The Country House

The cottage is an open floor plan down stairs and a bedroom up in the peak of the A frame for Ken and Hiroko. It is all in a light oak timber, polished floors and white walls with a modern feel. Not a traditional Japanese build more of a western style A frame with a slight modern mountain chalet feel.

There is still the step down tiled area at the entrance to deposit shoes prior to donning your house slippers.

On the ground floor to the right end is a very large room for Ken's mum which has windows that open to the view of Mt Fiji and in the middle of her room is a table where she plays traditional tile games and reads her ancient Japanese poetry.

This table is about the size of a dining table with a dooner that covers it and touches to the floor, on top of this is a piece of glass and under the table well is a bit like an electric blanket. Saw one of these 10 year ago as a coffee table in the middle of a lounge room in a house and you all sit around it eat dinner and the blankets keeps you warm. As temperatures in winter in this area get way way below freezing its a good option I'm sure.

Our sleeping area is at the left hand end of the house via 3 large sliding panels doors for privacy, there is a piano in this area and a walkin robe where our bedding is kept by day. By day this area is just an open space.

Our space is also very large and opens on to the timber deck and that amazing view, I'm in heaven again. In the middle of the cottage is the lounge dining and and the kitchen at the back. 

Off to the back of the cottage and far right is the long bathroom and this is where the tradition kicks back in. I LOVE Japan baths they are so relaxing.

It is a very long narrow room with the toilet at one end, and yes its got all the bells, whistles and water buttons that I have come to now require from a 

toilet !! 

A laundry in the middle of the space and at the other far end is the bathroom. It's a step down into the bathroom and with a bifold frosted glass door to keep in the heat and steam. Before you step down into the bathroom there is a area with a curtain that closes this space from the laundry and this is the dressing area. Steeping down into the bathroom there is a small plastic seat sitting on the floor about as big and as high as a upturned  bucket with beautiful soft edges. Here is where you sit and do the whole soapy washy thing with a plastic dipper that you fill with hot water from the pre filled bath or use the low shower 

head that is attached to the wall at sitting height.

Next it's into the hot " very hot " plunge bath. It about 800 mm deep and about 1500 x 1000. One sits and basically stews at 43 deg supplied by the temperature controlled panel displayed on the wall. The bath water is for the whole family to use as you are clean when you get in and on the next morning it is piped into the washing machine to do they daily cloths wash or garden watering, very water wise indeed.  The large window off to the side of the bath gives a lovely view of the pine tree that surround the cottage.

So sit back stew and enjoy ...