A Briton from Bristol spent 13 years turning his barren yard into a thriving Japanese garden after he admired a Japanese garden he saw while on holiday in a British city.

Martin Fitton, 54, from Brislington, Bristol, fell in love with Japanese gardens after visiting them for the first time on holiday in Dorset in 2009.

Over the past 13 years, he has tirelessly renovated his garden, which now has an oasis that looks like it was plucked straight from Tokyo. Over the past five years, he has invested around £8,000 into improving his garden.

Martin built his own traditional cafe, a pool, and added concrete lighting to the garden for tea parties on campus with his wife, Cindy, 54. His garden earned him many admirers, including many Japanese, who admired the man’s dedication to his work.

When Martin first moved into his Bristol home in 2001, his two children, Reece and Vanessa, were young, so he installed climbing frames and summerhouses in his yard for them to enjoy.

Years later, when he was on holiday in Dorset in 2009, he visited the Japanese garden at Compton Acres for the first time. Falling in love with Japanese gardens for their peace and tranquility, he set about transforming his backyard into a Japanese garden.

Over the next few years, Martin transformed his backyard, adding a garden, pavilion, and Japanese pergola. He built everything himself except the patio and concrete lighting, which he hired professionals to do.

As there was no internet at the time, Martin initially created the park using magazine photos, but as the internet became more available, he was able to find more inspiration to complete his work.

Martin made Japanese friends as a result of building his garden, and although he never visited Japan in his lifetime, he was deeply impressed by Japanese culture. Martin and his wife plan to travel around Japan in the next few years, according to the British Daily Mail.