A multi-retail and dining complex called 50 Norman opened last fall in Brooklyn’s Greenpoint neighborhood. Designed by Japanese architect Jo Nagasaka, the 3,500-square-foot space brings three Tokyo-based brands to New York City for the first time.
CIBONE (pronounced “cee-bo-nay”) showcases a curated selection of lifestyle and artisanal goods that highlight both classic and contemporary Japanese craftsmanship. The store focuses on objects that respect traditional techniques while interpreting them with a modern sensibility. Visitors can discover emerging Japanese creators, learn about their work, and take home thoughtfully made pieces.
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Start the day with coffee poured into a colorful ceramic mug by Yoshinori Takemura, wrap up in biotically dyed linen and cotton towels by Échapper, or brew tea in a traditional Nambu cast iron kettle from Oigen in Iwate Prefecture. The shop also features Japanese igusa tatami mats by Ikehiko and art pieces made with washi paper, creating a calm, tactile environment that blends everyday utility with artistic expression.
CIBONE includes a rotating gallery space at the entrance that highlights up-and-coming Japanese artists. Recent exhibitions have featured leading ceramists such as Teppei Ono from Kochi Prefecture, offering visitors a chance to see contemporary Japanese ceramics alongside curated retail items.
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Dashi Okume, operated by the historic Okume company that has roots in Tokyo’s Tsukiji Fish Market since 1871, specializes in high-quality dashi and seafood products. Dashi, the essential Japanese soup stock, is central to the shop’s mission: visitors can learn about different dashi varieties, the ingredients used, and how each stock functions in Japanese cooking.
Dashi Okume – The Natural Broth Shop – is the first U.S. specialty store dedicated to dashi. It allows customers to custom-order their own dashi blends from roughly 30 ingredient options. Staff follow Okume’s recommended ratios and use specialty equipment to grind and package individualized dashi packs while guests observe the process. The shop also offers ready-made dashi packs, dried fish, miso, and additive-free dashi-soy sauce kits.
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In addition to retail, Dashi Okume provides a casual dining option with bar and table seating. The menu features comforting teishoku-style set meals—such as a grilled salmon teishoku—served with rice, miso soup, pickles, and a main protein, designed to showcase dashi’s role in everyday Japanese cuisine.
The third concept at 50 Norman is HOUSE Brooklyn, which opened in late 2022. Founded by Kyoto native Chef Yuji Tani—who also runs HOUSE Tokyo—this eight-seat Japanese-French restaurant presents a nine-course omakase tasting menu. Chef Tani blends Japanese and French ingredients using French techniques with a Kyoto-style minimalism, producing seasonal dishes that often change daily. Guests sit at a small counter facing the kitchen, watching each course prepared directly by the chef.
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Tucked behind CIBONE, HOUSE Brooklyn occupies a private backroom that can be closed off with a sliding door to create an intimate dining atmosphere. Nagasaka’s design incorporates reclaimed wood salvaged from a demolished Kyoto house, bringing warmth and authentic materiality to the space. That same reclaimed wood appears throughout 50 Norman—in the tables used at Dashi Okume, the shelving at CIBONE, and the counter at HOUSE Brooklyn—connecting the three concepts with a coherent, tactile aesthetic.
By combining modern retail, traditional food craft, and an intimate dining experience, 50 Norman offers a concentrated, personal encounter with contemporary Japanese culture. The team behind the project aims to build lasting relationships between Japanese artisans and the Greenpoint community, creating a vibrant local hub that honors tradition while embracing new expressions.