Nihonmachi, or Japantown, remains the heart of Seattle’s Japanese American community, and it’s namesake alley is both a treasure chest of beloved memories and an invitation to celebrate the community’s heritage.

Working with the community, MxM helped BERK Consulting develop multiple design schemes that were tested through extensive public outreach. The final design builds on the series of gateways that already exist in the neighborhood and extends them through the alley. The gates serve as both a welcome, threshold, and, as in Shinto practice, an invitation for the spirits of the past to manifest in the alley.

Materially, the design fuses Japanese and Pacific Northwest design elements by marrying Western Red Cedar and Japanese Yellow Cedar using traditional joinery practices, and creating glowing “lanterns” along the alley in a nod to nearby Hing Hay Park.