Karino AyakoArt collective teamLab has gained an international reputation for its two inspiring art museums in Tokyo’s Odaiba and Toyosu district, in which visitors can immerse themselves in an illusory world of visuals and sound while relaxing. But few are likely aware that teamLab is actually an international creative group made up of various specialists, including artists, programmers, engineers, CG animators, mathematicians, and architects. They execute various collaborative activities, including setting up restaurants and interactive bathhouses, not to mention a variety of exhibitions around Japan.
In March 2020, they even designed a vegan ramen restaurant in Kyoto under the name Vegan Ramen Uzu. Not only is the ramen at the restaurant free of meat and other animal produce, it also features digital art that surrounds the customers as they eat. The novel experience instantly caught on, and soon people started lining up for almost an hour to taste the ramen. The popularity was such that on October 8th, teamLab launched a Tokyo version of the ramen shop—Vegan Ramen UZU Tokyo—inside one of their museums, teamLab Planets in Toyosu.
The whole idea of teamLab is to navigate the fusion of art, science, technology, and the natural world. The collective decided to spread awareness of vegan food—which origins lie in Japan—in order to address the fact that humans are now pressed to face the world and think more carefully about how we are going to live from here onwards. At the Vegan Ramen UZU Tokyo store inside teamLab Planets, people can enjoy the ramen while experiencing the art installation pieces “Reversible Rotation-Non-Objective Space”—a black and white space inspired by Japanese calligraphy—as well as “Table of Sky and Fire” and “One-piece Bench.”
In addition to the ramen menu available at Vegan Ramen Uzu in Kyoto, Vegan Ramen UZU Tokyo features two plant-based ramen bowls that are exclusive to the Tokyo shop. One of them is a cold vegan ramen decorated with edible flowers, inspired by teamLab Planets’ “Floating Flower Garden,” a three-dimensional mass of orchids. The other is a vegan ramen tea, which uses tea, kelp, and shiitake mushrooms for a rich, tasty broth. The ramen soup used in all of the items on their menu is made by adding onions, celery, ginger, garlic to kelp and shiitake mushrooms, adding water to the mixture consistently for 12 hours, and then boiling them at a low temperature. The shop also sells vegan ice cream and a large variety of teas. Those who are not vising teamLab Planets are also welcome to enjoy the menu.
The popular teamLab has added another layer to their striking world of art and interactive experiences by incorporating Vegan Ramen UZU. Eating vegan ramen surrounded by beautiful art is bound to stimulate our senses and contemplate more about the world we live in.
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