Koji Saryo Cafe is a 70 m² Cafe designed by design Studio Atsushi Suzuki and Transit Branding Studio. Located in a luxury resort and shopping mall in Mie Prefecture, Japan, the project is operated by Rice koji producer Uonuma Jozo, which offers sweet wine, sweet wine koji drinks and other koji products. The materials, colours and forms used in the cafe are inspired by the heat of koji fermentation and the traditional architecture of the company's home town of Uinuma in northern Japan, where snow can pile up more than three metres high in winter.

In the process of making music, microbes release heat as they consume organic matter, which means that the heat of fermentation is a vital, living heat that changes from moment to moment. The design of this space has a similar idea. For example, the red fixtures in the center of the room surrounded by benches were deliberately lowered to eye level to create a sharp tonal contrast when viewed from the outside.

As guests sit on benches and watch the greenery outside, their perception of color gradually changes. In addition, the red plaster floor adds to the red light reflected from people's faces in the cafe. This series of color shifts is meant to express the warmth of fermenting life.