Events

Congratulations Matsu & Sachie Wedding

The 3 day wedding event was a beautiful celebration with friends and family. So much good food, weather & music. Thanks for all that came.

Independant Film

Dave and his crew from Canada were at the Embassy filming a small independent film about a young backpacker coming of age in the Great North. We had a lot of fun filming in the tipi for two days and providing catering for the team. Look forward to seeing the film. Sundance or Bust!

オーガニック農業認定ワークショップイベント

Organic Farm Certification Workshop

EarthEmbassy will be hosting an Organic Farm Certification Workshop on Aug 20 and Sept 17 for people interested in learning how to get JAS organic certification for farming and food importing.  The class will be led by Jacob Reiner and assisted by agricultural inspectors from Ecocert-QAI Japan Ltd. http://ecocert.qai.jp/. Jacob will discuss obtaining land, starting farms and organic techniques, and the Ecocert team will cover the organic certification process: applying for certification, the inspection and corrections process.   The day will include a tour of the Solar Cafe & Mt Fuji Mint Tea farms and field activity.  Lunch is included.

Dates:     Sat. 2011.8.20      Sat.2011.9.17

Schedule:

Register                 10:30am

Intro  Lecture         11:00am -12:30

Lunch                    12:30-1:30

Farm Tour               1:30-2:30

Field Activity           2:30-3:00

Question & Answer     3:00-4:30

Fee: Y4500/person             Y1000/children under 18      (includes lunch)

 

If you have a farm or are interested in getting involved with growing food someday, this course is a good introduction to the challenges involved and the available solutions.

For registration:   info@earthembassy.org     090-9346-3774

Fresh Mint Event in Ebisu

MOHITO event in Ebisu!!! Mt Fuji Mint from our all-natural farm will be available in fresh Mohitos, Grasshoppers, Mint Julep and assorted sweets. 7.20 Wed. – 7.25 Sun. Special event with DJ and live art, Menthol Lounge Party, 7.23 Fri (9pm-5am). HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE!!! Map here http://www.bonsweets.jp/

 

 

Package to Uganda!!!

Thanks again to Leszek, Julie, David and the whole Jambo International Team for getting another shipment of clothes to Ronnie and the Jajja’s Kids in Uganda.  Ronnie’s small shop is surviving and sales of the used clothing from Japan are helping to fund the Friday’s Program, feeding the street children and giving them some support and guidance.  Also thanks to AAAG for the help with shipping.

For updates on Jambo events, hikes, and volunteer opportunities, check in on Face Book or see their home page.

http://www.jambointernational.com/?lang=en

http://www.facebook.com/JAMBO.int?sk=wall

 

 

 

 

 

Candle Lite Live at Solar Cafe

Hula on Mt Fuji

This is a special Hula dance created for the goddess of Mt Fuji, Konohanamosakuhime.

Performed at the top of our kid’s field, facing the mountain, by Laki Laki Honua.

EARTHSHIP GREENHOUSE, The Foundation is in!!!

With a lot of great help from interns and students, we have the foundation in and the rainwater and fish tanks ready to be filled.
Tyler helped cutting grass, Natchan drove the tractor (!!!) and Rob and Alex did all the heavy tire packing.
the barrels will collect rain water for plants and also to fill the fish pond and fish tank installed on the East end.

The in-ground foundation will help mediate temperature, as well as the tires and water tanks providing thermal mass, so that we will be able to do hydro-ponics and aquaponics year round, and not freeze our fish in the winter. Hoping to get the roof on before the snow flies!

Our stage, ready and waiting.

The warm weather on Mt Fuji has us getting ready for a busy summer season at the Solar Cafe. The event space is available for rental. Contact us for bookings.

Eco-Greenhouse & Earthships Building Workshop

This summer we will build a passive solar Earth Ship greenhouse that can be used as a living space or for growing plants year round.

Earth Ships are built largely with recycled materials, most of which are easily available and free for the asking. Used, steel-belted automobile tires, packed solid with earth, become giant 400- pound bricks that create sound-proof, fire and earthquake resistant, fortress- like walls.

Once built, Earth Ships collect rain water from potable roofing material into water storage tanks that provide an abundant source of water, even in areas with minimal rainfall.

Dates: July 28 to August 1, 2010 (tentative)
Cost: ¥ 48,000 (weekend only: ¥20,000)
Location: The Earth Embassy Solar Café and Farm, on the foot of Mt. Fuji.
Contact: info@earthembassy.org

The Experience Includes:
• Classroom overview of Earth Ship building and its environmental advantages. Discussion in English with Japanese support.
• Hands on experience building an Earth Ship. We will line a 4m x 8m hole with earth-packed tires and build a roof and south-facing wall designed to function as a passive solar greenhouse.
• Farm tour and organic farming activities.
• Hike to nearby Ice caves.
• Three home-cooked meals a day prepared with locally grown organic foods.
• Lodging in the Earth Embassy Guest House.

Solar Cafe’s Spiral Kitchen Garden, fresh for the pot!!!

New Mini Eco Home!

David Howenstien and the Jambo International crew have sponsored a new mini-eco house for our farm.   We got an old grain silo from a local farm and set it in the garden next to the cafe.  Koji Watanabe helped prepare the foundation and brought the big truck to drive it in and unload it.  In June, David and the Jambo team will come up for a weekend and help us put in the new floor.  We will be using twice recycled wood that was once floor boards in a barn, then used at the Tokyo International Flower Show for a country-style garden, then came to us!  Contact David if you would like to join the Jambo farming and building weekend on June 25-27.  jambodave@green.email.ne.jp

the S.S. Highball

Why spend millions and build a ship that can be sunk by an iceberg when you can just sail the iceberg itself? Back in 1997 Professor Patrick Quilty propsed putting a huge plastic bag around an iceberg and towing it Africa as a source of fresh drinking water.  We are proposing, rather than tow it, why not sail it? Most of the movement of ice bergs is due to currents not wind, but a little nudge into the right current might get it moving in the right direction.  And with recent developments in kite powered ships, this may be a viable option.

Winter comes to the mountain

Winter here in Yamanashi Prefecture can be cold and long.  But the beauty of Mt Fuji and the fresh snows that blow off her peak make the long wait for spring bearable.  She is a bit of the earth, sticking up into the heavens to represent us and even on the warmest days here on her foot, the site of the winds blowing over her peaks and carrying snow into the clouds remind us that the winds of heaven are always blowing just over our heads.

Chestnut Harvest

The wild chestnut trees were just babies sprung from seeds carried by the crows when we first started farming the land on the edge of Aokigahara Forest. Now 15 feet tall they provided us with a months worth of chestnut cake, chestnut rice, and of course roasting on an open fire. And those are just the ones that the deer left for us.

Fresh Shitake Mushroom Farming!!!

We first tried spawning our own mushrooms last year but didnt have much luck.  This spring we tried a few oak logs with spores but again only 2 or 3 shrooms popped out in the season.  Until last week! This late in the fall we werent expecting anything, we one morning Eli was going to feed the sheep and noticed a whole mini forest of Shitake had sprung up over night.  Our new Shitake Carmelized Onion pizza is to die for! Supplies limited, and you had better beat Jake to the kitchen or they will be all gone…

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.

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

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.