Moriyama & Teshima Planners Limited designed the open air Canada Garden to convey the feeling of space that is so abundant in Canada and has such a powerful impact on Japanese visitors. Located at the building's fourth floor, the Garden is accessed by an outdoor escalator that rises through the trees of the neighbouring park. Here is the Embassy's official entrance and the meeting place of the people of the two countries.

Clearly visible beyond the glass walls that contain the entry lobby, the Canada Garden underlines the contrast between the two cultures that extends even to physical geography. On one side, visitors view the serene and timeless beauty of a traditional Japanese garden. On the other side is the rugged and wild Canadian landscape characterized by the Canadian Shield. The story of the Canadian Shield unfolds around the perimeter of the fourth floor, depicting the forests, lakes, prairies, mountains, and rivers from which the Canadian experience is drawn.

Along the northern edge of the terrace, three stone mounds representing the Rockies rise from the floor. A bronze sculpture emerges from a pool of water, a symbol of the invisible linkages between the two cultures. Finally, the Shield disappears below the water's surface and Canada is left behind. Visitors are led across the Pacific via a series of stepping stones, through a stone portal and into a Japanese garden.

Reportedly the second most visited new site in Tokyo when it opened in 1993, the Embassy receives 10,000 visitors each month, and the Canada Garden has become a favourite lunch spot for Tokyo office workers.

Awards:
+ Japan Architects' Association Top Honour Award
+ Shimizu Corporation, President's Award
+ Architectural Institute of Japan, "Architecture of the Year"