Our latest Instagram fixation: Stardust, Kana Shimizu’s Kyoto vegan cafe and boutique, set in a restored historic house where every surface seems imbued with a mysterious, magical aura (see @stardust_kana). The offerings range from fig-grapefruit cake to LA fashion line Black Crane’s signature swooping cotton tunics. Kana has a hand in it all; she describes each item as “a beautiful piece of the universe” and tells us, “Stardust opened as a small business, but has grown to have a deeper purpose as a place for people to connect to a wider world of creativity and peace.”
Photography courtesy of Stardust.
Above: Stardust is located in a centuries-old machiya, a wooden townhouse built as a merchant’s dwelling and workspace. “Kyoto is the ancient capital of Japan,” says Kana. “Our oldest traditions have been carefully inherited here, and within just a few steps, I can walk to the forest or visit temples and shrines that are a thousand years old.”
Above: The walls are patterned in a shades-of-green patchwork of squares and rectangles—”we used paper and applied it with a fixative solution,” Kana tells us. The results are reminiscent of Japanese boro, patched and mended fabrics.
Above: A tea service from a series called Pigeon by Tamaki and Kan Suzuki. Most of the items on offer are available in Stardust’s online shop, and international shipping is an option.
Above: The space is furnished with Japanese antiques that show signs of wear. Shown here, Ko Soda’s pierced leather work—a Leather Basket, Basket Bowl, and Basket Square—displayed on an old bed frame.
Above: The wood-paneled cafe has moody plaster walls (“they’re as was, we just cleaned them up a bit”) and built-in storage accessible by antique ladder.
Above: In addition to serving tea and snacks, Stardust offers lunch (available by reservation only).
Above: One of the shop’s specialities is Antique Indigo Linen.
Above: A bowl by Shinsaku Nakazono displays one of Stardust’s raw sweets.
Above: The Ceramic Goblets used in the cafe are available in the shop. They’re made by Kanako Nakano of ceramics workshop Birbira. Kana points out that they work well for serving beer and wine and can also be used as vases.
Above: There’s a small outdoor eating area in the back. Thinking of making a pilgrimage to Stardust? Go here for details, and also take a look at:
- Worth the Trip: Eatrip in Tokyo
- A Japanese Lighting Company Embraces the Dark Side
- Rescued Relic: A Romantic Atelier in Japan
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