“From the outside, @Torii may look like an ordinary cafe, where waiters disguised in fox masks rush cakes and coffees from one table to another on their trays. But if you look really closely, you might notice something strange… Cups fall, curtains and tablecloths move by themselves.
@Torii is a meeting place, enter the gate and be brave..
When you pass through the gate, you end up in a completely different world, the spirit world. You see the true nature of Torii waiters: benevolent fox spirits we call zenkos. They may not always understand the world we know, but they try their best and protect us from the evil spirits.”
What is @Torii?
@Torii is a combination of multiple traditional Japanese themes: a themed cafe where you are happily welcomed by a group of Zenkos who act as the cafe waiters. They will escort you safely to your table and take care of you throughout your visit. The cafe offers a variety of snacks and delicious drinks to brighten up your day in the midst of the hustle and bustle of the event. During your visit, you’ll be able to play games and take polaroids with the Zenkos, maybe even see some magic!
You can follow the preparations for @Tori on Instagram @torii_at_kotae.
Theme
The inspiration for our theme comes from the well-known O-inar and his messenger foxes. O-inari is a god who appears in three forms: male, female and androgynous. As a rule, O-inari works as a protector of rice, tea, success and blacksmiths. He is probably best known for the white fox spirits who act as O-inari’s protectors and messengers. These benevolent fox spirits are also called Zenkos.
Zenko application
The search for the cafe foxes, or Zenkos has finished for the summer 2024! The applications can be sent through Kompassi (our volunteer recruiting site), and the application can be attached to the open text field as a link. The form of the application is open to you, so you can, for example, make it as a slideshow or shoot us a video. We will give you a few example questions closer to the application time to make the application easier.