Hi guys, working on my next video on making traditional Japanese "sasarako ita bari" siding for outside the bedroom walls. The project is not complete, and will probably take a few more weeks, so I'll release the video in parts. In the meantime, my friend Steve @RealRuralJapan has been putting out lots of great videos about life running a cafe and farming in rural Japan - check out his latest video! https://youtu.be/2FWs5JTR5M4?si=5-jSu...
Hi guys!
And a warm welcome to new subscribers.
I don't have a new video this month as the only project I've been working on has been the veranda roof (hisashi) of the storehouse (kura) next to the main house. Some of you might know it as the roof that was covered by the blue tarp for a long time. I should hopefully finish this in a couple of weeks (weather permitting), and then produce a video on it.
If you are interested in some content in the meantime, here's an interview I did late last year on various topics about our house!
Cheers,
Jaya
Hi guys, putting together the finishing touches to my next video - hopefully out in the next few days!
In the meantime, check out the YouTube channels from my friends at @RealRuralJapan and @cocolenchojapan. Let's help them get over 1000 subscribers!
You might know Steve (@RealRuralJapan) from a video last year I did on his house and farm in Nagano. He's since set up a YouTube channel where he gives great insight into life in rural Japan and farming here. If he gets over 1000 subscribers he might even buy a new t-shirt.
I met Lawrence from @cocolenchojapan at the Minka Summit in Kyoto last year. I had just driven 9 hours from Ibaraki to the mountains outside Kyoto, arriving at about 6pm on Friday evening during the keynote speech.
After such a long drive I figured I deserved a beer.
I thought the event would go on for a while, but no sooner had I finished my beer, the event ended and we were ushered out. In Japan, the legal limit for alcohol when driving is basically 0, so stuck in the middle of nowhere, rather than drive through the narrow mountain roads to my hotel, I was going to wait in my car for a couple of hours.
Instead, Lawrence and his wife kindly offered me a lift. They were attending the summit as they were thinking about buying a house in Japan.
I was happy to see that they recently found an akiya in a beautiful spot in Yamaguchi Prefecture and are documenting the renovation on YouTube.
Really interesting videos so please check them out, and look out for my new video soon!
Jaya
Happy new year to you all!
At new year’s it’s traditional to hang a “shimenawa” above the genkan to drive away evil. I hope that it drives away the evil that causes me me to edit videos very slowly… I have a couple lined up for early in the new year so look out for them! All the best for 2023!
Jaya
Hi guys, thanks for the all positive feedback on my last video with Alex Kerr on the old Japanese houses in Shikoku! I mentioned during that video that I would show some of the houses in more detail in another video. Well, that video is available to watch on @TokyoLlamaPlus! Now excuse me while I go work on finishing that deck...
Hi guys, looking forward to meeting some of you at next week’s Minka Summit in Kyoto. I’ll be there from Friday to Sunday - my talk is going to be on Sunday at 11am. I’m going to drive down from Ibaraki, approx. 8 hours on the motorway (those tolls…)
Should be very interesting with all the speakers, workshops and tours! I’m particularly interested in learning more about the best way to insulate my roof.
I think there are still some tickets available. If you’re not able to make it there will be videos of the talks available later, I believe.
kominkajapan.org/minka-summit-2022
Hi guys, still in the process of editing my next video.
In the meantime, I recently appeared on the True Tales from Old Houses podcast recently, which was fun to do - you can listen to it here: www.truetalesfromoldhouses.co.... And late last year did a live interview on the Seek Sustainable Japan channel: https://youtu.be/2OCcnOWJJmk.
Also, there’s Tokyo Llama Plus, my second channel, where I'm putting extra/extended, less-edited videos that didn’t make the cut on my main channel. There’s not much content there yet, but I plan to add more shortly. youtube.com/c/tokyollamaplus
For those who want even more (?!), there’s also my Patreon where I have bonus videos and occasional blog posts, as well as monthly Q&A videos. www.patreon.com/tokyollama.
Plus, it's spring, the daffodils are blooming, and the first sakura blossom has appeared!
Jaya
A viewer shared this video with me - instead of $30,000 akiya in Japan, how about this $29 million Japanese style house in the USA? But seriously, what are your thoughts on this house? I think it’s tastefully done, and makes me want to get to work on my Japanese garden, though I probably won’t have the help of an imperial palace garden designer…
https://youtu.be/CRGAmSOEdgE
Hi guys, heads up, particularly for those living in Japan. Kominka Japan is holding its inaugural Minka Summit in Kyoto this April for those interested in information and resources on acquiring, renovating, maintaining or preserving a traditional Japanese style house. They’ve also made the risky decision to invite me as a guest speaker, so see you there if you’re able to make it! kominkajapan.org/minka-summit...
Happy new year to everyone! Thanks for watching my videos this year. More to come in January. Pictured is a shimenawa hanging above our main entrance. It’s usually hung there at new year’s to ward away evil spirits. All the best for 2022!
Hello!
My name is Jaya, I live in southern Ibaraki, just an hour out of central Tokyo, with my wife and our twin boys.
In this channel I'm documenting the process of buying and renovating an abandoned Japanese farmhouse.
I'll also do some videos where I visit other renovations here in Japan, as well as videos on related topics.
I'm originally from Australia, though we lived in London, UK, for about 11 years, until 2017.