Project description

Located in Hakuba’s wooded Wadano Village, just steps from the Sakka Slopes, Tori Co. is a modern izakaya specializing in yakitori — traditional Japanese skewered grilled chicken.

Vyvial & Co were commissioned to design the interior, drawing on the rich heritage of Japan’s yakitori culture. The concept blends the vibrant charm of street-side stalls with the refined materiality of more contemporary Japanese bars and restaurants.

At the heart of the design is the Uchiwa — a traditional hand fan used to control airflow over charcoal grills. Reimagined as a custom screen wall, it defines the dining space, filters light, and evokes the motion of open-flame cooking throughout the space. 

The palette features raw, tactile materials: unfinished timber, natural linen norens, and hand-crafted paper uchiwas. Accents of deep indigo aizome are used to unify and ground the space in a sense of Japanese craft.