Adam was our webmaster and farm volunteer from April to June of this year. But just because he left the Earth Embassy does not mean he packed up and went back home to New York. After leaving Japan, Adam went to beautiful Krabi, Thailand where he is spending the summer doing an internship with the Fah Diow Foundation, in addition to getting rid of his authentic farmer's tan (pictured above) at the areas vast number of beaches and islands. With Fah Diow, Adam's role will involve improving the website, training staff, and helping with the organizations media projects from a technical and creative standpoint.

The Earth Embassy wishes Adam much luck and success and we hope to see him again. And if you ever need any work done on the web, check out his website!

Our 100 year old Okura at the Shojiko House was built as a store-house for the family treasures. The 12 inch soil walls have lasted through years of earth quakes and fires, but were falling apart from a small hole in the roof. When the pro roofers wanted 1,000,000yen for a new roof, we decided to do it ourselves. Hitoshi and Jake are here on the roof laying the boards and getting ready for the paper and steel roofing. It costs us about 400,000yen in the end, and we had a good time up on the roof with the cool breezes and birds keeping us company.

Leader (Yasu), our cabinet maker, and Watanabe from our local lumber yard, getting ready a Keyaki tree which we are cutting and planing for the kitchen counters in the Shojiko reform. As much as possible we are using local trees which are sustainably harvested from the area forests.

Just a few more of Adam Shane's amazing photos for our colletcion. The May 4 & 5 festival was a great sunny experience for all who came. Hope you make the next one!!!

Mana and her son Harley have finally moved up to Mt Fuji full-time to help establish the Eden Farm School's new science programs. Congratulations on the new house!

Shimizu Kuniaki, a very famous Japanese comedian, stopped by at our Eden Kids Festival to demonstrate his amazing chain saw carving for the kids. He took a big log and in about 15minutes a big smiling girzzly bear appeared! Shimizu went home pretty soon, he is busy building his own treehouse to live in nearby. But the Bear stayed! Come by to visit, and be sure to bring some berries for him.

Eden Homes is developing a new Eco Home for a piece of land on Lake Saiko with our partners at Platinum. ( platinum1000.com ) After more than a year of planning, we are finally clearing the land and doing the surveying! The lot overlooks the lake and Mt Fuji peaks over Mt Sankodai across Saiko. The house will be semi-underground, built into the hill to keep to warm in winter and cool in summer. Solar and Wind will power the home, and the materials will be a mix of local Japanese lumber and some more high-tech, modern recycled building products. One of our partners at Platinum is from Finland, and it looks like double pane windows wont be enough for her. She is demanding triple pane! We will do our best. Come back soon for updates...

The 150+ year old house we bought last year near Lake Shojiko is almost fully reformed. We have repaired all the roofs, super insulated the house and added double pane windows. It has new cypress floors in the living room and cherry wood floors in the kitchen and dining areas. Two rooms will have heated tatami floors. And the new sunroom on the South side of the house will have a small garden room and a bath looking out on the gardens.

It has been a lot of work so far, but we are finally getting close!