I am an anthropologist who has been working in Kyoto since 2005 and living in Japan since 1997.
I am interested in design and ecology, solar systems and forestry. Building a new house on this plot of land is an opportunity to get to know what historical and contemporary Japan has to offer the carbon-neutral builder.
I have been renting a house up in a small mountain community between Kyoto and Lake Biwa.
The house I have been renting was built in the late 70s by a Japanese architect and I have grown into the place and feel at home here in the mountains.
While the house I rent is great, I have longed for some nice views over the lake and the surrounding mountains which my current place doesn't have. I have been keeping an eye out for property in the same community for the whole time I have been here (with or without an existing house on it); a property that has sweeping views and feels part of the mountains rather than part of the development.
At last, around a year ago a friend drew my attention to a plot that I had long admired (no house on it) that had suddenly come up for sale. Managing to secure the plot with a deposit (negotiations through the real estate agent and owner) I put my finances in order, took ownership and now begins the process of designing and building. The house will be a "self-build" but I will be drawing on the help of many many people (professionals included) all of which I hope to acknowledge here in the blog along the way. Who knows, even YOU might end up in the acknowledgements!!!
So, thanks for stopping by. Although I hope this blog might be useful for others who may follow a similar path, it is, selfishly, more for me. I hope this blog will help bring my ideas and those I gather together in one place and that it will serve to document the largest project of this type I will possibly undertake. As I write I have no firm idea on what kind of building will go on the land, or any concrete concept of landscaping, materials, construction techniques etc.
So, here goes, hope you will enjoy the journey with me!
