Taking on the Challenge of Building a Solar-Powered Log Home Part 2

When the Lowells were contracting for their house, the builders wanted to flatten the lot, remove all rocks, and drain off excess water. However, the Sheppard’s insisted on retaining the terraced landscaping and on keeping and using unearthed rocks, thereby minimizing runoff.

Installing 4.25 KW of solar panels allowed them to go fully electric and implement a ‘no burn’ policy for cooking and heating, and lots of wood and windows provide passive solar energy to warm the house. Double walls ensure the retention of cool in the summer and warmth in the winter.

The house features 450 tsubo (approx. 1,500 m²) of former vegetable garden and orchard. The logs for the house were imported from Finland, a decision that came down to economics. To repay the atmosphere for carbon used in transporting the logs, the Sheppard’s have planted over 300 trees and bushes including kiri, mimosa, sakura, Himalaya pine, and more.

The result of their endeavors is Hillside Place, a highly sustainable, solar-powered log home with clean air, wonderful views and a peaceful atmosphere. Their next project is to build a guest house that is totally ‘off the grid.’ For more info check out www.hillsidebridal.com

Taking on the Challenge of Building a Solar-Powered Log Home Part 1

-----ABOUT-----

Lowell Sheppard is Asia Director of HOPE International Development Agency (www.hope.or.jp), vice-chairman of the CSR Committee, American Chamber of Commerce in Japan (ACCJ), author, speaker, fellow of the Royal Geographic Society, long-distance cyclist, and adventure-seeker. Kande Sheppard is an event producer with a focus on environmentally friendly, outdoor weddings (www.hillsidebridal.com).

Hillside Place, event space and home of Lowell and Kande Sheppard, is located in the hills of North Seto near Nagoya. Lowell is Asia Director of HOPE International Development Agency, which focuses on sustainable development, and Kande is an event producer with a focus on environmentally friendly, outdoor weddings. When designing their eco-home they were committed to blending their shared interests - a home aesthetically pleasing and kind to the planet.

Restored Kominka Homes Combine Modern Comforts with Traditional Design Part 2

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.

Restored Kominka Homes Combine Modern Comforts with Traditional Design Part 1

----ABOUT-----

Jacob Reiner is founder, Chief Designer & COO of Earth Embassy and Eden Homes, an eco-friendly architecture, design & building company. He has 20 years of experience in sustainable design, construction management, eco-technology and agriculture in Hawaii, New York, Canada and Japan. Seewww.earthembassy.org for more info.

If you are wondering where to find a true example of eco-friendly lifestyles, incorporating all the modern catch phrases -- sustainability, organic agriculture, LOHAS and slow life -- the best place to look is actually to the past. Traditional Japanese villages from the Edo period were self-sufficient, completely organic and the homes were built with readily available materials from nearby forests.

One such village that has escaped the hectic development of modern life is a small enclave of traditional Japanese kominka homes on the shores of Lake Shoji in the Fuji Five Lakes region known as Fujigoko. While nearby Lake Kawaguchi and Lake Yamanaka are cluttered with hotels and chain restaurants, Shoji is a quiet, bucolic community where the locals still grow their own edamame (baby soybeans) and make their own miso.

The one street that runs along the small river in the center of the village is filled with classic Japanese homes dating back to the Edo period. The local family restaurant, Kotobuki, is run by a family that has actually been there for three generations. The menu includes wakasagi fish from the lake, pumpkins grown in the garden outside, organic mint tea from the nearby Solar Café & Farm, and venison from the local mountains.

Natural House Project

The Natural House Project is a collaboration between local people and design professionals. The project uses workshops to teach people how to build houses and other objects using natural or recycled materials such as earth, branches, wood and flowers. The project involves a collaboration between a gardener, David Pollard from England, and architectural firm WAKUWORKS (Tomonari Waku and Sae Waku). Started in 2008 it tries to create communication and interaction with people beyond their nationalities and ages, making the most of the differences between each other’s backgrounds, cultures, languages and skills. They have been actively conducting workshops with people around the country using local materials and get inspiration from the uniqueness of each area.

Ecotwaza Volume 10 Release, Today!

We are delighted to announce the release of Ecotwaza Volume 10, entitled 'Generation of Wise Architecture.' Inside we focus about the topic of sustainable buildings and architecture, and of course, the usual virtual showroom for eco-friendly goods from Japan. The magazine is 500 JPY.

If you are in Tokyo, you can get your hands on a copy at the following book stores:

Maruzen Maru-no-uchi Oazo 4F English Books（Tokyo Station）

Yaesu Book Center 2F Business Books（Tokyo Station）

Kinokuniya Shinjuku Branch 4F Environment Corner（Shinjuku or Shinjuku-san-choume Station）

Book First Shinjuku Branch English・Business Magazine Corner（Shinjuku or Shinjuku-nishi-kuchi Station）

246 Books & Travel （Aoyama-icchou-me Station）

Ryusui Book Store Aoyama Branch Aoyama Twin Tower West 2F（Aoyama-icchou-me Station）

Tower Records Shibuya Branch 7F Tower Books（Shibuya Station）

Yurindo Atre Ebisu Branch 5F English Magazine Corner（Ebisu Station）

Yurindo Atre Meguro Branch （Meguro Station）

Mutsugoro Pharmacy （Gaien-mae Station）

Sanyo-do Book Store （Omote-sando Intersection）

National Asabu 2F English Magazine Corner（Hiro Station）

Ryusui Book Store Narita Branch （Narita Airport Station）

Miyamoto Unosuke （Asakusa Station）

Softener is a towels’ worst enemy

Hotman Co., Ltd., founded in 1951, is now one of the few towel companies left operating in the Aume area, famous for bedding, futons and cushions, including za-buton meaning “futon for sitting” in Japanese. Hotman’s sewing plants and its main office are located right across the street from Kosoen Studio, an indigo dyeing shop. Cotton-spinning is the only function that Hotman doesn’t own; from weaving to selling, it makes sure that all production stages operate in Japan for the best quality.

I could not help wondering what exactly are characteristics of towels that define the quality. Is it raw materials, cotton? Does organic cotton make finished products automatically feel better? The answer is NO.

It is work involved in the production process that makes all the difference in the quality of a towel. If a towel is manufactured in the same way, the final feel and texture will be the same.