These Stunningly Designed Starbucks in the Far East Are Worth Visiting

A noren is a traditional divided curtain hung across the entrance of a shop or restaurant. During the Edo period, customers would wipe their hands on the curtain as they exited a restaurant, so a dirty noren was the sign of a popular business. While no one is expected to wipe their hands on the new Kyoto branch’s noren curtain, it’s certain to attractappreciation with its traditional aesthetic.

Bangka Xiyuan Starbucks courtesy of Edelman

To commemorate the 15th anniversary of the first Starbucks opening in Korea, the company opened a stunning new concept store in the Seocho district of Seoul. The geometric glass dome is meant to invoke the feel of an urban coffee forest, and the interior of the location features eco-friendly materials as well as potted coffee trees for greenery.

Starbucks has its work cut out for it in Vietnam, one of the largest coffee-growing countries in the world, where it faces stiff local competition. Yet the Starbucks Hanoi concept store in the Old Quarter of the city aims not to compete with Vietnam’s rich coffee culture, but to embrace it through the use of locally sourced décor and artwork created by Hanoi-based artists.