Sunny Hills
The Outstanding Wooden Lattice Architecture in Tokyo
Sunny Hills is a pastry shop located in Minami-Aoyama, in the western side of Minato ward at the center of Tokyo in Japan. Specializing in pineapple cakes, the Taiwanese brand Sunny Hills opened its 1rst store in Japan in 2013, with a characteristic wooden architecture designed by Kengo Kuma & Associates (KKAA).
The wealthy yet unflashy streets of Minami-Aoyama are of an easy access from Omotesando avenue, especially riding the Hachiko Bus, and are home to several nice places for shopping and snacking. The Taiwanese confectionery brand Sunny Hills, specializing in pineapple delicacies, choose this neighborhood to establish its 1rst shop in Japan over 10 years ago.
The unusual and hard to miss aesthetics of the 3-stories building was designed by famous contemporary architect Kengo Kuma’s practice (KKAA). While resembling a woven basket, the wooden structure of the facade was made following the traditional construction principles of Japanese temples and shrines, that is to say, without the use of any nail or screw.
The carpentry technique is called Jigoku-gumi (literally "interlocking hell") and is achieved in this building by weaving together 6 x 6 cm hinoki cypress wood laths. The tridimensional latticework architecture is both beautiful and sturdy, and also lets natural air and light in. The wood sourced in Gifu prefecture gives the building its ecological touch, all the more as the inside feels like the heart of a forest rather than in a city.
🍍 Taiwanese pineapple cakes
Regardless Sunny Hills is open like a normal shop and anybody can come in. The confectionery counter is at the ground floor and mainly sells:
- Apple or pineapple cakes;
- Banana flavored waffle cakes; and,
- Taiwanese tea: especially Oolong tea from the Qing Xin highlands and red-hued Ruby Black tea.
Takeout is available, as well as seats around tables at the 2nd and 3 floors to enjoy the sweets in the shop. The only downside would be that the outdoor balcony is not always open. However, the experience of the view from inside and the pleasant fragrance of the wooden structure remain enjoyable.
The bathroom 🛁 is located at the upper floor and offers a simple look with a ceiling also displaying a lattice work.
Sunny Hills offers a pleasant break when wandering in Minami-Aoyama’s neighborhood and looking for small gems of designers’ shops or before reaching the Nezu Museum nearby also designed by Kengo Kuma. There are other Sunny Hills shops in Tokyo, especially in Ginza Six and in Marunouchi.