5月8-9日に和歌山の
山口暁さんと
洋子さんを訪ねました。去年10月に善了寺でのストローベイルワークショップに参加してくれました。DIYで自分の自宅をストローベイルで建てたいと思っていて、呼んでくれました。しかし、自分の住宅を建てる前に、練習としてかなり大きい八角形ストローベイルハウスを建てています。ところで、二人ともセンスがとても良くて、暁さんが舞台照明の職人さんで、洋子さんがアーティストです。
May 8-9 visited
Akira and
Yoko Yamaguchi in Hashimoto City, Wakayama Prefecture. I first met Akira last October during Zenryoji's straw bale workshop. He's currently preparing to build his home using straw bales asked me to help with the project. Before building his dream straw bale home, he's first sharpening his bale skills by building a octagon straw bale structure. Both Akira and Yoko have great artistic sense. Akira is a stage lighting professional and Yoko is an artist.
現場へ通っているのが大変だったので、現場で泊まれる畳ハウスを建てました。その場の竹で構造を組み立てて、古畳を断熱材として再利用して、そして、現場 から数キロしか離れてない泥んこ屋さんの土で壁を仕上げました。とても素敵な畳ハウスです。一泊泊まらせていただいて、畳の断熱効果を実感しました。
In order to avoid having to commute to the work site, Akira-san built a small building using bamboo harvested from the site, old tatami mats, and local soils. The structure of the building is assembled with bamboo. Tatami mats are traditionally used as flooring in Japan. The core consists of rice straw and the surface is finished with split rushes (Juncus).
暁さんは川口さんの自然農もやっています。
Akira-san also practices natural farming as taught by Kawaguchi-san.
椎茸の丸太も準備しました。
We also prepared Shitake mushroom logs by drilling holes and implanting Shitake spores.
歩いて30分ぐらいのところに竪穴式住居に住んでいて、素晴らしいカフェを経営している3人の家族がいます。カフェはツリーハウスみたいに眺めが最高です。竪穴式住居は普通の住宅と同じように電気とガスがあります。
Within a 30 minute walk from Akira and Yoko's land is a fascinating cafe and home. The cafe is built almost like a tree house with a fantastic view. The home is modeled after the prehistoric home common to Japan called Tateanashikijukyo. However, unlike the prehistoric homes, this one has electricity and gas.
Brick rocket stove and heat bench designed by architect Tadashi RYOKAWA at Dacha Cafe in Karuizawa, Nagano Prefecture.
May 13 visited Takayuki Nagao's exhibit at the "Store", a unique clothing store in Tokyo. I met Taka in Australia while studying permaculture. The exhibit featured scarfs dyed by Taka using cherries and cherry tree leaves. The cherries are grown by a friend of Taka in Yamanashi, and the fabric consists of cotton and linen organically grown overseas and woven in Japan.
