PASS THE BATON OMOTESANDO

Tokyo Design Center inc. (TDC) Review

The design of Omotesando Hills, developed by the Mori Building Company, is by Tadao Ando. Because Omotesando is a district that imposes limitations on the height of constructions and to acknowledge the view of the naturescaped elm tree alley, Omotesando Hills is a lower building with three floors above ground and three floors underground, thus forming a six-story construction. The second-floor area of its west building is occupied by the “PASS THE BATON Omotesando” shop, produced by Masamichi Toyama of Smiles. The store has an operation style akin to an antique shop, where the history of each recycled and deadstock item’s previous ownership is a story told to the customer, transforming the space into a novelty location amidst the recycled shop market.
The internal design of the shop is elaborated by Masamichi Katayama of Wonderwall, who also worked on the brand’s first location in Marunouchi. The shop is flooded to the ceiling with over twenty thousand unique items. Suspended to the left, one can see a chandelier made of 600 tea cups of all shapes and sizes. In 2015, the third Kyoto shop was also designed by Masamichi Katayama, where a 120-year-old townhouse in the national historical preservation district of Gion underwent restoration, becoming a popular spot with the shop and a restaurant under one roof.