A Starbucks in the temple! Even the passing monks are coming to buy a drink!

There is a proverb in Japan: "Yuanjia has attained the Shanguang Temple for a time", which means to visit the Shanguang Temple no matter how far away it is. Shanguang Temple is the first ancient temple in Nagano, Japan. It was founded in the third year of Emperor Huangji and has a history of more than 1300 years. The ancient temples are mainly dedicated to the "three Amitabha statues of Shanguang Temple"-the Tathagata Buddha, Guanyin and Dazhi Bodhisattva, which are important cultural property in Japan.

If there is only one temple, Shanguang Temple may not be so famous. Since the Middle Ages, Japanese merchants have gathered, and the present urban form has been completed with the Meiji Restoration. In order to better protect the Shenguang Temple, many Japanese businessmen gathered in the Shenguang Temple and decided to build a commercial street around it, which is also the jurisdiction of the Shenguang Temple.

In March 2020, Starbucks Coffee Shop officially opened next to the "Fengmao" store. At first, Miyoko was hesitant about the arrival of large coffee chains like Starbucks, but Miyoko Hara, the 18th-generation manager of Starbucks, thought Starbucks would bring more vitality to the region.

The appearance of the original shop of "Luoyangmao"

As we all know, Starbucks is a "store design company". In order to live in harmony with the local community, Starbucks uses the Shanguang Temple Academy as its store design inspiration. From the photo, we can see that the two-story painted house is integrated with the landscape of the city. Yuko Kishi of Starbucks Coffee, which is in charge of interior design, was impressed by the traditional Japanese door during a field trip, so he put the design into the loading and unloading of the store.

The partition between the doors contrasts the hustle and bustle of the street with the stillness of Starbucks stores. Not only that, another feature of the building is the use of a large amount of wood from Nagano Prefecture. It is understood that the long coffee bar table is made of five kinds of wood, and the matching of color and Butong Mutong texture House makes the coffee bar also have a pleasant expression.

At the entrance, there is a welcome board with a pair of huge flowers on it. It is the emblem of the Shanguang Temple. In addition, designers also strive to preserve historical records and attach importance to the story of each building. The thick beams on the ceilings of the first and second floors were built during the Meiji period. This is a very unique space, respecting local history and traditions, but also adding a vibrant coffee culture. Tapestries of coffee flowers and coffee fruits, modern coffee machines and coffee beans from all over the world.

Shanguang Temple itself is an open space. This is the most daily place for nearby residents, people will come here to pray and pray at a turning point in their lives, and it is best to have a warm space to chat, read and spend time alone. When the Starbucks store was renovated, locals also discovered the value of the coffee shop. In fact, compared to coffee, the existence of this shop is actually more attractive.

Interestingly, the two monks of Shanguang Temple are regular customers of coffee shops. at first, when they heard that Starbucks was going to open a store on Zhongwang Street (the name of the street where Shanguang Temple Starbucks is located), they thought that fashionable things must be very inconsistent with the overall image of the area, but in the end they bowed to Starbucks' heart. People who come to worship will also stop at Starbucks for a cup of coffee.

At present, Starbucks has become a local leisure place. In fact, this successful experience also tells us that if we want better integration, we must keep in touch with traditional culture, and new things must create new history.

Photo Source: Internet

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