HOTATEYA – Seafood Izakaya in Aomori, Japan

Where sea, craft, and festival spirit unite in Japan’s northernmost city.



Located in Aomori, the northern tip of Japan’s main island, HOTATEYA is a seafood izakaya that celebrates the region’s maritime identity. Known for its pristine scallops and the world-famous Nebuta Festival, the city provides both the culinary and cultural inspiration for the design. The restaurant centers on Aomori’s local specialty—fresh scallops—while visually interpreting the spirit of Nebuta, a luminous summer tradition of handcrafted lantern floats.



The concept merges nostalgia with regional artistry. The façade is composed of real scallop shells, referencing the restaurant’s signature dish and reflecting sunlight like a rippling sea surface. Large glass windows invite transparency and warmth, allowing passersby to glimpse the lively interior. Hanging above, a handcrafted “Kingyo Nebuta”—a goldfish-shaped lantern made by a master Nebuta-shi artisan—serves as both landmark and cultural bridge, bringing festival light into daily life.



Inside, the design follows the aesthetic of a traditional Japanese izakaya, reinterpreted with modern sensitivity. A central aquarium filled with live scallops emphasizes freshness and immediacy. Pendant lights crafted from glass fishing floats and scallop baskets used in local aquaculture reinterpret tools of the sea as poetic objects. Black-and-white photographs of local fishing boats adorn the walls, graphically celebrating the labor behind each catch.



Traditional architectural elements such as ranma (lattice transoms) and sudare (woven blinds) are integrated throughout, connecting the space to its cultural roots while maintaining a contemporary balance.



The main challenge lay in sourcing authentic Nebuta artisans and processing natural scallop shells to function as durable façade materials—both requiring extensive experimentation and collaboration.



HOTATEYA stands as a sensory expression of Aomori: a place where craftsmanship, ocean, and festival converge, inviting guests to taste not only the flavor of scallops but also the enduring spirit of northern Japan.