Village Peephole

Yoyogi Village

You know when you’ve arrived at what is possibly Tokyo’s grooviest ‘lifestyle’ destination – from the glass perimeter wall and the wide, open timber gates and ramped entrance way, to the artfully repurposed shipping containers and lush planting – it’s clear that a deft and dapper hand has been hard at work.
 
In fact, several deft and dapper hands have been at work to realise record producer Takeshi Kobayashi and music artist Shinichi Osawa’s low-rise, low eco-impact dream, not least landscape designer Seijun Nishihata and Masamichi Katayama’s cult interior design company Wonderwall.

Designed as an eco ‘retreat’ from urban life, the small but spacious complex contains Urban Research organic clothing boutique, a gallery, Roots & Beat Coffee shop (and its Florentine La Marzocco espresso machine), Pour-kur bakery, a travel agency, bookstore, bar and day spa.

There’s also the astonishingly beautiful organic Italian anchor eatery Code Kurkku, with its breathtaking, monolithic living green wall courtesy of Nishihata. In short, everything you need, and nothing you don’t, all in one highly polished and pared-back Shibuya package. And after your organic Italian lunch, if it’s Sunday, why not take a scoot to the eastern entrance of nearby Yoyogi Park to see the fabulous Elvis lookalikes and rockabilly rebel revels. Retail, lunch and a show!