The gridiron plan of Sapporo City is fascinating. It combines the quality of an ancient city such as Kyoto, as well as a new, “high-tech” city such as Manhattan. You will be attracted to its charm from the very first instance you arrive in the city.

The design of the Kinokuniya Sapporo Main Store tries to capture this unique mood of the city in the design of the main circulation paths: Level 1 is a simple inverted ‘T’ whilst Level 2 refers more directly to the rectangular grid pattern inherent in the city. Upon entering the store, the visitor will be able to view and understand the layout of the store at a glance. Simple circulation paths allow him or her to navigate between zones directly. The different zones that display different categories of titles - determined by Kinokuniya - are further differentiated by the change of colours of the bookshelves. Different moods are evoked as one move across two floors.

Whilst keeping Kinokuniya’s corporate navy blue as the main colour, the architect has introduced a whole range of lighter colours to complement, as well as to brighten up the winter of Sapporo - which can often be short of daylight. This palette of the lighter colours comes from the works of contemporary painter Yoshitomo Nara, whose figurative paintings, with its unusual but subtle and cheerful colour combinations, caught our eye.

The store is very much like a work by Nara - something that is refreshing: what is new and contemporary can be found here. It is a place for people to meet, to get the latest information, as well as to exchange ideas. One may come here to buy a book, meet a friend, have a coffee, view an exhibition, or simply spend the afternoon browsing the latest titles. The bookstore thus becomes more like an art museum/ gallery/ cultural centre that appeals to the elderly as well as the young.

Whilst visiting the city, you were pleasantly surprised by the existence of the ‘tropical green house’ nearby as well as an ongoing exhibition by Mr Tanaka Isson. In his paintings he lavishly depicts the voluptuous forms as well as the vivid colours of tropical plants that are commonly found in the Southern islands of Japan.

The Architect incorporated the tropical theme in the interiors throughout the store: as a layer of lace over the folded ceiling, more prominently at the end wall adjacent to the side entrance in light blue silhouette above the row of magazine wall shelves, or as the mobile in the children section. The tropical plants help to add an extra layer of texture to the surfaces within the store, as well as ironical contrast to the cold climate, where these plants may never be found in the open otherwise.