This old abandoned farm house high in the mountains of the Japan Southern Alps may not be much to look at now, though it was clearly constructed by someone who gave a great deal of thought and attention to how the house would fit into the surrounding landscape with regard to exposure to sunlight, access to fresh spring water, farmland terrace construction and reasonable - yet not too close - access to the conveniences of humanity (the nearest village is less than 5 kilometers away by road yet closer still via trail). This home was constructed using old-style Japanese carpentry techniques and includes hand-hewn wood joints and massive natural wood beams which carry the roof over two rooms and a large central living area. The entire living space includes raised tatami flooring with the exception of the earth-floor doma kitchen and bath area. The central room includes an old-style irori cooking brazier sunken into the floor with a jizai hook dangling from the rafters for holding cook pots and kettles over the coals.
The farmer who once lived here did clearly exert great effort to construct roughly an acre of stone terraces which were used primarily to cultivate green tea, though some land was also given over to orchards as well as wasabi radish. A terrace for use as a kitchen garden is also found just below the house and a large and very old cherry tree and several plum trees dot the grounds at carefully selected locations. An old fashioned solid stone water basin sits near a moss-covered stone stairway leading between the garden terrace and the home, and the sound of water trickling into this basin can still be heard as a special gravity-fed drain carries water from the spring reservoir to the basin. The property sits high upon the side of a mountain with an incredible view of the valley below and steep mountain cliffs beyond. Falling water can be heard year round from the stream and waterfalls far below within the valley. A troop of Japanese snow monkeys live in the forest behind the home and bear, boar, mountain sheep and even tanuki raccoon dogs are frequent passersby. The home is perhaps a hundred years old though it has been abandoned now for at least the last ten years. The fields and garden terraces have long since been reclaimed by nature and it is only a matter of time before the home itself suffers the same fate.
