Turning Japanese
I think I'm turning Japanese
I really think so
- David Fenton / The Vapors
We started our journey home with a "short" 11-hour hop to the Northern Hemisphere, landing in Tokyo. We have never been to Asia before, nor do we speak Japanese, so navigating customs, immigration and the railway system proved a bit of a challenge, but one we were up to. Our destination was an 1890's farmhouse in Sano, Tochigi Prefecture. Good friends from my years living in Hawaii purchased this country home 2 years ago and have spent virtually every week-end since then bringing a new luster to an old property.
Paul and Kim spent two years looking for just the right place, researching over 300 properties online and personally visiting more than 30. The 125 year-old farmhouse they eventually purchased had a great location in a town they liked. It had been continuously occupied over 90 years by three generations of the same family. It sits on 3000 sqm (3/4 acre) and the yard was unkempt, overgrown, choked with bamboo, and surrounded by crumbling walls. Inside, every room was stuffed to over-flowing with a century's worth of accumulated junk and detritus.
The owner had offered to have the house emptied and the contents hauled off to the junkyard but they decided to buy the property "as is", including everything inside. As they cleared the space, room by room over a period of months, they discovered hidden treasures and pieces of Japanese history. There were photos, personal letters, textiles, and art work. Furniture pieces over 100 years old came to life under Paul and Kim's careful restoration. Paul has a long-standing interest in wood-working and shows a fine touch with hand tools, producing beautiful pieces of art and furniture, but his skills will be challenged by this house for at least another decade. Kim has shown an incredible patience and subtle hand restoring other aspects of their home.
Kim's uncle Oji-san visited them in October of last year. He is a master carpenter and showed Paul some of the older joinery techniques built into their house. They pulled up the floor boards and inspected the foundation of the house. It is of two styles; the "newer" one using entire logs for beams. The neighbors have been quite appreciative of Kim and Paul's efforts. They stop by often to bring gifts from their gardens, or just for a visit and a chat.
Neighbour Warita-san stopped by for a visit with Oji-san. Oct 2016. Photo P. Fradale
Oji-san shows how it's done. 100 yo hand-cut joinery. Photos P. Fradale
Inspecting the floor-boards and foundation. Oct 2016. Photos P. Fradale/K. Fradale
While much of what was left in the house was eventually hauled off to the landfill, Kim and Paul have spent much of their time restoring and preserving the history of the house and of its former owners. They have painstakingly cared for furniture, artwork and textiles, and the letters and photos documenting the family's life and experiences. They found a packet of post-cards from the pre-war years, dozens of photos chronicling the life of the family from the early 1900s through to the 1970s, and even WWII artifacts and newspapers. They aren't just restoring an old home, they are preserving history.
There is so much work to be done on the house, and they have big plans for more than just the basics. Kim thanked us for "camping" with them, but it was so much more than just camping. It has already become a home. You can see it in the little touches of restoration and the care they both have taken with exacting detail. Kim must have spent hours replacing the paper on all the sliding doors and cabinet doors and they have turned out beautifully ... fresh and clean but not in any way out of place.
Aunt Yuki and Takako sort through the kimono in the kiritansu. Photo P. Fradale
Two of the dozens of personal letters and post-cards Kim and Paul have found. Photos P. Fradale
The first photo is from 1913, the second from 1918. Photos permission P. Fradale
Hayakawa Heijuurou just after the war and 1950's in the garden in front of the house. Photos permission P. Fradale
Hayakawa-san as a young man and in the 1970s with his grandson. Photos permission P. Fradale
Paul and Kim described with obvious passion their successes and future plans for their amazing home. They treated us to fantastic food, wine, and company. They also showed us their surrounds, including a trip up to Nikko and Chuzenjiko/Oze Nat'l Park. At Chuzenjiko we chased waterfalls and went for a walk near the lake. We saw an elusive venomous snake, deer, and wild monkeys. Paul promised us a short 5k walk back to the car park. Our tired legs and sore feet hinted at something much different. Once we got back, it was confirmed that our "short" walk was actually 9.7k.
Yamakagashi (venomous colubrid). Photos RGH
Sano is located in Tochigi Prefecture, approximately 70 km north of Tokyo. It isn't very big (pop 118K) and it is best known for its outlet mall, but like many smaller cities it has a number of hidden gems, including Isoyama Benzaiten Temple. It is also historically well known for its local variety of ramen. We didn't get a chance to try the ramen, but we did take a bicycle ride to the temple. The temple is thought to have been built during the Kamakura Period (1185-1333), or possibly during the Heian Period (794-1185). It is somewhat unusual in that it is protected by a snake deity rather than dragons.
After a too short week-end in Sano, we were off to Tokyo for the night. We went to the (in)famous(?) robot restaurant for dinner and a show. It was bizarre, and weird, and loud, and an absolutely amazing spectacle. I would highly recommend it ... bring ear-plugs. We ate a traditional Japanese breakfast at our ryokan, then headed for the airport.
If you ever find yourself in Japan, having friends with a 100+ year-old farm house in the countryside and a taste for fine whiskeys and wine might be to your advantage.
Arigatou ...
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