Inua — Tokyo, Japan

Rising star, chef Thomas Frebel – who worked as Rene Redzepi’s right hand man at Copenhagen’s Noma restaurant for nearly a decade – has now gone solo, setting up shop in Tokyo’s Iidabashi neighbourhood with Inua restaurant.
Spending two years foraging Japanese land and sea – from the tropical southern islands of Okinawa to the northernmost mountain forests of Hokkaido – the result is probably Tokyo’s most imaginative culinary adventure with a medley of exquisitely plated Nordic-influenced dishes concocted from local ingredients like kihada berries from Nagano and scarlet pitanga fruits from Okinawa.
Matching the food, Copenhagen-based OEO Studio, has lined the interiors with a mix of smooth timber by Dinesen, dyed concrete, bricks from local manufacturer Kunishiro and wall coverings from Kyoto textile maker Hosoo. This has been dressed with a medley of furnishings – from chairs by Finn Juhl to bar stools by OEO Studio for Danish brand Brdr. Krüger – while overhead, Nuage pedant lamps by French artist Céline Wright put the pretty plates under the spotlight.
ADDRESS
2-13-12 Fujimi
Chiyoda-ku
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
Danielle Demetriou is a British writer and editor who moved from London to Japan in 2007. She writes about design, architecture and culture (for newspapers, magazines and books) and lives in an old machiya townhouse in Kyoto.
Instagram - @danielleinjapan
-
Loewe reaches for the stars with the biggest screen in its history, the Stellar 97 television
German audio specialist Loewe has revealed its new flagship, a 97-inch OLED television that’s a showcase for the company’s crafted approach
-
Will the Denza D9 GT radically re-shape the luxury auto market?
Chinese premium auto brand Denza is making a move to Europe. We check out the incoming line-up and explore what it means for the existing players
-
The best shows of Haute Couture Week A/W 2025
Schiaparelli opens Haute Couture Week with a collection that sees Daniel Roseberry look back to look forward
-
Tune into the rhythm of Tokyo’s most ambitious record shop
Vinyl Delivery Service in east Tokyo’s Skwat Kameari Art Centre is spinning a new narrative for the traditional record store model
-
Wallpaper* checks in at Waldorf Astoria Osaka
‘It’s rare to work on a brand new hotel of this scale in Japan in today’s landscape,’ says designer Andre Fu about Osaka’s newest luxury hotel. Wallpaper* paid it an early visit
-
Wallpaper* checks in at Rosewood Miyakojima: ‘Japan, but not as most people know it’
Rosewood Miyakojima offers a smooth balance of intuitive Japanese ‘omotenashi’ fused with Rosewood’s luxury edge
-
A new book captures the kitschy allure of Japanese ‘love hotels’
For his latest project, French photographer François Prost documents the whimsical façades that characterise these erotic roadside venues.
-
All aboard the world’s most luxurious train journeys
Stay on track with our pick of the most luxurious train journeys around the world, whether in 1920s-style opulence or contemporary chic
-
Wallpaper* checks in at Hoshino Resorts KAI Akiu: a soothing onsen hotel
In Japan’s bucolic northeast, Hoshino Resorts KAI Akiu breathes new life into a sleepy hot spring village without betraying its ancient roots
-
Shake off the winter chill at these design-led onsen hotels in Japan
Whether you’re heading to the mountains of Hokkaido or the alleys of Kyoto’s Gion district, these immaculately designed onsen hotels will keep the shivers at bay
-
The new hotels you’ll want to stay at in 2025
Where to stay in 2025? Let six of the most-read-about hotel openings of the past 12 months inspire your escape – from a tiny Tokyo bolthole to a Tanzanian safari retreat