Yutaka Kawakami knew hardly anything about Claude Monet until 12 years ago, but the 53-year-old has now won a French award for his re-creation of the painter's cherished garden.
"It's my personality and I just couldn't give up easily," the 53-year-old said of the difficulty he faced transplanting Monet's garden in Giverny, near Paris, into the very different environment of Kochi Prefecture.
Kawakami was honored for his work with the rank of Chevalier in the French Order of Arts and Letters.