yuji tanabe places bakery-restaurant amongst leafy japanese surroundings

popular among japanese locals as a mountain resort and a weekend gataway, karuizawa is where the new sawamura bakery and café is based.

approached by kanagawa-based practice yuji tanabe architects, the design takes advantage of the green, leafy surroundings where the layout of the large space is distributed by indoor and outdoors routes and bridges. walkways connect the restaurant and the bakery together, illustrated by a suspended staircase and bridge which wraps around the two conjoining eateries.

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giving the option to be closer to nature, visitors can choose to eat outside

an upper mezzanine level looks down onto the restaurant

the bakery

the book café

japanese larch has been used for the exterior material