Starbucks Coffee Shinshu Zenkoji Nakamise Street Store

Housed in a traditional Japanese building on Nakamise Street, which leads to Shinshu Zenkoji Temple, a temple with around 1,400 years of history. The first Starbucks Regional Landmark Store in the Koshinetsu region, it received the Nagano City Landscape Award in fiscal 2020. Modeled after the nearby shukubo temple lodgings, it was designed to blend into the scenery along the approach to the temple.

The design concept is “Liveliness and Tranquility, Light and Shadow.” The ceiling and walls are covered with red pine from Nagano Prefecture, creating a calm, tunnel-like space. Soft light and shadows filtering through the shoji screens and skylights evoke the warmth of a traditional wooden building. Other distinctive features include a bar counter made with five types of wood from Nagano Prefecture and an atrium extending to the second floor.

Conveniently located for a stop before or after visiting Zenkoji Temple, the store has floor-heated horigotatsu sunken seating on the second floor. Each floor offers a different atmosphere, and artwork depicting Nagano’s mountains and coffee blossoms and cherries is also on display. Surrounded by the warmth of locally sourced wood and the lively atmosphere of the temple approach, visitors can take a relaxing break during their travels.