Sustainable Travel Japan

As a part of the 2024 Minka Summit in rural Kyoto, we had the chance to visit the stunning KAYABUKI thatch roof MINKA traditional home and atelier art studio of talented design team 2m26 Mélanie and Sebastien. Here Mélanie talks about the process of changing their roof from metal and tile back to natural straw thatch roof over the last year.

2m26 architecture, design and construction studio

https://2m26.com/about/

#seeksustainablejapan #podcast #2m26 #interview #thatchroof #minka #minkasummit #minkasummit2024 #atelier #designer #sustainable #sustainabledesign #sustainablelifestyle #sustainability #japan #traditionaljapanesehouses #kyoto #ruraljapan #ruralkyoto #animalrescue #compostoilet #composting #naturalmaterials #naturalbuilding

Music by Casey Bean - original singer-songwriter based in Ishikawa Japan - support his music and download your own on Bandcamp

https://caseybean.bandcamp.com/

Vancouver based Brigitte Gemme is a mom and researched professional who has been spreading her love of vegan eating and sustainable lifestyles with an international audience through her blogs, podcasts and workshops. In spring 2024, Brigitte traveled Japan with her family and has some advice for vegan eaters who want to enjoy the experience.

00:00 Welcome

00:40 Japan travel

02:40 Vegan Japan Travel Tips

06:40 Online seminars for vegan cooking

09:30 Happy Cow, Google Maps Help

10:50 Protein deficiency?

12:05 Vegan Ninja Doctor

14:28 Dairy farming background

19:30 Starting where people are willing to change

20:30 Crisis situation vs want to do better

21:30 Vegan after 6pm

23:50 learning standards of vegan basic cooking

27:44 winter comfort foods easier

31:00 creating flavorful vegan dishes

34:10 Add oil, salt, spice

35:38 Daily recipes for the year

41:05 Cooking for one person

43:50 Good food motivates healthy lifestyle

48:00 Get started cooking

50:00 Soups-Bowls-StirFry

51:00 Vegan-ZeroWaste Festival

51:50 Live Vegan Cooking Club Events

52:40 Minimum viable prep

55:00 Pantry Challenge

59:00 Basic shopping list

1:01:29 Love of Tofu

This spring, I had the chance to meet up with Brigitte and her lovely family as they traveled through Hiroshima, Japan and asked her to join the talkshow to share not only about the great work she does, but also what it was like traveling in Japan as a vegan family and any takeaways she has from her trip here in terms of how Japan could improve and some of the favorite foods and ingredients she was able to enjoy.

See more about Brigitte:

https://veganfamilykitchen.com/about/

Tove & Joy talk about the latest sustainability focused projects, news and entrepreneurship around Japan for March of 2024 that are on our radar.

Tove Kinooka is co-founder of sustainability focused consultancy and training business in Tokyo: ENTELECO: https://www.entelecoconsulting.com/

https://jp.linkedin.com/in/tove-kinooka-35a39323

Joy Jarman-Walsh @jjwalsh is founder of the Seek Sustainable Japan talkshow-podcast & InboundAmbassador sustainability focused Japan travel consulting, writing, and guiding. https://seeksustainablejapan.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jjwalsh-inbound-ambassador

Brett works on Ojika island (Nagasaki) and elsewhere in Japan (new project in Nagano) under the business name “Okibi”. Here he talks about the ups and downs of fixing up old houses, reusing local materials, being as sustainable as possible with renewable energy, natural materials, community building and even beach cleanup activities as a part of his philosophy to make abandoned houses livable so they can be enjoyed again.

Brett joined the Seek Sustainable Japan talkshow in 2022 and is speaking on 2 panels in this year's Minka Summit event in Hanase Village, Kyoto.

2022 Talk with Brett Rasmussen: https://www.youtube.com/live/qdcgmmODZkE?si=Ew0kWfflo0XeDh8O

In this talk, Brett will give us an update about his recent projects and insights into traditional Japanese carpentry and house design which he has been learning and practicing to save some old houses in renovation projects.

Joinery, plastering, bamboo walls, pounded flooring and disassembly of beams for repair or reuse.

Find out more about Brett's projects and future opportunities to join workshops and stays in one of the houses he has worked on, or visit a local onsen he built the sauna for, so many great Brett projects to explore when we visit.

https://www.okibi.jp

Watch Brett's YouTube channel about his projects and Minka house insights: @okibibrett

All Brett's Links:

https://linktr.ee/ras.brett

#minka #kominka #renovation #japan #ojika #traditionalcrafts #sustainablelifestyle #ruraljapan #nagasaki #brettrasmussen

The Noto peninsula was rocked by one of Japan's strongest earthquakes on Jan 1, 2024. Bernd Schellhorn and Mitsue Nagase are residents of the Noto peninsula area who chose to move there from Kyoto and make it their home.

Bernd and Mitsue have been on the Seek-Sustainable-Japan talkshow before sharing insights about Shojin-Ryori and Photography. This time, however, they will share some of their stories of survival in the Noto Peninsula, where they live.

This Noto Peninsula area had a devastating earthquake on the 1st of January this year, and even months later, they still have strong aftershock quakes.

Bernd and Mitsue will talk about their experiences as residents in the disaster area, and also what's happening for aide and community re-building.

Unfortunately, many people feel forced to leave, but Bernd and Mitsue will talk about how the people who want to stay are planning for the next stage of life in the Noto area and some of the challenges they face.

Bernd Schellhorn & Mitsue Nagase on the Seek Sustainable Japan talkshow-podcast show:

Documenting Japanese food culture: https://www.youtube.com/live/zFHnhBM41-w?si=OZYHdLO19-aB9OI9

Chef of Shojin Ryori: https://www.youtube.com/live/zFHnhBM41-w?si=TvjVGVUMbRoU1xFu

Contemporary Photography Miksang: https://www.youtube.com/live/L1GOAA643_A?si=6fJQFxHGzA7iUqs7

As a preview for the 3rd annual Minka Summit on April 19-21 this year, I had the chance to talk with author and Japanese house design expert Azby Brown (who is this year's keynote speaker) about some of the ideas he will be presenting to the audience of over 500 traditional Japanese house enthusiasts from across Japan who will gather in rural Kyoto for the event.

Azby Brown is originally from New Orleans in the US, but has dedicated his life to documenting and sharing a deep love of Japanese architecture and house design. Azby spent his career researching, teaching, illustrating and writing about traditional Japanese houses and buildings from stunning traditional temples to small urban houses in Tokyo.

In this talk, Azby will give us an update on his latest projects as well as a preview on some of the themes he will talk about in his keynote at this year's Minka Summit event.

Books by Azby Brown:

The Genius of Japanese Carpentry, he has written Small Spaces (1993), The Japanese Dream House (2001), The Very Small Home (2005), and "Just Enough: Lessons in Living Green from Traditional Japan" (2010)

https://azbybrown.com/azby-brown-archive/books/

Azby Brown is the keynote speaker at this year's Minka Summit in Hanase village, Kyoto - April 19-20-21 - please join us for this great event bringing people together who love traditional Japanese houses, rural living and community building into one space.

https://kominkajapan.org/speakers

Carole Fuchs is an impressive endurance athlete who has climbed Mt.Everest, she works at the British Embassy as a climate advocate, and is an entrepreneur who launched Feel Run - a sustainable business focused on promoting sustainability in sportswear, events and sports. The sportswear she makes reuses waste plastics and bamboo fibers - the company also pledges to take the product back when you are finished with it. https://www.feelrun.com/

Carole also talked of her frustrations in shopping without plastics in Japan and getting funding for her upcoming documentary in the Himalayas where she wants to show the effects of climate change on the environment and the human tragedy of how it effects the people's lives who live there as well.

#carolefuchs #ultra #athlete #enduranceathlete #climatechange #himalayas #japan #activism #diplomacy #womanpower #entrepreneur #sustainablebusiness #founder

Ayumi & Uberto are an international couple living in Fukuoka who know a lot about earthquake resistant traditional Japanese buildings. Ayumi wrote an excellent Medium blog about it and another about how Japanese students are educated and trained to survive an earthquake. They have been renovating and living in an old Japanese house KOMINKA after many years living in Europe.

Budget: They bought the house for 30 million yen and spent 5 million yen on earthquake resistance seismic retrofit remodeling as well as another 10 million on other renovations. They got 1 million yen back from the government for making use of an AKIYA abandoned house, but couldn't qualify for the subsidy for making the house more earthquake-proof.

Earthquake safety of old houses is such a big issue this year due to the horrible Noto Peninsula earthquake which destroyed so many traditional homes. But Ayumi says it's not the design of the traditional buildings which is the problem- it's more termite or rot damage and lack of upkeep.

Ayumi's article, "What is an earthquake resistant house?"

https://medium.com/@Japanlifeagain/whats-an-earthquake-resistant-house-89a32c7978d7

Background Music thanks to Casey Bean- download your own copy and support his original musical journey on Bandcamp: https://caseybean.bandcamp.com/

The 3rd annual Minka Summit will be held once again in Hanase Village (about an hour from Kyoto station). In this preview talk about this year's event, Lauren, Andrea and Stuart join to give insights on the special speakers, minka mall, minka tours, locals and the village, and how the event has changed over the last 3 years.

Key Takeaways

They are expecting the biggest turn-out yet this year at around 500 people and have chosen to go back to Hanase village's location as there are more areas to mingle and interact with one another. Great sponsors and local vendors are involved as well as a local vegetarian and organic food restaurant to cater to the vegetarians who come. So impressed by how well this small team of organizers creates such a fabulous event each year!

Looking forward to seeing you all there!

Information about the event for April 19-21:

https://kominkajapan.org/minka-summit-2024

Buy your tickets: https://peatix.com/event/3712154

Playlist for Minka, Kominka, Akiya & Traditional Japanese Houses in Japan:

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLcyYXjRuE20FnRrydax7RWlFLxibc6N-X&si=9ZCnCJFlHPVEgU0P

Background Music thanks to Casey Bean- download your own copy and support his original musical journey on Bandcamp: https://caseybean.bandcamp.com/