Vegetable Peeler Japanese Style

I mentioned last week on my blog that I was on a hike between the towns of Magome and Tsumago in the Kiso Valley. Traditionally these steep hillside villages did not have a mains water supply like most large towns and cities and so they relied on water from rivers channelled along the side of the main village footpath.

I noticed this in the water channel and waited to see what it was for...

Then along came this lovely lady with a big grin on her face watching me watching her! She smiled then turned around and removed the device from the water and opened up a flap on the side. Out popped loads of small peeled potatoes. What a great idea! Fantastic no more peeling, let the water do it for you!

These channels have been used to supply water for everything in the village from the filling of outside kitchen sinks, laundry & washing, water storage for fire fighting for the timber houses as well as some novel uses like the Japanese potato peeler!

Have fun.

Natural Wall Decoration Ideas :: Leaves

I have just got back from my travels but have so much more to tell you about the interesting things I found around Japan. 

Interiors in Japan appear to take on a more natural tone with the use of light coloured finishes, natural finishes like timber and tatami flooring and indoor / outdoor garden courtyard views.

One interesting concept was the use of nature for decoration which I discovered whilst on a hike between the towns of Magome and Tsumago in the Kiso Valley. I stumbled across this cute store that literally brought nature into the environment by using dried leaves stuck to the wall for decoration adding warmth to the room. 

To keep the leaves in place on the rough plaster surface it looked like they had been added to the wall whilst the paint was still wet but on closer inspection I found that they had also repaired a few with double sided sticky tape. Still, saves on buying wall paper or wall decals!

Have fun.

Small House Design :: A Japanese Open House

Whist on my way to a few sightseeing areas in Kyoto I noticed an "Open House" sign. I was not too sure of the protocol in Japan but decided to wander in anyway!

This particular house was a newly built townhouse designed by Slink Architects and took up a tiny parcel of land on a side street in the famous Gion area of Kyoto. I was unable to take photos but have found a similar house in design and layout by the same architects in a similar location.

The thing that surprised me was how narrow the house was and how small all the rooms were in comparison to the kitchen / living area. Each of the sleeping areas were just large enough for double / queen size futon to be laid out on the floor when it came time to go to sleep. 

To compensate for the building's small size the internal space, including the sleeping areas were mainly open plan and the architect had made the best use of natural daylight by opening up one end of the building onto the garden.

A light timber (pine) was also used for the wall and floor finishes and storage was built-in to any available corner or space.

I was so amazed at how small living spaces were when I first came to Japan but now that I have been here for a while I am getting used to them. With smaller living spaces also comes less furniture and so the interior architecture works harder to give a home more identity and a feeling of space!

Have fun.

No Shoe Policy in Japan :: The Benefits of Leaving Your Shoes at the Front Door

Did you know that shoes are not worn in Japanese homes? 

When I first arrived in Japan one of my first cultural experiences was to remove my shoes in the entrance hallway (called a Genkan), place my shoes on a storage shelf and then put on some complimentary slippers before stepping up into the house.

A Japanese Genkan - notice the lower entrance area and cupboard for storage of shoes.
image via housenary

Japanese house slippers available for guests to use

Typical Ryokan (Japanese Guest House) entrance
image via you in japan

Whilst I thought this was a great idea as it prevents dirt being brought into the home or damage to floor finishes it is also a very important expectation of social etiquette and cleanliness in Japan. 

There are quite a few house design principles that are present in older Japanese homes that are generally not seen in Australian homes. Some of these are:

• Tatami mats (made from rice straw) for the floor finish in the main living, dining and sleeping areas.
• With a tatami floor you sit on cushions on the floor and NOT on chairs (no lounges or sofas).
• Similarly with sleeping, you sleep on futon mattresses spread out on the tatami flooring and NOT in a western style bed.

I will highlight some of these differences in more detail in future posts.

A Japanese dining room with tatami flooring
image via blimi

Futon mattresses spread out on tatami flooring. When you wake the matresses are stored in the surrounding built-in wardrobes 
image via marumura

When you are spending a lot of time on the floor it is so important to keep the floor clean and a "no shoe policy" does just this as well as protecting the delicate tatami flooring. Also when mattresses, pillows and cushions are stored away a room takes on a minimalist feeling of calm with everything hidden from view when not used.

Most of us have a natural flooring of some sort whether it be timber, an expensive wool rug or natural stone. If we could implement this policy in our homes there would be so many benefits:

• Less washing, vacuuming and cleaning of floors, rugs and carpets
• Less damage to timber floors, carpets & rugs from heals, dirty shoes and stains
• Less dust in the house for allergy sufferers
• Less noise for our neighbours
• Cleaner floors for children to play on

Personally I would like to implement a "no shoes policy" when I return. As this is not the cultural norm in Australia I will let you know how this goes with my friends and family!

In the meantime I would love to hear of your stories if you have tried to implement this in your home.

Have fun.