This is a landscape plan for a private residence and cafe in Chofu, Tokyo. It is surrounded by densely populated residential areas. Originally, there was a typical Japanese house and a Japanese-style garden, but this project involved rebuilding the garden and rebuilding it at the same time. Although the large weeping plum tree in the center of the garden was left intact, the first floor was to be used as a cafe, so the garden was kept simple with just grass and paving. By setting a simple, flat surface, it was thought that the garden would be easy to use for various purposes in the future (in fact, after a few years, shades were added and potted seedlings were lined up in the garden).

The garden was originally surrounded by a block wall, but we wanted to be able to see a glimpse of the cafe from outside, so we demolished the wall and replaced it with a hedge. This may have been a good move, as a few years later the neighbouring house also removed its block wall and replaced it with a hedge of the same species of tree (Japanese winter hazel). We never imagined that the neighbouring properties would respond by growing hedges of the same species of tree, and we were moved by how the landscape between the two neighbours became linked. It was an unexpected and delightful development.