Please come visit the ALL NEW Earth Embassy website and blog.

We will be updating the new site with news and photos regularly.

Be sure to change this bookmark, as we will be phasing out this existing blog and bringing you all of our new news on the new new site.

http://www.earthembassy.org/earth-embassys/new-blog/

The High Village House at the Shojiko Traditional Village is getting an all new exterior. Our weather proof moisture barrier paper is being laid over insulation, and will be covered with Japanese Sugi cedar siding. The outdated windows have been replaced with double paned sashes and enlarged to open views of the Japanese garden and Lake Shojiko.

Our carpenters have been building thatched roof homes with traditional techniques for the Iyashi Sato Village near Lake Saiko for the last 2 years. Thatched roof was a dying art just 10 years ago in Japan, but the superior comfort, insulating qualities and sustainable nature of the materials has generated a renewed interest in this time tested technique. Learning from the last generation of men who still practice the old methods, our team has become expert at the process and has established a new generation of carpenter who can continue this great tradition.

The new Shojiko Traditional Village restoration project website is up!!!
Featuring photos, videos and the newly finished High Village House. Visit the site for more information on available homes, investment opportunities and to arrange a viewing.

link: Shojiko Traditional Village homepage

The complete restoration of the High Village house in the Shojiko Traditional Village will be finished later this month. We have added a new sunroom to the kitchen, pictured here with our crew of carpenters, investors and volunteers.

You can see more photos and details of the reform on the new Shojiko Traditional Village website

The house is for sale and available for viewing by appointment.
Call Jake Reiner for more info 090-9346-3774.

Our second antique Japanese home will be complete in September 2009, located in the traditional village along Lake Shojiko on Mt. Fuji.

The 150 year old classic farm house sits at the very top of the village with a beautiful little Japanese garden overlooking the village and a view of the lake. The home is being completely redone with a modernized interior, new floor heating system, double glazed windows for insulation, an expansive second floor loft, a new sun-room and deck opening into the garden off of the kitchen, a cedar lined bathroom, and too many fine features to mention.

The house was recently featured on a nationwide TV program called Eco Life.

Watch VIDEO Here ...

The mini documentary aired on BS1 (NHK) in August and featured a tour of the house under construction and interviews with the designer Jake Reiner and the lead carpenter Susumu Watanabe.

Please contact Jake to arrange a viewing.
Tel. 090-9346-3774
Email jreiner@earthembassy.org

The Eden Homes team is nearing completion on our second antique house reform in Shojiko Village. The 150 year old classic farm house we purchased late last year sits at the very top of the village with a beautiful little Japanese garden overlooking the village and a view of the lake. The home is being completely redone with a modernized interior, new floor heating system, double glazed windows for insulation, an expansive second floor loft, a new sunroom and deck opening into the garden off of the kitchen, a cedar lined bathroom, and too many fine features to mention.

The house was recently featured on a nationwide TV program called Eco Life. BS1 (NHK) aired the mini documentary in August and featured a tour of the house under construction and interviews with the designer Jake Reiner and the lead carpenter Susumu Watanabe.

check out the videos online on the Earth Embassy Channel:
http://www.youtube.com/user/earthembassy#play/all

Pictured here is the reform of the second floor loft. We started with a space broken into many small rooms and a fake ceiling covering the classic thatched roof. 3 days of demolition removed the non-original materials and exposed the beautiful hand-hewn beams and grass ropes that were used in the days before nails when the home was built. The team then spent two weeks polishing the old beams to a lustrous finish. We added new large windows to let in more natural light and used double glazed windows for insulation. Then a new ceiling was added to keep the thatch from deteriorating, while leaving exposed the beams and ropework. After wiring the room for lighting and outlets, an insulated floor or 12inch wide cypress floor boards was installed. We are using 100% Japanese lumber in the house to reduce our carbon footprint (no trans-pacific shipping of materials) and to support the sustainable lumber industry in Japan.

The finished product speaks for itself!

The house will be on the market in September. Interested parties should contact Jake at jreiner@earthembassy.com to arrange a viewing.

Our eco-home building partners at Honka and BeBorn let me take this little Italian beauty for a test drive. The fully electric Girasole seats two and had no problem riding around the back roads of Lake Yamanaka as we looked at some land on which to build our next demo eco-home. The top speed is 65 km per hour (41 mp/h) and travels distances of up to a 120 km on a full battery, so it wont be driving us down to Tokyo, but seems good for getting around town and turning a few heads.
At first in trying to figure out the switches, I couldnt get it moving and fully depressed the accelerator quite hard. Then when I finally got it moving, the accelerator was stuck on full speed for a few seconds and I had to grab the emergency break to keep from hitting one of the Honka log homes. So still a few kinks to work out, but generally glad to see these little guys coming on the market.

more info at http://www.treehugger.com/files/2007/01/the_girasole_an_1.php

The designs for the second phase of construction at Lake Saiko are finished. The full featured homes will include an attached greenhouse for growing food in winter and passively warming the house. Jake Reiner has also updated the design to include wind power and a non-chlorine pool that uses a living bio filter to purify the water. A garage was added and the decks have been expanded to provide more outdoor living space. Jake's rendering here shows the house in Kuwarubi Valley at dusk. If you were standing on the deck, you would be facing the sun setting over Lake Saiko with Mt. Fuji behind.

Saiko湖での建設の第2段階の設計を完了している。フル機能の家庭や冬の食べ物成長受動家の温暖化のための添付温室が含まれます。ジェイクライナー以外にも、風力発電とは、水を浄化するための生活のバイオフィルターを使用してプールの塩素を含むようにデザインを更新しました。ガレージが追加された生活空間を提供するために屋外デッキをさらに拡大されている。ジェイクのレンダリングここKuwarubi夕暮れに谷の家を示しています。場合は、甲板には、太陽が山と湖Saiko以上の設定に直面すると立っていた。富士山の後ろに。

The Solar Powered Eco Lodge at Lake Saiko is nearing completion. We hope to have Tak and his family in the house and sitting around the fire by Christmas. The 3KW solar system is on the roof, and will be provide all the energy for the all-electric house, powering the heated floors, hot water boiler, stove, refrigerator, computers etc. Saiko now has high speed fiber optic internet, so we are hoping the residents will spend a little less time in Tokyo and a little more time telecommuting and taking lunch down by the lake.

We sited the house to face directly south to take best advantage of solar gain for heating and electricity production. In the Kuwarubi valley where the house sits, the mountains make the sunset come early in the afternoon, limiting the amount of direct sunlight reaching the home, so we have added a woodstove for extra heating on cold winter days.

The north-west corner of the house is built into the hillside, and the earth covered foundation provides extra insulation for the back rooms and sauna, keeping the house that much warmer in winter and cooler in the summer.

ソーラー電源エコロッジSaiko湖で完成に近づいています。私たちは家の中で徳と彼の家族がいるし、クリスマスまでには、火の周りに座ってほしい。太陽光発電システムは、屋根の上では、 3KWであり、オール電化住宅のすべてのエネルギーを提供される、床暖房の電源供給、温水ボイラー、ストーブ、冷蔵庫、パソコンなどSaikoするので、光ファイバーの高速インターネットしている我々東京では、住民は少し時間が短縮し、もう少し時間を在宅勤務や湖で昼食をして過ごすことを願っている。

私たちは直接、暖房、電力生産の南、太陽の利得を最大限活用するために、家の顔になっ。ここでは、 Kuwarubi渓谷に位置し、家では、山の日没は午後には早くも、直射日光の量を制限する家庭に達するので、寒い冬の日に余分な暖房のための woodstove追加してください。

西、北の家の隅の丘の中腹に、地球を基盤に構築されているカバー裏のお部屋とサウナでは、多くの冬には暖かいと涼しい夏のちっきょ余分な絶縁を提供します。

Our crew of carpenters has been working hard to finish the Saiko Solar house within the year. Tak Norris (second from right) drove up from Tokyo the other day to have a look at the progress and go over some details with the builders. He asked that the kitchen counters be made higher than standard Japanese so that he and his wife wont have to bend so low while cooking. We also added an extra window on the S.E. corner to let more morning light into the breakfast nook and heat that area of the house a bit better. Jake Reiner, the eco designer for the project, is at right with his new Platinum haircut.

Lila, our long time friend from Maui, was at the farm for a little birthday garden party. Lila used to live with her kids on a beach near Jake's tree house and the family organic fruit farm in Haiku. She now lives with her two children and two grandchildren near Yoyogi park and runs a kindergarden for the keikis. We had Champagne and fresh blueberries to celebrate her visit!

The Eden Homes - Saiko Eco Lodges project is finally underway. After three years of planning, designing and preparing land, we broke ground in August and the first home is already framed and had the roof put on yesterday. The home will be a weekend retreat for Tak Norris, his family and his staff at Platinum Ltd.

The home is a passive solar design with an earth sheltered foundation to allow sunlight to heat the home naturally during the day and retain the heat at night. We are using non-toxic, four star rated materials and the interior will be Finnish Pine (Mrs. Norris is from Finland and loves the smell which reminds her of the mountain cabins from her youth) The home is also All-electric, from heating to hot water, which reduces CO2 emissions and will be self powered with our solar panel array on the roof.

The Shojiko Traditional House sold this spring after only 3 months on the market. A very nice family, Mr. and Mrs. Sato are moving to Shojiko from Tokyo with their 10 year old son and 20 year old cat. The son will be attending the local Jr. High School from next April, and the cat will be sleeping in the sunroom most of the time. Mrs. Sato was looking for a countryside home to live more of a LOHAS lifestyle, and fell in love with the Shojiko House the minute she walked in the door. The had 15 guests staying the other weekend, and said there was still room for more in the upstairs loft! The local village is excited to have the Satos joining our little community. They are already making plans to join the miso making this year.

The South facing Sun-Room has heated floors and large windows facing the garden. In addition to being a beautiful place to sit and enjoy the view, the room acts as a solar gain, heating the house during the day.

After a complete 2 year reform, our 150year old home on Lake Shojiko is finally finished and available for viewing to qualified buyers.

Scroll down EDEN ECO HOMES to see more images and details of the house.

For more info and pricing, contact Jacob Reiner, Eden Homes.
tel. 090-9346-3774
jreiner@earthembassy.org

The cedar walls and antique screen in the toilet create a warm atmosphere.

The master bedroom has a heated tatami floor. the view here looks into the living and dining rooms.

The bath room with heated floor tiles looks out into a private garden.

Here is the view from the kitchen looking in to the dining and living rooms. In the back of the house are the two tatami rooms with heated floors. The spiral staircase leads to the second floor loft which is a large open space perfect for a home studio or just relaxing and enjoying the mountain views.

Josh Lieberman came up yesterday to take some photos of the house for us. Here Josh and Yuriko are taking some shots of the garden in front of the Okura. We will be uploading some of his shots as soon as they are ready. He is a perfectionist with his shots so it will be a few days of processing. You can see his architectural, fashion and celebrity shots at www.jil-studio.com

The sunroom on the South side of the house warms up in the mornings. It is a great spot to sit and have your coffee, and actually heats the whole house in the afternoon.

The village on Shojiko is in full fall colors. The weather is getting chilly but our heated floors are in and the house is cozy.

We have added a new sun room to the South side of the Shojiko house to increase the solar gain. This is the concept of passive solar, allowing the sun to warm the house with no additional system or energy input, just wisely placed windows and well insulated rooms. The room warms up in the morning and the heated air rises to warm the rest of the house. The room also has a heated floor for those cloudy days. And it is a great place to sit and have your morning tea while looking out at the birds in the garden!

The second floor at Shojiko is finished. Double pane arch windows look out over the village and the 1200 year old Cypress tree next to the Shinto Shrine. The ceiling, walls and floor have been doubled in thickness to accommodate extra insulation which keeps the room warm on the clodest of days. The south wall (not showing in picture) also has four new windows to let in sunlight and additional natural warmth for the room. The new flooring is finished with a non-toxic, vapor free sealant from Livos.

The house is 65 tsubo(216m2) with 2 tatami rooms, a sunroom, large bath with private garden and a huge loft space.
The land is 198 tsubo (658m2), and includes garden space, a guest house, parking, an attached dog house and lots more.

For more info contact info@earthembassy.org

Our small thatched roof shinto shrine in Shojiko is over 350 years old. Twice a year the men of the village gather to decorate the Shrine to honor the local gods and pray for the safety and prosperity of the village for the coming year.

Here is the new custom built Keyaki counter in the kitchen. Below is the log that we bought and sculpted the counter from. The Keyaki is harvested sustainably in Japan. Go local!!!

The finished product

The uncut log

Our reform is coming along and the house should be available from mid October. Leader (Yasu Kuwabara) is our main cabinet maker and pictured here planning the kitchen. Below you can see our new Cherry Floor, Italian tiles in the kitchen, and custom made Keyaki counter.

NOW

BEFORE

No classic Japanese house is complete without a "goba" pine to protect the entrance. We got ours at a local nursery and borrowed a truck from the Solar Cafe landlords to plant it. Stone work by Watanabe Masao and Shoji.

After months of planning and construction, the bath is finally in. Note the Italian tile work.

Earth Ships are passive solar houses built from recycled materials.
Mainly in the Southwest area of the US, they are beautiful, functional, low cost homes that can be owner designed and built. Check out this video....

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.

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!

Eden provides Eco Homes in the form of modern self contained village developments. We plan and build secure communities that have independent wind and solar electricity generation, on-site farms for food production and state-of-the-art communication facilities. Located in quiet natural areas within easy access to urban financial centers, Eden villages are the ideal housing solution for modern commuters wishing to live a healthier more relaxed lifestyle.

Fore further information, please visit our website.