A mix of cultures and a mix of good luck talismans....
Kiji (Green Pheasant) outside the back door. This is the Japanese national bird!
Kiji (Green Pheasant) outside the back door. This is the Japanese national bird!Tuesday, December 2, 2008
The wood deck and the huskie!
View from the back deck facing Mount Fuji, and the lady bug from Boston...
Rick & Tina chillin' on the deck for a bento lunch...
"Hey, I like this barefoot outdoor life!!!"
Tina 'driving' the new Husky tractor (engine is off, or course!!!)
"Hey, I like this barefoot outdoor life!!!"
Tina 'driving' the new Husky tractor (engine is off, or course!!!)
First Fire...Monster Bucks...
The first fire in the new wood stove!
This puts out a lot of heat! Surprising!
The "Kuma Shake" Bears with salmon...
The white ghost.....
This puts out a lot of heat! Surprising!
The "Kuma Shake" Bears with salmon...
The white ghost.....Yuko's Dad Mamo-Chan (in the blue jacket in the photo) shot this monster when he took Rick hunting at Mount Fuji. This skull was buried for 2 years while the bugs ate the flesh. One night our nephew told us he had accidentally cut the tips off while cutting brush, and Rick was enraged! We went out there in the dark and dug up the skull and all the pieces. Rick cleaned it up and reassembled all the parts. The legend lives on!
The first monster Rick got was this nice buck. It is reputed to be the biggest buck taken on Mount Fuji in the last 20+ years. It was taken during the first weekend of the first season could hunt, using the gun Rick inherited from Yuko's Dad. Mysterious forces were working that day and now this buck lives in our living room!
The first monster Rick got was this nice buck. It is reputed to be the biggest buck taken on Mount Fuji in the last 20+ years. It was taken during the first weekend of the first season could hunt, using the gun Rick inherited from Yuko's Dad. Mysterious forces were working that day and now this buck lives in our living room!update...
The back yard and last view of Fuji for the summer!
First Snow, taken at 0500...
The second snow, taken at sunrise...
The interior staircase, from the top.
Back Deck foundation taking shape:
The interior staircase, from the top.
Back Deck foundation taking shape:
Catching up photos...
Tina's lights (3 sets in all)...
Tina's night light...(2 of them)
Master bed room ceiling fan (yes, this is the one with the crazy electronic controls)
Vent window from Master Bedroom to Living Room (for air circulation when the door is locked)
The sofa and coffee table...Yuko found a great deal at Atsugi!
Tina's night light...(2 of them)
Master bed room ceiling fan (yes, this is the one with the crazy electronic controls)
Vent window from Master Bedroom to Living Room (for air circulation when the door is locked)
The sofa and coffee table...Yuko found a great deal at Atsugi!
catching up...the kitchen!
The kitchen is ready for cooking!Stainless finish cabinets with black back splashes. Cabinets are American height!
Gas stove from Germany with Japanese hood. VERY kool features that shut off if thew pan is overheated or burning!
Sink (with awesome Kei Truck in background) and the dispenser on the far left is the automatic hot water dispenser. This is a US product that Jim helped us find and dispenses super hot water for baby formula, tea, or oatmeal. This eliminates the need for a stand-alone Japanese hot water pot! The dispenser on the right is filtered cold water (VERY tasty Mount Fuji water!).
The pot rack I bought in the states and had to disassemble to get through the mail, and reassemble, and actually hang myself (remember who the electrician is).
The kool Japanese style, very efficient, refrigerator...Top is refer with several sub compartments. next level down is ice on the left and semi freeze on right. next down is the veggie locker, and the bottom is the freezer. Nice design!
Gas stove from Germany with Japanese hood. VERY kool features that shut off if thew pan is overheated or burning!
Sink (with awesome Kei Truck in background) and the dispenser on the far left is the automatic hot water dispenser. This is a US product that Jim helped us find and dispenses super hot water for baby formula, tea, or oatmeal. This eliminates the need for a stand-alone Japanese hot water pot! The dispenser on the right is filtered cold water (VERY tasty Mount Fuji water!).
The pot rack I bought in the states and had to disassemble to get through the mail, and reassemble, and actually hang myself (remember who the electrician is).
The kool Japanese style, very efficient, refrigerator...Top is refer with several sub compartments. next level down is ice on the left and semi freeze on right. next down is the veggie locker, and the bottom is the freezer. Nice design!
More catch up!
The stove is here! Vermont Castings with catalytic combustor! This monster was heavy!!!
Ready for the first burn!!!
Ready for the first burn!!!
The finished unit bath (shower & tub combo)...ready for the first bath!!!
The super-eco washer and dryer. It is front loading but tilted back to save event more water. It uses only 20% of the electricity of the old type of top loader. Also, it drys too, and has a clothes refresher system similar to dry cleaning but with steam and air only. Even with the dryer more engaged (can be pre-programmed) it still uses 65% less electricity and 80% less water!!!Save money!!!
The senmenjo (tooth brushing sink) has finally arrived...and is standard American height!!!
The super-eco washer and dryer. It is front loading but tilted back to save event more water. It uses only 20% of the electricity of the old type of top loader. Also, it drys too, and has a clothes refresher system similar to dry cleaning but with steam and air only. Even with the dryer more engaged (can be pre-programmed) it still uses 65% less electricity and 80% less water!!!Save money!!!
The senmenjo (tooth brushing sink) has finally arrived...and is standard American height!!!
Catching up photos
The toilet is in! We chose a very simple design, yet nothing in japan is ever simple...
The top of the water storage tank serves as the hand washing sink. This uses fresh water to clean your hands. The essentially becomes grey water and is stored in the tank to be used to actually flush the toilet. Very efficient in terms of water savings, and in floor & wall space saved by not needing another sink!
Try figuring out these controls!!! They adjust everything! Seat temperature (YES it is heated so you New Englanders should feel jealous!!!). It also controls the bidet that is built in, water temp and pressure as well as angles and such!!!!! It also electronically flushes the toilet but I choose to do it the old fashioned way and pull the handle. Maybe I am just saving electricity!
The gas tanks have arrived. These will heat out hot water as well as provide gas for the kitchen stove...the ONLY way to cook! BTW, these get changed by the gas company whenever they get low...remember, no underground gas lines here, we live in earthquake central!
The top of the water storage tank serves as the hand washing sink. This uses fresh water to clean your hands. The essentially becomes grey water and is stored in the tank to be used to actually flush the toilet. Very efficient in terms of water savings, and in floor & wall space saved by not needing another sink!Try figuring out these controls!!! They adjust everything! Seat temperature (YES it is heated so you New Englanders should feel jealous!!!). It also controls the bidet that is built in, water temp and pressure as well as angles and such!!!!! It also electronically flushes the toilet but I choose to do it the old fashioned way and pull the handle. Maybe I am just saving electricity!
The gas tanks have arrived. These will heat out hot water as well as provide gas for the kitchen stove...the ONLY way to cook! BTW, these get changed by the gas company whenever they get low...remember, no underground gas lines here, we live in earthquake central!
We are back and blogging!
All,
Sorry for the brief pause in our blog! We had a few challenges including a very busy end of the summer at our work, an unexpected trip to the states, the final days of the house build, moving into the new house, an Internet blackout for more than a month while we waited for the Internet service to run lines, and more 'excuses'!
The next few blog posts will try to catch everyone up to where we are now. Enjoy!
Outside A/C & Heater units. These are the second part of the split-unit types we have. They produce a/c for the extremely hot days in the late summer (about a week), the very humid spring (3 months), as well as back up/quick heat to supplement the wood stove.
Here are the genkan (front entrance) tiles we picked. We are very happy, sorry the picture is not better!
The front door comes out of the cardboard!!! Here it is!
The new driveway (thanks to Yuko's brother for removing the several dump loads of material!). Look at that kool monster truck in it's new parking spot!
The foundation for the wood decking is being set. More to follow!
Sorry for the brief pause in our blog! We had a few challenges including a very busy end of the summer at our work, an unexpected trip to the states, the final days of the house build, moving into the new house, an Internet blackout for more than a month while we waited for the Internet service to run lines, and more 'excuses'!
The next few blog posts will try to catch everyone up to where we are now. Enjoy!
Outside A/C & Heater units. These are the second part of the split-unit types we have. They produce a/c for the extremely hot days in the late summer (about a week), the very humid spring (3 months), as well as back up/quick heat to supplement the wood stove.
Here are the genkan (front entrance) tiles we picked. We are very happy, sorry the picture is not better!
The front door comes out of the cardboard!!! Here it is!
The new driveway (thanks to Yuko's brother for removing the several dump loads of material!). Look at that kool monster truck in it's new parking spot!
The foundation for the wood decking is being set. More to follow!
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