Three jurors discussed the theme of this competition, "Island to Table ─ Small Architecture for Public Dining."


──What does a "place to eat" mean in the first place?

Ko Nakamura (KN): Eating involves various relationships among people, such as those eating together, cooks, food producers, etc. and their respective cultures and values are brought together on the table. So, I believe that the place to eat is the ultimate communal place. I see food as a point of contact between architecture, cities, and people, but I also feel a little uncomfortable about saying that a place to eat is a communal place. Eating with others involves many different situations: in some cases, people are so engrossed in conversation that they hardly pay attention to the food being served, while in other cases, they graciously enjoy the feast as they listen to explanations of each dish. If we simply assume that a place to eat is a communal place, then the evaluation criteria will be biased toward whether or not it is a place for lively conversation, as in the former case, but that is not necessarily all that matters. On the other hand, it is not just about graciously feasting at a high-end restaurant, as in the latter case. It is necessary to strike the right balance between the two, depending on the time and occasion. We can think about a place to eat is a place to share impressions of the food at the table, to engage in casual conversation, to cook and eat together, or to interact casually with the restaurant staff or the person who prepared the meal. In this way, we can think about food as a mediator between architecture, cities, and people, and design a place to eat as a valuable landscape.

Yuma Harada (YH): There are two dining scenes I vividly remember. One was when I visited the Casa del Quartiere Via Baltea in Torino, Italy. It is a kind of community center run by architect Andrea Bocco, a place for the local community. The area had a substantial immigrant population, many of whom could not find a comfortable place where they felt at home. However, after this cafe was built, they could gather there for meals, and it became their gathering place and grew into a place for the local community. When I first visited the cafe, I met an older man weaving baskets at a table. When I revisited there four years later, I looked forward to seeing him again but was very shocked to learn that he had passed away. However, those at the cafe filled the walls with pictures of him and neighborhood children weaving baskets together at a table and cherished his baskets. I was so impressed to see how a single chair or table, where anyone can come and sit at their leisure, could change the environment surrounding people.
The other was a temporary restaurant for two days only, which we created in collaboration with dot architects and set up at a music festival venue. We made a table, hung some lights, and spread rice straw from Unzen, Nagasaki, around the table. Drawing inspiration from the Casa del Quartiere Via Baltea, the design aimed to change ordinary scenery with a single table. It was scorching on the festival day, and we had to eat our meals under the intense sun with no shade. But while I had not eaten in such an environment for a long time, I found the experience very pleasant and realized that a slight change of scene can transform how we communicate. For example, the environment changed our conversation - instead of simply saying, "It's delicious," we also exchanged words like, "It's so hot!" Dining in such an atmosphere was much more delightful than listening to lengthy explanations packed with information while eating. Still, the heat was so unbearable that we had to put a roof over it on the second day.

Yuri Nomura (YN): When I eat, I always try to use food grown in the area. The beauty of food is that we can take the time to share the local climate, such as temperature, weather, and air, with others through various senses. So, I always try to make the space natural rather than conceptual and keep it as open and airy as possible, leaving gaps and room for yuragi (fluctuation) so that people don't feel boxed in and lose sense of where they are.
I also had a booth at the music festival that Mr. Harada mentioned. It was windy this year, and our tent, made by a fabric artist using dyed fabric, was billowing in the wind. The strong wind scattered away the food and sound. Still, I was so moved by how the tent beautifully visualized the wind. Eating and drinking surrounded by the fluctuating natural phenomena was so liberating. I consciously think about how much I can harmonize things by incorporating the climate and environmental factors of the day and the place rather than just understanding it intellectually.

KN: Ms. Nomura, in your book "restaurant eatrip" (2023), you wrote about using dyed cloth napkins, not paper napkins that are too casual or white tablecloths that create a sense of tension, as the first gesture of hospitality in a restaurant, an extraordinary place. I found the description extremely spatial. A single napkin conveys such a profound philosophy.

YN: Food and the story behind it are naturally critical factors. However, by incorporating the atmosphere and environmental elements that are unique to the place, they remain in our consciousness afterward. This idea probably drives me to integrate everything into the eating experience.


──Sakate Port Area on Shodoshima is specified as the project site for this competition.

YH: Shodoshima has five ports and shipping routes connecting it to various urban areas. The island has been a central hub in the Seto Inland Sea, with goods and people coming in and out daily. So, it is essential to maintain the movement of vessels. Jobs that take advantage of the shipping routes mingle with daily life, and work and life are not clearly separated in urban areas. Everyone has a role to play, and everyone is helping each other. For example, some people live with koji (a bacteria called Aspergillus oryzae) to make soy sauce and sake, and they use shipping routes to do business and expand human networks. In this way, people's livelihoods are intertwined to create the island landscape. Again, I see Shodoshima as a place where work and life are loosely connected, where people make things based on the rhythm of their daily lives.
When a fisherman took me squid fishing once, he cut a babe tree (Quercus phillyraeoides) from the mountain and set a trap in the sea with the cut pieces inside the net. Then, squid would come to lay their eggs in the branches, and he would catch them. Then, the branches carrying the eggs would be returned to the sea, resulting in a sustainable fishery. I was so impressed to see the islanders' wisdom in using the available resources in their daily lives to operate their fishing and circulate them that the taste of the squid in my mouth changed dramatically. Even now, the sight of the mountains of Shodoshima reminds me of the squid.

KN: I was going to Shodoshima for a project to create and operate a food truck in 2022. One thing that was different from what I had imagined before my visit was the scale of the island. Shodoshima is not connected to the mainland by land or bridges, but it is pretty sizable for an island. It was somewhat different from the image I had vaguely conjured up of an island with calm, bicycle-friendly nature in the Seto Inland Sea: It was impossible to get around without a car, and yet the roads at the top of the hill were too narrow for larger vehicles to enter. Towns dot the landscape from the Tonosho Port to the Sakate Port, and as Mr. Harada mentioned, the landscape is impressive, with the local industries and lifestyles closely intertwined. The island's ample size contributes to the thriving food manufacturing industries, which include soy sauce, somen noodles, olives, and fishing. This island is rich, with these industries taking root in the community. Therefore, in designing a food truck on Shodoshima, I tried to take a broader view of the local landscape through food rather than just focusing on the food truck itself.

YN: Many of my acquaintances who live on Shodoshima moved there because they love the island and are involved in activities to help promote its best qualities to more people. One of them makes prosciutto ham by taking advantage of the island's winds and climate. I imagine that the island's location in the inland sea, its undulating topography, and its mild climate are the most characteristic features of its climate.


──What do you see as the possibilities of a movable place to eat?

YN: I can imagine all kinds of possibilities. As for food supplies, we often say things like it is better to be close to production areas. One of the advantages of not having a fixed location is that you can go to any production area on this island, and it becomes a place to eat for the day. Most people think architecture is stationary, but one can create a space with a single piece of fabric. We can create a space anywhere by moving from place to place, for example, if you want a place with a good view of the full moon or a place near a farm because you want to serve ham. So, I think a movable space to eat offers the possibility of creating different ideas than cooking in a fixed location. Architecture seems quite rich nowadays, and it offers unlimited possibilities to create whatever one wants, for example, to convey a message or to explore materials and designs. I usually think about how to light a candle in a space in my work. But when I think about this theme of a movable space, I can imagine how everyone's perspective changes, and how the roles of those who deal with the outside and those who deal with the inside can be more interchangeable. It must be so exciting to tackle this theme.

KN: I have been researching street stalls in various Asian countries, and I have found that many of them, even those with wheels, are not intended to move around. When you open a stall, you usually operate at the same location for at least several hours because you need to cook and place food stocks, trash cans, etc., around your stall. In cities, food stalls appear in places where people concentrate. So, once you set yourself up in a good spot, you operate there for a while. The ability to move may be more critical to the food stall operators than the act of moving itself. On the other hand, when I think about opening a food truck on an island, I want to avoid settling in one place and inviting people to eat there. For example, we can do something more luxurious with food trucks on the island that is impossible in city life: cooks and customers can go to some place together, catch fish by the sea, and cook and eat it on-site. Since the competition has a specific site, a stall location must be set up as a base. On the other hand, it would be interesting to see proposals for food trucks that can go anywhere and use multiple modes of operation. I look forward to seeing realistic proposals that go beyond reality.

YH: I had the opportunity to work on Shodoshima for the Setouchi Triennale from 2012 to 2016, and after several years, I have been going there again for a new project since last year. There used to be a restaurant near Sakate Port where one could eat during the day or at night, frequented by locals daily. But recently, I was surprised to find that it had disappeared. When such a place disappears, where do the locals go for a bite to eat? In the meantime, a brewery up the hill from Sakate Port has a restaurant, and they open a food stall in a vacant lot by the port on the weekends. I had enjoyed sitting by the port and watching the ocean when nothing much happened in the area. But now that we have a new facility for people to get together and talk over a drink, I feel incredible enthusiasm it has added to the place. It is a place for the locals to enjoy themselves, yet tourists are drawn into it, feeling the excitement. A place like this is precious. I hope this competition will also inspire such overflowing enthusiasm. The locals often tell me stories, which one could call urban legends, about the old days when there were many food stalls lined up around the port, and people used to walk to these stalls wearing clogs that made a clang-clang sound to eat ramen noodles. After listening to those stories, I was convinced that the landscape in one's memory created by a transitory existence like a food stall has potential.

KN: When we operated the food truck, the two chefs from the island who worked on it set it up at various places and events daily, so people gradually became aware of its existence. Going to different places every day had a significant effect. However, we also had to consider the reality of the restaurant industry in Shodoshima: it is difficult to operate restaurants that serve alcoholic beverages because people mostly travel by car. Few people go out to eat on foot. The island has about 25,000 people, most of whom live in an environment that requires a vehicle to get around, making it difficult to get together for a drink. This problem exists not only in Shodoshima but throughout Japan, and one of the themes to address in this competition may be how we should deal with the environment outside cities in Japan in the era of declining population.


──Finally, would you share a few words about the theme of this competition?

KN: This competition has a specific site, and at the same time, we are seeking proposals for cooking methods, ingredients, dishes to serve, furniture, and set-up. One of the purposes of the competition is to encourage people to imagine many more specific things than they would in a regular architecture-based competition. On the other hand, this extensive theme about food is not only about the immediate details, but it is necessary to deal with areas outside architecture. I'd like to see proposals that start from something small to extend the realm of architecture, successfully combining the small and the large.

YH: It is essential to have the basics covered, but I would like to see something that is not too "perfect," with some gaps or loose ends. I hope these gaps will open up new opportunities for people in the community. Another possibility is that architecture could rise from something like the napkin that Ms. Nomura mentioned. If you design the entrance carefully, it may become part of the landscape and help create a "delicious" experience. Once again, one of the key points of this competition is to keep going back and forth between small things and big things as you design.

YN: I look forward to seeing how you think about the food element and how you incorporate adjectives like "yuragu" (a Japanese word meaning fluctuating, trembling, swaying, etc.) and "soft" into your expression.

We received 40 submissions and the initial screening was held on September 10th.
As a result of the first round of deliberations, six entries were selected to proceed to the Final Screening, and five entries were selected for Honorable Mention.
During the second screening on November 17th, 2024, the 6 finalists will give presentations and be interviewed by judges, after which a judging session will be held and award winners selected.

Projects proceeding to the second screening（6 teams）

*JP/EN is the language at the time of registration.

［JP 00003］
つみきじま　-みんなで積み上げる島の食卓-
佐藤圭真（佐藤圭真建築設計事務所）　宗村亜登武（オフィスアトム）　嶋田雅紀（シマダマサノリデザインスタジオ）


［JP 00053］
小豆島の風土を運ぶ
吉田拓（フリーランス）　廣瀬貴大（宮城島崇人建築設計事務所）　


［JP 00070］
はたらくショク媒
一瀬健人　野口理沙子　佐野千優（イスナデザイン）


［JP 00088］
Archives and Listening Tracks
横溝惇　宮澤祐子　山下開靖（スタジオメガネ）


［EN 00048］
DRIFTING SEEDS
Lian Jingyun（Plat asia）　Guolulu


［EN 00077］
Shōdoshima Food Truck Hub
Yukai Wang（Katholieke Universiteit Leuven）　Ding Wang（Hong Kong University）　Lutong He（University of Washington）

Honorable Mentions（5 teams）

［JP 00057］
お結塀と島の成長
山田智彦　橋本清史　玉木幸希（スタジオバッテリー）


［JP 00080］
藻場から食卓へ　-「いま」と「未来」が移ろう小豆島の風景-
白樫聖（京都芸術大学大学院）　松山美耶（フリーランス）


［JP 00081］
坂手港の大きなテーブル　-100m の大きな屋根を手がかりとした、大きな食卓とキッチンカーの設計-
法兼知杏　宮澤諒　茂垣孝輔（法政大学大学院）


［EN 00083］
島・台
YiDu（Foster + Partners）　Chenye Yu（Freelance）　Hongyi Yu（Freelance）


［EN 00086］
A Big Red Curtain
Samantha Ong（oh-oh）　Ariel Bintang