Designed by UO for the Nakajimaya Grand Hotel, Nakajimaya Crossing is an installation that blends traditional crafts in innovative ways.

Japan has long been revered for its deep-rooted dedication to craftsmanship, where the pursuit of perfection through repletion is not just a practice but a generational ambition. This idea is particularly familiar in Shizuoka City, a former castle town that became a vibrant hub for artisans around 400 years ago. Honoring this rich heritage, Japanese design studio UO created the bold sculpture Nakajimaya Crossing in the lobby of the century-old Nakajimaya Grand Hotel. This dramatic installation, accompanied by smaller objects and a façade design to greet visitors, visually celebrates four types of crafts, as well as innovative combinations of these techniques, all elegantly framed within elongated metal structures.
The installation features metal frames that stack and layer to form a central tower in the lobby, as well as four wall-mounted pieces behind the front desk. These frames create a series of intersecting shapes and half-moons that each highlight a different traditional craft. Where the frames intersect, unique blends of two crafts are displayed, illustrating an innovative fusion of artisanal techniques. For example, at the intersection of a frame showcasing fabric dyed with tea leaves (a technique called “ocha-zome”) and another featuring precisely arranged 2mm bamboo strips (“take-sensuji”), a th...