Introducing Jakuin, a tea room combining sukiya architecture philosophy and techniques with digital technology.
Sony Computer Science Laboratories, Inc.'s (Sony CSL) Kyoto Laboratory (Director: Jun Rekimoto), and Millieme Co., Ltd.'s Sabié Cultural Institute (President: Reijiro Izumi) will begin empirical research to the developmental potential of chanoyu (tea ceremony) culture. As a practical venue for the research, the tea room Jakuin ‐ Supervised by Sabié Cultural Institute ‐ will open in the Sony CSL Kyoto Laboratory by combining sukiya architecture philosophy and techniques with digital technology.
The recently opened tea room Jakuin is a practical venue for ongoing joint empirical research of digital technology with a view to an evolutionary future for chanoyu culture, an unprecedented new approach to this field. The two organizations seek to work together to contribute to cultural development and give back to modern society by building Jakuin that respects the essence and spirituality of chanoyu culture and creating new experiences, while incorporating various technologies researched and developed by Sony CSL, including human augmentation technology.