A new Starbucks location is opening in the Yanaka district of Tokyo on Saturday, March 28, 2026. Called Starbucks Cafe & Art Gallery Yanaka Gotenzaka, the two-story wooden building is designed around the concept of a "crossroads of art and coffee," offering visitors a space where Starbucks coffee and the work of up-and-coming artists intersect.
The store is situated in a neighborhood known for its rich history, culture, and arts scene. The building design was handled by HAGISO, an architectural and operations firm based in Yanaka that emphasizes community ties. Exhibition planning and management for the gallery component is supported by The Chain Museum, a company whose mission centers on the relationship between art and daily life.
Rotating Exhibition Format
Inside the store, artwork is displayed in a rotating format across three types of exhibitions:
- Theme Exhibitions — Multiple artists collaborate with each other and with Starbucks partners (employees) through discussions to co-create themed displays.
- Fair Exhibitions — Showcasing works by prominent emerging artists.
- Public Exhibitions — Open-call exhibitions designed to discover new talent.
Visitors who find a piece they love may also have the opportunity to purchase it.
Opening Exhibition: Three-Person Show
To mark the store's opening, a three-person exhibition runs from March 28 through June 28, 2026, featuring artists Karin Hosono, Shuntaro Sanada, and YU SORA. The artists, along with Starbucks partners, gathered for discussions using "Yanaka" as the central theme. Each artist then created new works inspired by those conversations — spanning abstract painting, figurative painting, and three-dimensional art.
Karin Hosono
Born in Sagamihara, Kanagawa in 2002. Graduated from Tama Art University's Department of Painting, Oil Painting Major in 2025. She has painted cats consistently since childhood, developing a distinctive touch through repeated observation, aiming to create works that are "120% more cat-like than cats themselves."
Shuntaro Sanada
Born in 2000. After graduating from the Faculty of Fine Arts at Tokyo University of the Arts, he is currently enrolled in the Master's Program at the University of Tokyo's Graduate School of Interdisciplinary Information Studies. His work explores the extreme abstraction of real landscapes to generate "new scenery," and he investigates the concept of "creativity" in painting through co-creation with AI.
YU SORA
Born in Gyeonggi-do, Korea in 1987. Completed the Master's Program in Sculpture at the Tokyo University of the Arts Graduate School of Fine Arts in 2020. Based between Japan and Korea, her work explores the question of what everyday life means — using white, soft fabric with black thread embroidery to create three-dimensional and flat pieces that document ordinary scenes, focusing on the daily moments that can be suddenly lost through disasters or accidents.
Store Information
- Store Name: Starbucks Cafe & Art Gallery Yanaka Gotenzaka
- Address: 3-2-5 Nishinippori, Arakawa-ku, Tokyo
- Hours: 8:00 AM – 9:00 PM
- Floor Area: Approx. 299 m² (approx. 90.4 tsubo)
- Seating: 74 seats
- Opening Date: Saturday, March 28, 2026
The gallery also has a dedicated Instagram account where exhibition announcements and art information will be shared: @starbucks_cafe.and.artgallery
