The first concrete has been poured beneath the previous foundation! The process will continue several more times, which will ensure that the house does not heave or shift unevenly over time or fail during an earthquake. In other news, we have running water on the property thanks to a deep well cleaning and the installation of a brand-new pump. The well now has a capacity of 2.5 tons of water per day! I am in the middle of editing a video about the cleaning process for the YouTube channel, so...

In an episode last summer, I covered my first autobiography about the story and works of Yoshihiro Takishita. Looking back at my catalog of podcasts, I found this to be one of the most insightful and enjoyable to listen to. For a few months now, I’ve been dwelling in the realm of ideas — about beauty, tradition, modernism — and have been itching to bring them down to a more practical, human level. There’s no better place to start than to re-explore the genre of biography. The practitioners of...

With a month-long trip back to California, I took time off from the project and enjoyed reading The Old Way of Seeing by Jonathan Hale. I first heard about the book from Brent Hull, a master craftsman who wrote an article titled “Books Every Builder Should Own” for the wonderful magazine Fine Homebuilding. In a democracy, equality is among society’s highest ideals. One drawback, Hale argues, is that we tend toward mediocrity. As the Japanese saying goes, “The nail that sticks out gets...

As opposed to removal work like throwing out trash, cutting bamboo, and organizing storage, my brother and I have finally completed our first tangible contribution to the property: a French drain. Below, I’ve listed the Japanese “netron” pipe product we used for the drain, which is quite unique from the typical perforated pipe you’d find in the United States. Unfortunately, I haven’t found a supplier of netron pipes for you in the US. The other major task that we completed this month was the...

It’s easy to get discouraged during these early phases when my brother and I are literally moving earth with nothing but shovels, a wheelbarrow, and our bare hands. We move forward inch by inch.  On some days, it does not feel as though we complete much. But when I look back at the photos from one month ago, our progress becomes clear. I feel gratified with the hard work. This project has humbled me to the raw power of nature. We’ve exerted great energy in forcing the sprawling bamboo roots...

My brother has arrived! He settled into his sharehouse, took a tour around the neighborhood, and began working on-site with me. We’ve already made great progress on excavating more trash, old furniture, and unneeded material. A more pristine work site is on its way. I’ve also met with my architect a few more times. As we wait for the 3D model to come in, I’ve been starting with tasks that don't need an architect’s blueprints. First up is digging French drains around the property. I’ll make...

Just a few days ago, a 3D modeling company brought over their cameras and tripods to scan the ins and outs of the property (my architect in California will use the data to visualize the site since he can’t visit in person). I’ll share more about this important step soon, but recently, I’ve been reflecting much more on the manual clean-up required to prepare for the scan. Whenever I would encounter other forms of life up there, like lizards, spiders, and even orange slime molds, my fight or...

Back in the days when I was dying a slow death of boredom by bureaucracy, I would find salvation in books. After a few days of falling down Wikipedia rabbit holes and practicing the hiragana and katakana alphabets over and over again, I had an idea, “Why don’t I email PDFs of books to myself?” And so began my adventures to distant worlds, straight from the metal desk of the damp middle school staff room. One of the books that completely enveloped me, and remains on the top of my all-time list...

The contract, payment, and legal documentation all went through successfully this month — officially making me a homeowner and landowner in Japan! Frankly, there is a good reason why I was able to acquire the property for the price that I did. It seems that the structure was hardly ever updated in its 100+ year life to meet modern standards of the day. To make matters more extreme, for the past 30 years, its previous owners left it abandoned to degrade into the mountainside. But no matter,...

Happy New Year everyone! In today’s episode, we are going to gain a great, fundamental understanding of not just Japanese architecture, but also Japanese history, religion, politics, and more — and how these many factors play into the built environment that constitutes the country today. The Art of Japanese Architecture written by David and Michiko Young will be our guide through Japan’s story of architecture. It begins with the ancient people who found their way to the archipelago from the...

I have a big announcement to make about the start of what we've all been waiting for. I found it fitting to revisit the foundations and ask myself why I am doing all this. Why am I trying to restore buildings that I think are beautiful? To help me through this question, I’ll be reading through a few sections of "Beauty: A Very Short Introduction" by Sir Roger Scruton. In short, Scruton argues that beauty is a moral endeavor. It is not up to subjective taste. Instead, beauty embodies both a...

Nicholas Boys Smith is the founder of Create Streets, a social enterprise based in London that works with neighborhoods, communities, landowners, councils, and developers across the United Kingdom. Its mission is to help create and manage beautiful places, defined by gentle density, stewardship of nature, and public well-being. Boys Smith is also the author of many books, including No Free Parking, a history of London’s streets, out now in paperback. It was a pleasure to speak with him, in no...

Born in the United States, Azby Brown is an architect and accomplished author of Japanese design and architecture who embarked on a transformative journey to Japan. He recalls his story in today’s book, The Genius of Japanese Carpentry: Secrets of an Ancient Craft. In this episode, I go through his writings about a traditional pagoda construction at Yakushiji Temple in Nara, which took place throughout the 1980s. We learn about the guidance Azby received under master carpenter Tsunekazu...

Today, I sit down with Rei Saito, the author of the Konichi Value newsletter. On Substack, Rei publishes insights into Japanese companies, real estate, and market trends with the goal of finding untapped value. With fluency in Japanese and English (and Swedish!), Rei has the added edge of being able to research Japanese news, reports, and sources. He brings this to you so that you may better understand the potential value that lies uncovered in the rising Japanese environment. We discuss...

Today, I revisit a story that I wrote back in 2019 when I was still an English teacher in Kyoto. Disgruntled by the ugly school buildings that defined my day-to-day work life, I wanted to get to the bottom of the question: Why do all Japanese public schools look the same? I give a little backstory and read the script, which you can also follow along in full below (To see the photos, subscribe to the Local Japan email: The click-clack of wooden sandals rings through the bamboo grove as an...

I’m very excited this week to delve into "Japanese Country Style: Putting New Life Into Old Houses" by the legendary architect Yoshihiro Takishita. Hailing from Gifu Prefecture, Takishita's journey to becoming a legendary figure in minka restoration is truly self-made. Traveling the globe and mastering the English language as a young man, and returned to Japan and embarked on a path to become a self-taught architect and master carpenter. He has since relocated and restored over 30 kominka...

I sit down with Steve Beimel, the visionary behind JapanCraft21, a non-profit organization committed to revitalizing dentou kougei, traditional Japanese master crafts. Steve is also the founder of Espirit Travel and Tours, a company that offers immersive cultural experiences in Japan. He is the publisher of the Kyoto Diary and serves as the editor-in-chief of livingartsjapan.com, a platform dedicated to promoting Japanese arts and crafts. In all, Steve is a passionate advocate for preserving...

In this update episode, Jarrod provides an important update about the Akiya Company and how this change will affect the podcast and subscribers in the future. At the end of the episode, you will hear a clip of audio from a presentation done at Jarrod’s home in California for neighbors and friends. The presentation was picture heavy, so I have attached a few photos here in the show notes for you to gain a fuller visual understanding of the content: Photos from left to right: * Akiko Suda...

In this episode, we sit down with Nancy Ji, an architectural design lecturer, and Ph.D. researcher specializing in community design and vacant house renovation. Originally from China, Nancy moved to New Zealand with her family as a child and pursued her Bachelor of Architecture degree at the University of Auckland, including a year studying at the University of California, Berkeley. Continuing her academic journey, Nancy completed a Master of Architecture at the University of Melbourne,...

In this episode, Jarrod and Olivier have a conversation with Thomas Bertrand, CEO of Bento&Co, an online shop based in Kyoto. Originally from France, Thomas and his wife Erico embarked on their entrepreneurial journey by starting Bento&Co from a tiny house in Kyoto back in November 2008. Today, Bento&Co employs a dedicated team in Kyoto, working to bridge the gap between Japanese culture and customers worldwide. During our discussion, we delve into Thomas’s entrepreneurial...

In this episode of the podcast, we speak with Christoph D. D. Rupprecht, a geographer whose work focuses on multispecies sustainability and cities, with an emphasis on food, edible landscapes, green space, degrowth, and multispecies thinking. Christoph is currently an Associate Professor at the Department of Environmental Design, Faculty for Collaborative Regional Innovation at Ehime University. In our conversation with Christoph, we delve into his research on multispecies sustainability and...

In this episode of the Local Japan podcast, we speak with Hila Yamada, a key figure in the startup culture and network in Kyoto. As the founder of the Kyoto International Entrepreneurs Community and a key organizer of the Kyoto Startup Summer School, Hila is a wealth of knowledge when it comes to building successful businesses in Kyoto. Currently working at the Glocal Center in Kyoto, Hila is passionate about empowering universities, local governments, and businesses to work together to...

Jarrod and Olivier speak with Fuminori Gunji of freelance business development consultant, ex-Softbank robotics expert, and former strategist at Deel. We have a great discussion about the cultural shifts that the Japanese business world is going through as a result of many waves, from Covid to remote work to startups. We learn about Japanese collective decision-making and the rise of startup culture. Fuminori also shares advice on how to freelance in Japan and other important cultural...

We provide an important update about the name and logo change in the Local Japan Podcast, and why we have decided to do this! We reflect on our renewed vision, our job as your guide through local Japan, and what this means for our Patreon supporters. Please visit our Patreon page where you can sign up for just $2 a month! Your contributions help us with production costs and the time required to record and edit podcasts and organize interviews. We are excited to say that excess profits go...