Inspiration for the curving glass facade of the Louis Vuitton store in Osaka, designed by Jun Aoki & Associates and Peter Marino, came from the sails of old Japanese merchant vessels, in reference to the history of a city defined by the importance of its port.

There are four levels of clothes and accessories, and a top floor with a terrace, partly protected by translucent 'sails' resembling those of the Higaki-Kaisen ships, with linear elements emphasizing the vertical. Here, from a café one walks through a 'clandestine' door to get to Sugalabo V, an exclusive restaurant accommodating a few diners at a time and only in the evening, when the building is lit up like a lantern.