The urban museum, built to preserve for posterity information about azuki bean culture, is surrounded by trees and beside a spring-fed pond. Since azuki cultivation originated in the evergreen forests of eastern Asia, the plan was to surround the edifice with laurel trees.
In Japan, since ancient times azuki have been used on auspicious occasions, at prayers and for religious ceremonies, so the museum's displays reflect the four seasons, the moon and the cardinal directions. The display hall has 12 sides, symbolizing the passage of a year; the building's axes have a north–south, east–west orientation; and at the center of the hall is the 10-fold Azuki Room, the facility's symbol, around which visitors move in a circle.
The brick and exposed concrete exterior blends with the trees and will develop an appealing texture over time.