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Situated down a quiet street in Kyoto’s Gion district, the only way to find the store is through its glowing light marked ‘T.T.’, above a simple, un-dyed noren blowing in the wind. Opened in December 2021 during the midst of Japan’s closure to visiting tourists, the news of T.T. and Sabi’s quiet existence was shared by word-of-mouth recommendations, entered by those curious enough to explore.

Wonderful to discover, the stone sculptures Taiga made during his time learning with Izumi San can be found in the T.T. Taiga Takahashi store. They are beautiful forms, original and striking, immobile yet warm with their curves or geometric patterns.

The Taiga Takahashi clothing line is made in Japan, with old techniques such as mud dyeing re-envisioned for the modern consumer or appreciator. Natural materials reign supreme, such as the finest denim from Okayama, made in styles brought back from Japan’s workwear history also re-imagined by T.T.

Made with quality to last decades, the T.T. line evolves every 6 months, each time working with textures that evoke feeling and an ingrained value of their design which is led by history and craftsmanship.

Taking the floating stone stairs up to the Sabi Tea Rooms, one enters a dimly lit space which still enables awe onto the chosen architectural details. The T.T. space is situated in an old machiya townhouse and the tea rooms on the second floor celebrate the details that would have been originally there. Recreated with intention, using the same materials the same age as they were in the original.

Gliding through the rustic, dark space to the modern, timber seating invites one to focus on the design details in Sabi, especially when presented directly in front. From the considered wooden cutlery to the specially-curated tableware and glassware, a modern vision of Japanese crafts and production.

At Sabi, the tea master presents a modern tea ceremony with sweets (or savoury bites) alongside perfectly refined non-alcoholic tea beverages. Served with the pace and intention received in a traditional tea ceremony, the glassware and tableware – and even chair-seated position of the guest – reminds one they are experiencing a modern vision of this beautiful Japanese tradition. Reflective and meditative, time at Sabi moves both slowly and quickly, ready for guests to return to experience the feeling once again in a different seasonality.

T.T. and Standing Tea Room [Sabi]
570-120 Gionmachi, Minamigawa, Higashiyama, 
Gion, Kyoto 605-0074

Text: Monique Kawecki
Images: Champ Creative