His mailbox in Kikoba, where the town of Hayama meets Yokosuka City in Kanagawa Prefecture, reads "toco," the Portuguese word for log. Lengths of bamboo lean against an outside wall.
Machines inside Atelier Roberto stand silent, but only because a major project has just been completed. Roberto Takeyama points out that the machinery is ancient, but perfectly good.
"The table saw is a baby at 15. As for the 30- or 40-year-old jointer, it likes to play me up, give me headaches, but does great work when it wants to."