October 2009

Eden Homes – Pre-fab Ver. 2

Wow! I did this new sketch in about 2 hours. Josh has convinced me to make the shift in software to Sketch-up. The whole world of design just shifted to a global community! It’s becoming an open-source planet very quickly.

Eden Homes – Pre-fab Urban Eco Home

A project that has been slowly simmering for the last few years in finally getting close to reality. We just got funding and are starting construction on our demo “Mini Eco Home” which will be based on a shipping container format for strength, durability, mobility and affordability. The model will be ready in Spring 2010 at the Lake Saiko Lodges location with small farm lots for sale. We are also talking to partners about building a demo site with rentals in Tokyo in the coming year.

Insulating Pipes at High Village House

Masaru, ever dilligent, is here wrapping the pipes in the wall with heated tape to keep us from ice skating in the bathroom all winter. This wall will also be fully insulated and hold our sink vanity and washing machine in the cedar changing room.

Proud Mama!

Congratulations Na-chan, it’s a ZUCHINNI!!!

The 2009 Mint Harvest

The weather this year was irratic; dry in the rainy season, wet all August, lots of Japanese beetles, and our mint loved it all! Another stellar harvest year, the mint was the first green in the fields in April when the snow still lay in the shadows, and now nearing frost it is still going strong and we are picking fresh young leaves for drying every day. We hope to pull 30kg from the main field. The Spearmint seems especially flavorful this season. Visit this page for Mt Fuji Natural Teas ordering.

Harvest Festival Puppet Show

Ko was the Moon, Natsuco was the Pepper, Jake was the Sun, and Eli played the organ….and they all made the garden grow! Our little fall event was pleasant with Mother and Child Yoga in the morning taught by Tomo-chan from Fuji Yoga. Lunch was pizza the children made from vegetables they picked in the garden. And the puppet show was spectacular! Special thanks to the volunteers and Natsuco for making it all happen and working on those paper-mache puppets all week and still keeping the cafe (mostly) clean.

First snow on Fuji!

The autumn colors this year are shaping up to be spectacular. One of my forestry professors at Cornell has postulated that high rainfall years seemed to induce better fall foliage, and after a torrential August this summer, we seem to be getting some benefit at last. Snow covered Fuji for the first time this season a few mornings ago as we went out to the mint fields to harvest our 2009 bumper crop. The herbs are drying well with the crisp fall weather and this years teas look to be our best blend yet.

Our first peanuts are HUGE!!!

This is the first year we have grown peanuts, with apparent great sucess! Have you ever seen a bigger peanut?

Farming with Kitten

Kou Okuma, our newest assistant joined us in the fields today for a bit of fall harvesting. Kome, the kitten abandoned on our doorstep last week also helped out by catching some crickets.

New windows and weather proofing

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.

Mint, Basil and Parsley take center stage

We found the best drying space for our herbs is in a well lit and aerated space. 5 days drting on our stage our herbs are crisp and green and ready for packaging. Move over Elvis, Mr. Mint is here!

The most beautiful pepper of 2009 award goes too…

Japanese Thatched Roof Team

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 tradtion.

Annual Rooftop BBQ

The Earth Embassy’s investment and marketing group met for our annual Autumn BBQ on the roof of JIL-Studio next to the Tokyo 4 Seasons.  Our long time advisor Jay Graves flew in from Australia,  leaving the Arete anchored in Brisbane Harbor to join us  for the weekend gathering. Niel Garscaden, our Tokyo media consultant, also attended. Many thanks to our gracious hosts, Yuriko Kobayashi and Josh Lieberman.  Visit this link to see Josh’s cutting edge architectural photography.  JIL-Studio

Shojiko Traditional Village

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.

Suxin, Eli & the Mint

Suxin and Eli are interns at the Solar Cafe and Mt Fuji Mint Tea Farm. They have joined the team from Skidmore College in Saratoga for three months and are doing amazing work keeping our farm growing. Eli has been cooking amazing Lentil burgers for us in the evenings and Suxin is our resident philosopher.

Nagashima Wedding

We had our 4th wedding at the Solar Cafe this weekend. Our old friends Mr and Mrs Nagashima brought over 100 friends and family to our farm for the weekend. Despite a brief squall just as the bride was about to walk the candle lit aisle, the wedding was a beautiful affair and we were honored they chose to have it with us.

Wild Chestnut Season

Autumn has come to Fuji and the wild chestnut trees around our fields are feeding us well this year. We have been eating roast nuts and chestnut rice everyday. The wild Akebi vines are also coming ripe. The strange fruit pod pops open and the thing that looks like a fat white caterpillar inside is a sweet as pure sugar and juicy. Just be sure to spit out the seeds.