other equipment. Furosaki byobu varies in designs and patterns and was an important factor to decorate tea rooms.

In nana’s green tea KIRARINA KEIO KICHIJOJI, I had assumed that the tea seats (cutomers’ seats) as well as the customers who visit are essential to complete this tea room and placed Furosaki byobu in the entire space in order to flatter each customer and create a comfortably partitioned space that blends into the city of Kichijoji, which you can catch the glimpse of.

Photos by Keisuke Miyamoto