Yoko set up as an independent designer in Tokyo in 1997. She found that she needed more space and the tranquillity to concentrate on her creativity, so in 2001, she moved to Oita-Prefecture. After living in Kunisaki and Beppu, she finally came to Taketa, where she opened her Yoko Takeshita Gallery House. Her sensitive and original knitwear and other items are now exhibited and sold in exclusive boutiques and galleries throughout Japan.