Japandi in Copenhagen
The city where Japanese craft meets Scandinavian design and gastronomy
In Denmark’s Capital, Copenhagen, a new cultural chapter is unfolding. What is known as a design term, Japandi, describing the meeting point between Japanese and Scandinavian aesthetics, could even be a citywide trend shaping cuisine, interiors and architecture.
Japandi was originally used to describe the shared sensibilities between the Japanese worldview ‘wabi sabi’, which is centered on finding beauty in imperfection and simplicity, and the Danish warmth defining ‘hygge’.
Both cultures share an appreciation for honest materials, quiet beauty and the rhythms of the seasons. Visitors will find it expressed in everything from serene interiors and handcrafted ceramics to delicate tasting menus where Japanese precision meets Nordic ingredients.
Danish interest in visiting Japan
The trend reflects a broader exchange between the two countries. Danish travel to Japan has grown significantly in recent years, increasing from 32,893 travellers in 2019 to 50,700 in 2025, a 24 percent year on year rise according to figures from the Japanese National Tourism Organization in the Nordics.
A favourable exchange rate, Japan’s reputation for safety and order, and strong word of mouth from returning travellers have all contributed to the surge according to an article by Danish newspaper Politiken.
GASTRONOMY
Japandi fine dining
Japanese culinary traditions such as kaiseki and washoku, with their emphasis on balance, seasonality and respect for ingredients, echo many of the same ideas that shaped the New Nordic Food Manifesto.
A new generation of Copenhagen chefs is embracing a Japandi‑inspired approach to gastronomy: fewer elements, greater intention, deep respect for ingredients, restrained elegance and a strong sense of seasonality. These restaurants are not Japandi by décor alone; they are driven by the same principles of clarity, purity and craftsmanship.
Sushi Anaba
An eight‑seat omakase counter located at the far edge of Copenhagen’s harbour, defined by Nordic seafood, Japanese precision and a quiet aesthetic that reflects both cultures.
Akmē
A French–Japanese omakase run by former Sushi Anaba chefs, presenting a focused tasting menu built on minimalism, refined craft and balance.
Restaurant Levi
A Japanese–Italian fusion restaurant by former Jordnær chef Gabriele Rizzo, drawing on shared values of purity, seasonality and simplicity between the two cuisines.
Japanese-inspired comfort food and coffee culture
Beyond fine dining, Copenhagen’s Japanese–Nordic connection is visible in its everyday food culture, where Japanese comfort dishes meet Nordic sourcing and clean design.
AOTORI & AKATON
Two experiences under one roof. AOTORI is an eight‑seat yakitori counter led by Daichi Suminoe, grilling chicken and vegetables over binchotan. AKATON is a relaxed tonkatsu dining room built on carefully sourced pork, traditional preparation and a focus on honest flavours.
Admiralgade 26 – Choushoku
Every Saturday, Admiralgade 26 – a leading Danish restaurant - hosts Choushoku, a Japanese‑inspired communal breakfast built on the traditional morning meal of rice, miso soup, eggs, greens and fish served for sharing. The menu is designed to encourage slowness, conversation and presence, aligning naturally with Copenhagen’s Japandi sensibility.
Andersen Bakery
Founded by Japanese baker Shunsuke Takaki, who fell in love with Danish pastry culture during a visit to Copenhagen in 1959, Andersen Bakery has built its identity on a unique fusion of Japanese precision and Danish baking heritage. After returning to Japan, Takaki became the first to produce Danish pastries in Japan in 1962, developing a cross‑cultural craft tradition that later returned to Copenhagen. Today, Andersen Bakery continues to blend Danish techniques with Japanese flavours such as yuzu and matcha, embodying one of the most authentic examples of Japan–Denmark culinary exchange.
April Coffee Roasters
A roastery and café known for its minimal visual language and Japanese‑influenced approach to craft and process.
CABIN Coffee
A pine‑clad coffee bar by Bar Vitrine and Danish design firm FRAMA where Japanese barista Jun Nishimura brews Tim Wendelboe coffee with quiet, deliberate precision.
Sing Tehus
Founded in 2006 and located in a classic Copenhagen courtyard house, it offers a mindful tea experience rooted in quality, sustainability and community. Founder Mette Marie Kjær has built long-standing relationships with small-scale tea producers across Asia, working with growers who respect biodiversity and natural cultivation. With serene teahouses, seasonal teas and delicate pastries, Sing Tehus functions as a quiet urban sanctuary. Sing Tehus is B Corp certified, reflecting a strong commitment to social and environmental responsibility.
io Tehus
io Tehus presents organic Japanese tea culture through a distinctly contemporary Danish lens. The teahouse sources all teas directly from Japanese producers who cultivate their fields without pesticides, herbicides or artificial fertilizers. With a particular focus on small-scale, naturally grown teas that express terroir and seasonality, io works closely with farmers practicing organic and natural agriculture. Alongside tea, io offers Japanese tea utensils and ceramic objects in clean, restrained forms, blending traditional craftsmanship with a modern Nordic porcelain aesthetic.
Comé Rice Kitchen
Founded by Tokyo‑trained chef Hiroo Machida, this Kødbyen favourite centres on the cultural importance of rice. The menu includes meticulously prepared onigiri, karaage, sashimi and seasonal Japanese comfort dishes. Japanese-Danish interiors and constant queues have made it one of the defining expressions of Copenhagen’s everyday Japanese food culture.
Positioned between Japandi-influenced dining and traditional Japanese cuisine, Comé reflects how Japanese food culture has become part of Copenhagen’s everyday life.
Traditional Japanese dining in Copenhagen
Alongside Japandi-inspired gastronomy, Copenhagen also hosts a number of Japanese restaurants rooted firmly in tradition and everyday comfort food culture.
Places such as Slurp Ramen Joint and Jah Izakaya & Sake Bar contribute to the city’s more casual Japanese dining scene. Slurp offers an energetic, urban ramen experience driven by craftsmanship, while Jah Izakaya introduces Copenhagen to Japanese soul food, izakaya classics and a strong sake programme. Together, they represent the lively, informal side of Japanese cuisine, complementing the city’s more minimalist and refined Japandi expressions.
Beyond these, Restaurant Tokyo, the city’s oldest Japanese restaurant, remains a key institution, serving classic dishes and traditional formats that have shaped Copenhagen’s understanding of Japanese cuisine for decades. Near the Central Station, Bento offers a highly authentic and unpretentious take on Japanese comfort food, frequented by both locals and the Japanese community.
Quotes – Gastronomy
Mads Battefeld, Head Chef of Sushi Anaba and Co‑founder of Akmē and AOTORI/AKATON:
"Travelling through Japan over the years has naturally shaped the way I think about food – especially the beauty of simple dishes done with care and precision. Yakitori and tonkatsu are two things I return to again and again, and AOTORI and AKATON are our way of giving each of them the full attention and focus they deserve."
Niels Strøyer Christophersen, Founder of FRAMA:
"We approached CABIN as a quiet architectural gesture. Through shades of pine, natural light and carefully considered proportions, we wanted to create a space that feels honest, warm and focused on the essential experience of being in a room."
Line Bleeg Carstensen, Chair of the Danish-Japanese Society:
"The interest in Copenhagen for Japanese food and aesthetics has been on the rise for several years. Today, Danes have gotten used to flavours such as yuzu and matcha, and we have moved away from only having soy sauce in the supermarkets to now finding a range of speciality goods. The Japanese influence has become a part of everyday life, and we are seeing a growing interest among Copenhageners for our talks about Japan."
ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN
Kengo Kuma’s Waterfront Culture Center
Opening in late 2026, Kengo Kuma’s Waterculture House on Paper Island will be Copenhagen’s new public water‑culture centre: a place for indoor pools, open‑air thermal baths, wellness areas and everyday activities connected to the harbour. Conceived “to create an experience, and not just a standalone object,” the project is shaped by light, water and the gentle transitions between interior and exterior.
The building’s conical and pyramidal forms, its terraced ground plane and its warm brick façade create a calm, sensory environment that feels both Japanese and Nordic in spirit. The focus on honest materials, soft light, seasonality and the ritual of bathing makes the Waterculture House a natural architectural expression of Copenhagen’s Japandi trend, where Japanese spatial philosophy meets Scandinavian clarity and a deep connection to nature.
You will find more information here and renderings.
Kengo Kuma exhibition at Copenhagen Contemporary
This spring, Copenhagen Contemporary adds a cultural counterpart with Earth | Tree, a new site‑specific installation by Kengo Kuma & Associates. Opening 28 March 2026 as part of CC’s Create series, the exhibition invites visitors into Kuma’s philosophy of “gentle architecture”, an approach rooted in nature, materials and the human senses.
Transforming Hall 4 into a landscape‑like environment shaped by handcrafted wooden elements and stone, the installation draws on the Japanese concept of komorebi, the fleeting beauty of sunlight filtering through leaves, and brings it into dialogue with Nordic material traditions. Wood, earth and brick appear as living materials, forming a calm, tactile space that resonates with the same values of simplicity, natural light and craftsmanship that define Copenhagen’s Japandi design culture.
A dedicated workshop area allows visitors of all ages to engage with the creative process, experimenting with building systems ranging from Kuma’s own Tsumiki blocks to Danish‑made wooden modules and miniature bricks. Earth | Tree expands Copenhagen’s Japanese‑Nordic conversation into the realm of art and architecture, offering an immersive experience where creativity, materiality and nature meet.
Press release and website.
Two major Japanese exhibitions at Designmuseum Danmark
Japan Modern Poster (6 February – 9 August 2026)
The museum’s largest exhibition of Japanese graphic design to date, presenting more than 110 post-war and contemporary posters and unfolding a narrative about Japan's historical and cultural development from the 1950s to the present day.
The acclaimed Japanese designer Shin Matsunaga has created a new poster especially for the exhibition and explores design similarities between the Danish and Japanese flags.
Japanese Wood-block Prints: Hokusai (6 February – 9 August 2026)
An in-depth exploration of Japanese wood-block prints, ukiyo-e, through the works of Hokusai (1760–1849), tracing the historic roots of Japan’s visual culture, with several of the prints part of Hokusai’s series Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji. The 40 woodblock prints offer a rare opportunity to experience the museum’s entire collection of Hokusai prints, exhibited together for the first time.
Quotes – Design
Christian Holmsted Olesen, Head of Exhibitions and Collections, Design Museum Denmark:
“Japanese design and visual culture have always held a prominent place at Designmuseum Danmark. The museum was founded in 1890 with the aim of promoting good design, and already at that time Japan was an important reference point. In the late 19th century, Japanese art and aesthetics had a profound influence on European artists and designers through what became known as Japonisme.
In that sense, Japan is not something that suddenly becomes relevant - it has always been relevant to us. Japanese aesthetics share a strong kinship with Danish design values: an appreciation of simplicity, craftsmanship, natural materials and a refined sense of form. This shared sensibility has long created a dialogue between the two cultures and continues to resonate with audiences today.
By presenting both Hokusai’s wood-block prints and the Japan Modern Poster exhibition, we can show several centuries of Japanese visual culture at once - from the historical foundations of ukiyo-e to contemporary graphic design. Together, the exhibitions highlight the depth of Japan’s visual heritage.
Copenhagen is currently experiencing a strong interest in Japanese culture across design, architecture and food. These exhibitions help place that contemporary fascination in a broader cultural and historical context.”
Why Japandi in Copenhagen, why now
The rise of Japanese exhibitions, omakase counters, yakitori bars, Japandi‑inspired cafés and Japanese comfort‑food venues coincides with a historic increase in Danish travel to Japan. This reciprocal movement – Danes travelling east in record numbers, Japanese craft flourishing in Copenhagen – defines the city’s Japanese–Nordic cultural moment.
Press visits, interviews with chefs and designers, behind‑the‑scenes access and high‑resolution image libraries are available upon request.
