Starbucks Japan Collects 18 of Its Best New Store Designs in a Cup-Sleeved Photo Book
The second volume documents locations opened between late 2024 and early 2026, extending the chain’s long-running case for the cafe as a designed public space.
by Sophie Caraan · HypebeastSummary
Starbucks Japan has published the second edition of its store-design photo book, collecting 18 recent interiors in one volume
The release doubles as an object in its own right, arriving inside a reusable craft-paper envelope modeled on a Starbucks cup
It frames each location through the company's idea of a warm, locally rooted space rather than a uniform template
Starbucks Japan has released STARBUCKS COFFEE JAPAN STORE DESIGN WORKS 002, the second volume of a photo book built entirely around the design of its stores. The 144-page book gathers 18 interiors drawn from locations that opened or were renewed between the fall of 2024 and the spring of 2026, treating the physical space of a coffee shop as the subject worth documenting.
The selection is organized around a specific point of view about what a store should be. Each of the 18 spaces is presented as somewhere anyone can feel at home, designed to sit within its surroundings and make use of its particular location rather than repeat a single house layout. That framing is a direct extension of the “third place” idea Starbucks has built its retail identity on for decades, the notion of a comfortable space between home and work. The book positions its interiors as regional variations on that theme, with photography that invites readers to want to visit the stores in person. Interior images are credited to photographer Ryo Yoshiya.
The book ships inside a craft-paper envelope shaped to evoke a Starbucks paper cup, with an ID box printed on the reverse carrying keywords meant to deepen the reading of each store’s design. Rather than functioning as disposable packaging, the envelope is built to be kept and reused as a case for documents or small items, fastened with a hook-and-loop closure. The book itself measures 21.0 by 1.7 by 28.7 centimeters and is printed in Japan, while the envelope is made from paper-based cellulose fiber with a synthetic latex backing.
For readers tracking the series, this second volume follows a first edition that remains available separately, building the project into an ongoing record of how the chain’s spaces evolve over time.
STARBUCKS COFFEE JAPAN STORE DESIGN WORKS 002 is available now through the Starbucks Japan online store.