JAPAN'S BEST-DESIGNED RESEARCH LABS
© Daikin Industries (official website)Japan's best-designed research labs
34 company research labs chosen for their architecture and interiors, from a lab with log desks in Kyoto to a noodle maker's research centre shaped like the blade that cuts noodles. Every fact comes from the company's own page or its architect's project page.
Can you visit a research lab?
Most of these labs are working sites, closed to the public — enjoy them in the official photos and from the street. A few have a museum, café or tour you can go to, some by booking. Read visiting research labs in Japan for what you can and cannot do.
Collections
Labs grouped by area, by industry and by design theme
7 labs
Research buildings by Takenaka Corporation
Takenaka Corporation, one of Japan's big general contractors, designs and builds many corporate research…
5 labs
Research labs in Japan with spaces you can visit
Most research labs are working sites closed to the public. These five have a part you can actually go into: a…
13 labs
The labs behind brands you know
Suntory, Nissin, Kewpie, Yakult, Shiseido, Sony, Yamaha, Panasonic, Nikon, Calbee, Morinaga and Mizuno: where…
5 labs
Research labs of food and cosmetics makers
Drinks, instant noodles, mayonnaise, probiotics and cosmetics: the interiors of the labs behind products you…
10 labs
Research labs of Japanese manufacturers
Air conditioning, electronic parts, windows, control equipment, analytical instruments and musical…
6 labs
Research labs of drug, chemical and materials makers
Bases for researching new medicines and materials, each with its own way of linking laboratories to places to…
Featured labs
Research labs with standout architecture
A 48,000 m² R&D hub where engineers gather across departmental walls
A round co-creation space themed on a harbour
A one-floor office that sparks conversation among 370 people
A single large workplace where researchers from different fields come together
The Nest, an all-timber building with no columns thanks to wooden trusses
A 60 × 120 m open-plan office and a “promenade of information”
A co-creation space for researchers with a bamboo courtyard and coffee
A knowledge area on a mezzanine where people and technology meet
New on LABMILL
The latest labs we have added
A lab where three-level bridges create a “circulation of knowledge”
A sports research building with an all-weather running track inside
Louvres shaped by the sun's path, and curved offices with wide views
A 48,000 m² R&D hub where engineers gather across departmental walls
A round co-creation space themed on a harbour
A one-floor office that sparks conversation among 370 people
A single large workplace where researchers from different fields come together
The Nest, an all-timber building with no columns thanks to wooden trusses
How to read this site
Three things we do on every page
Each page follows the lab in the order you would see it: the entrance, the shared spaces, the laboratories and the building outside.
Each page links to the company's official careers page, for researchers and engineers thinking about working in Japan. For the few labs with a museum or café open to the public, we add hours, booking and directions.
Architects, materials and visiting rules come from official pages. If something is not published, we say so instead of guessing.
