The Man of the Woods Builds Houses in the Trees

Takashi Kobayashi, founder of the Japanese company Tree House Creations, is fascinated by the vitality and aura of trees. He explains how, back in 1994, somewhere on a narrow street in Tokyo’s Harajuku district, the beauty of a Himalayan cedar inspired him to build his first cabin. Prior to that, he points out, he had never managed to execute a project successfully.

Architecture, design and assembly, Kobayashi learns on the job, his knowledge and skills growing with each new creation. Integrating a little house into a lofty environment is more complex than it might first appear, because as well as taking the tree’s history into account, it is particularly important to plan for its future. Once Kobayashi has absorbed the spirit of the place, the process begins: it lasts around six months, and at the end, a hut will be nestled in the greenery.

Kobayashi acknowledges that making holes in trees to insert bolts is not the most ecological activity imaginable, but explains that he wants to raise awareness of the need to protect the environment. He gives classes and shares his experience as the “man of the woods”. Alongside this, Tree House Creations continues to make dreams a reality for those grown-up children who will never be too old to climb trees.