Boyd completed a first draft of New Directions in Japanese Architecture by the end of March 1968, and set about sourcing around 100 illustrations covering all of the key works cited in-text. To this end he sought the assistance of Paul Hopkins, a young Australian working in the office of Kenzo Tange - in the end most of the architects featured sent photos directly to Boyd, often many more than could be published. Alongside their practical correspondence, Boyd and Hopkins spoke frankly about trends in Japanese architecture; Boyd’s view from afar was more optimistic than Hopkins’ up-close perspective. Writing in May 1968, Boyd praised the appealing idisyncracy in Japanese modernism, comparing it favourably to the sterile techno-rationality he saw in the Australian scene.