This is a book about special structures in Tokyo, known as "pet architecture." They are built in marginal or neglected spaces, such as small traffic islands, awkward triangular strips, or blocks that got chopped up as the city modernized and widened the roads for vehicular traffic. What results are mini-architectures, which Atelier Bow-wow attempts to give a kind of logic through a case study analysis that ranges from an add-on garage to homeless shelters.
For anybody who appreciates the amazing constraints that become moments of extreme creativity, this is a great book. It has everything: nice clear organization, good photographs, and eloquent descriptions that note idiosyncrasies and aesthetic choices. Since the "pets" are listed serially, one can pick up the book, open it to any page, and begin there.