Faced with the task as non-Japanese designers working in a neighborhood of Shanghai, that is predominantly populated by Japanese Restaurants, our studio faced the challenge to both balance the traditions and rules of Japanese architecture, whilst at the same time blending and fusing our westernized notion of Japanese culture to create at one part, a recognizable and traditional restaurant while upon closer inspection reveals another slightly more weird layer.

Starting with an Izakaya as the canvas and the ancient Japanese craft of handmade paper as a decoration strategy, we applied a 'comical' motif over the repeating patterns to create a series of seasonal thematic wallpaper graphics that corresponded to the changing natural environments; winter, summer, spring, autumnblue, green, pink, orange respectively.

Amongst the graphic flowers (Ohana) and the leaves, the motifs of godzilla, sumo wrestlers, geisha, ultraman etc are playfully intertwined and then applied to the horizontal surfaces of the restaurant ceiling and the individual VIP room, creating an overall environment that is both diverse as it is similar. In places these motifs, as if they have left their wallpaper home, appear on the shelves alongside other contemporary totems as a celebration of Japanese culture.

The seasonal reference is further enhanced through the construction of a small produce market within the entrance that celebrates the variety of produce that is available at different times of the year.

completed Winter 2010