Situated behind a theater along the narrow streets of the Higashi-Ginza district in Tokyo, a former print shop became a lunchtime eatery, and now Fuminori Maemi / FMA Architects has renewed it into Cafe 634, a coffee and light dining destination that speaks to the grittiness of the neighborhood, while offering a refined, warm setting. Boasting 18-foot high ceilings, the interior has an open layout and feel, running 160 feet in length.
Cafe 634 has been conceived using neutral tones of black, grey, and white, and expresses an honest configuration of columns, floor, and wall supports. The first floor presents a small kitchen and seating area along the window, with stairs leading upward to the second level’s more spacious dining area, with full cooking facilities at the rear. The uppermost story is where one finds the office that overlooks the ground below, with a catwalk that guides people to the street-facing roof terrace.
Architectural design: FMA/Fuminori Maemi
Structural design: OGAsd
Facilities design: ES associates
Site area: 914 square feet
Built area: 710 square feet
Total floor area: 1,776 square feet