[6th Store Challenge] uoyaki New Store Design Competition Held

1. Overview

akinau Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: 4-9-8 Tenjinbashi, Kita-ku, Osaka-shi, Osaka; Representative Director: Shinya Taniguchi) will hold a store design competition for the opening of 'uoyaki Sakuragawa Store,' the 6th branch of 'uoyaki,' a natural wine and fish restaurant.

This project aims to solicit innovative design ideas that embody the 'pairing' worldview cherished by uoyaki, targeting young creators and students aged 30 and under (U30) who will lead the next generation of space creation. The adopted plan will be implemented, bringing your ideas to life as an actual store.

---

2. About uoyaki ~What We Value~

uoyaki is a restaurant that expresses 'pairing' through food, drinks, and space.

We aim to create a place where guests can enjoy charcoal-grilled dried fish and natural wine, spending rich time as if it were an entertainment.

https://uoyaki.jp/#concept

---

3. Why We Seek Young Talent

In our existing stores, we have focused on creating spaces where guests can enjoy 'natural things as they are,' by renovating 100-year-old huts and preserving the history of their earthen walls and roof trusses.

However, we have no intention of repeating the same thing.

The reason for setting the U30 condition is not because we want 'youth.' It's because we want free ideas that are not yet tainted by industry 'norms.' Please break down the preconceptions of 'this is how it should be' or 'this is normal.' Understand uoyaki's DNA and show us a 'pairing' space that only you can envision.

---

4. Design Requirements for uoyaki Sakuragawa Store

• Flow and layout that allow staff to work with a smile

• Space creation that naturally brings out customers' smiles

• Functional design compatible with single-person operation

• Finishing utilizing natural materials without chemical building materials

• Renovation while preserving the good qualities and history of the existing building

---

5. What You Will Gain

Your Ideas Will Take Shape as an Actual Store

The adopted proposal will be constructed. It won't end as just a 'drawing' for a competition. Your ideas will become blueprints, go through discussions with craftsmen, material selection, on-site adjustments, and finally be completed as a space welcoming customers—we will walk through all these processes together with you.

Learn from the Inside of a Professional Site

You will be present from start to finish at a 'professional site' that students and young people usually cannot easily access, including design offices, construction companies, and equipment suppliers. You can feel the reality that is not found in textbooks, such as how to draw blueprints, how to think about budgets, and on-site decision-making, with your whole body.

---

6. Application Guidelines

【Target Applicants】

• Designers, architects, students, creators aged 30 and under (U30) – individuals or teams

• Professionals and amateurs alike

【Application Conditions】

• Ability to design while respecting uoyaki's concept

• Must be 30 years old or younger at the time of application

• After selection, ability to actively participate as a project member in regular meetings (online or in-person in Osaka city) until the store opening

【Selection Process and Submissions】

This competition will be conducted through document screening.

① Entry (First Application)

Please complete your entry from this page. After completing the entry, we will send you the 'uoyaki Sakuragawa store drawing data' and the 'submission form URL for screening documents' to your registered email address.

▶ Click here for the entry form

② Submission of Screening Documents (Second Application)

Please submit the following content via the submission form.

◆ Submission Documents

Design proposal (A3 size, 1 sheet, free format)

Drawings, perspectives, text, etc., any form of expression is acceptable.

◆ Form Answer Items

Motivation for applying to this competition

---

7. Schedule

• Entry Period: April 1, 2025 (Wed) 0:00 〜 April 30, 2025 (Thu) 23:59

• Deadline for Submission of Screening Documents: April 30, 2025 (Thu) 23:59

• Results Notification: Early May 2025

---

8. Contact Us

For any questions regarding this competition, please feel free to contact us at the email address below.

akinau Co., Ltd.
uoyaki New Store Design Competition Secretariat

Contact Person: Nakanishi

E-mail: ayaka.n@akinau.co.jp

* We do not accept inquiries by phone.
* Please note that we cannot respond to individual inquiries regarding the screening process.

---

We hope your proposal will exceed our imagination.
Let's create a new uoyaki in the city of Osaka together.