Our new shop will open in the Netherlands. With a message for the new location, the concept of this
table came from the fact that the Netherlands consists of flatlands (lowlands) and has no mountains.
I used to live in Europe as a student and did not go back to Japan. When reminiscing about Japan, I
realized one thing: unlike in Japan, no mountain can be seen in the sceneries of the Netherlands and
Northern Germany. In local cities and rural areas in Japan, except in some parts of large cities such
as Tokyo and Osaka, mountains can be seen from anywhere. For example, the Daisetsu mountains
in Asahikawa, Hokkaido, the Asahi mountain range in Tohoku, and the Rokko mountains in Kobe can
be viewed. All Japanese people perhaps have such mountains in their native places. When returning
to the place and seeing unchanged mountains after dozens of years (actually hundreds or thousands
of years from a standpoint of mountain history), people must feel nostalgia. With the exception of
Mt. Fuji, the mountains in Japan can be called archetypal scenery of Japan.
In addition, nature is traditionally incorporated in gardens and the indoors, and is cherished with a
playful mind in the Japanese culture. In gardens, combinations of natural stones, grasses, and trees
are expressed, resembling sceneries and the universe. Scenes in nature are painted on walls/doors
of Japanese-style rooms, and wall scrolls, flowers, bonsai, or stones called suiseki decorate alcoves.
Such arrangements integrating nature are an expression of hospitality for special guests. For this
product, we desired to create mountains on a table in a modern living space, instead of suiseki. This
was how the idea of a cabinet or a table with mountains was born. This table was made as the first
product. Specific existing mountains were intentionally avoided. Since making specific areas or
mountains would only provide memories and recollections to limited people, 1,000-2,000m-high,
commonly seen mountains in Japan were used. It expresses gentle Japanese mountains with
smaller elevation differences, instead of the mountains in Switzerland, Canada, and Northern Europe
with steep peaks.