Ten years ago when Jacob Reiner, an eco-home designer from Cornell University, first found the village, he fell in love with it and decided to restore the homes one by one. Since then his Eden Homes team has been diligently repairing the homes and bringing in families to create new life in the village.
Jacob’s team preserves the traditional feel of the minka homes while creating modern comforts and safety. Double paned windows are added to fill the homes with sunshine, while keeping in warmth, walls are thickened with insulation to stop air leaks and yukadan (floor heating) are installed to make the homes warm even on the coldest winter nights.
This spring they completed the reform of a 150 year old thatched-roof house which sits at the very top of the village with views of Lake Shoji. The exterior of the home is elegantly Japanese, with oni (gargoyle) statues on the roof and a small koi (carp) pond in the garden. But upon entering one is amazed to find a light-filled, modern kitchen with an open plan and hardwood floors which opens onto a deck overlooking the gardens. The large hikoki (cedar) bath gives one the feeling of being in an onsen (hot spring). An irori (sunken hearth) in the middle of the house sits in a room filled with antiques. Along the eastern face of the home runs an engawa (low veranda) with large sliding glass doors to let the morning light into the private tatami (straw mat) rooms. Most spectacular is the upstairs loft with 3 meter ceilings and the old hand-tied beams still exposed.
For more information on these kominka homes and the nearby Earth Embassy Organic Farm and Guesthouse, visit their website at www.earthembassy.org
Want to buy your own restored kominka home? For sales information or to arrange a viewing, call Jacob on 090-9346-3774.
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