Would you live in paper-wood rooms in your own country?

[Mamoru-kun]

I would say yes, only if the front side of the house is in the local architecture. I would like to have a japanese-style rest room for exemple, but at the back of the house, opening on a beautifull green garden :-)

[Maciamo]

If you are talking about Japanese houses with a wooden frame structure and cardboard-like walls, then never ! It is one of the darkest side of Japan. I got frost bites to my feet because of these uninsulated hovels. Even with a bit of concrete around that is still the same. It's actually colder inside than outside in winter and hotter in summer.

If you are talking about having paper doors (fusuma) inside a brick-and-mortar house (or better, one made of big grey-stone), then I wouldn't mind, but it probably wouldn't fit well with the style of the house. What's more, if you have a (reasonably big) dog, it will go through the paper fusuma if it tried to open it by jumping on it.

[Mamoru-kun]

.........I was always wondering why they were keeping those poor friends outside their houses! Thanks for the hint ;-)

[Duo]

I agree with Maciamo, it is already pretty cold here in Belgium and with that kind of structure i would die of hypothermia in my sleep. brrrrrr, winter is even gettin closer now :(

[Tsuyoiko]

I like to burn candles and I would be afraid of burning the place down!

[misa.j]

I would love to live in the house that looks like a Japanese style from outside and tatami mats in one room, where I can take a nap or have some tea, and keep the other parts of the house as they are.
It would need to be built sturdy and well-insulated enough to bear snow, though.

[Maciamo]

I would love to live in the house that looks like a Japanese style from outside and tatami mats in one room, where I can take a nap or have some tea, and keep the other parts of the house as they are.
It would need to be built sturdy and well-insulated enough to bear snow, though.

Do you mean something like the one we see in comercial for green tea on Japanese TV ? Something more similar to Ryoan-ji Temple in Kyoto or the chaya in some Japanese gardens, or even the old Heian-era Imperial Palace than any inhabited house I have seen in Japan. If that is what you mean, I agree that it looks nice, but I would only built it in my garden to take the tea, not to live inside.

[misa.j]

Yeah, the garden and "engawa"(wooden hallway to look over the garden) of Ryoan-ji is something I would love to have in my property.
but I would only built it in my garden to take the tea, not to live inside.
That's even better.

I'm thinking of houses like these ones.
http://homepage3.nifty.com/mikan-na/image/h16.04.04kikugetsutei-to-sotetsu-hana.JPG
http://www.jgc.co.jp/waza/a3_katsura/images/kr34.gif

[Maciamo]

Yeah, the garden and "engawa"(wooden hallway to look over the garden) of Ryoan-ji is something I would love to have in my property.


I have only seen that kind of architecture in gardens or temples. Do you know anybody who live in such a house ?

[misa.j]

No. I don't know anybody who lives in a house that nice.
I don't know if there are even carpenters who could build a house like that now.

I have been to friends' houses that were very old, had a long hallway, and a huge entrance space.
The ones in the pictures are the tea houses and gardens with stepping stones, which were popular in 1500's(Momoyama era) and first designed by Senno Rikru.

[Mamoru-kun]

I wonder how much it would cost to ask a japanese achitect to come and manage such a construction in our own country...

[duff_o_josh]

i want to have many japanese elements in my future home. although it could be in japan so who knows....

[Libby]

Beside from the cold, I don't like the idea of how badly sound-proof they are...a friend who went to Tokyo a couple of years ago commented on how she was able to hear everything going on in the house she was staying in. Anyone else had that experience? I’d find it really disconcerting, especially as I like my music really loud – neighbours wouldn’t like me. :-)

[Maciamo]

Beside from the cold, I don't like the idea of how badly sound-proof they are...a friend who went to Tokyo a couple of years ago commented on how she was able to hear everything going on in the house she was staying in. Anyone else had that experience? I’d find it really disconcerting, especially as I like my music really loud – neighbours wouldn’t like me. :-)

We have discussed this in a few threads actually. Almost anyone who has lived in Japan has experience hearing the neighbours through the walls - and not just talking !

Have you read this article : Japanese houses compared to European ones (http://www.jref.com/culture/japanese_houses.shtml)

[nurizeko]

It seems nice but i agree, not practical up in northern climates here in europe.

Still if you could have a room in your house made to look like a traditional japanese dwelling i guess it would be alright.

[Da Monstar]

It could be very stylish having a house like that. Though not so practical in the north as Nurizeko said.
But if i were to move into a special kinda house, it wouldn't be Japanese architecture. I would go for something old viking alike with a long hall and wodden cuts of heroes, trolls and the old gods. with lots of bear fur or other kinds of fur lying all over the floor.
That would be nice :cool:

[Tokis-Phoenix]

I realy like the japanese style of architecture, i have bought a house recently and i would like to make some of the rooms japanese style but as before mentioned, it wouldn't be very practical to do everything traditionally as it would be very cold(and it gets very cold here in england somtimes).
I have a little summerhouse/garden shed that i would like to make japanese style at the bottom of my garden and i wouldn't mind doing that up very traditionally as i wouldn't have to live in it and so if it got too cold in the winter that would be ok :) . It would be realy cool to have some tatami mats and soft floor with a little table i could drink green tea at and look out over my ponds once they are finished :cool: .

[Pachipro]

I would love to have a Japanese room complete with tatami and shoji paper doors/windows in my house, but since I plan on returning to Japan permanently in a few years why bother with the expense?. However, I hear that you can have a room built to Japanese standards much as you would see in any Japanese restaurant you might visit in your own country.

For example you can buy tatami mats imported from Japan and you can have plans drawn up for a room at a price of course. Quite a few ex-patriots from Japan living here in the US do that if they are living here permanently and have the money to do it.

Fo me this would be my dream house. A little too big maybe, but similar in style.
http://pictures.nicolas.delerue.org/japan/20031227_japanese_houses/img_0663.jpgCopyright: http://nicolas.delerue.org/

And this would be one of the rooms
http://www.asianinfo.org/asianinfo/japan/pictures2/S0105.jpg
Copyright: www.aisaninfo.org.

[Disembodied Spirit]

No, it's too cold for that type of house in my country :-) Though, it would be nice in a country which has a warmer climate.