Jotoshiki

      Normally, the ceremony of Jotoshiki marks the completion of the frame of the house. In our case, we did a very low-key version of Jotoshiki later in the construction process, after walls and windows had been placed. 



Seeing the house with the windows and most doors was so exciting! 



Kitchen Door

      We are so happy to have selected this type and color of windows.  We especially love our Patio Doors and Living Room windows!  The decorative lines in the windows are held within the double panes and are therefore not exposed to the elements as in regular French windows.  These YKK Episode (エピソード) windows are made of aluminium and resin which makes them sturdier and hightens their insulating properties.

Patio Doors next to our Wood Deck



      Unfortunately, we're still missing the front door, but the frame was installed and so were the moldings.  So we assume the delay won't be too long.



Front Door Frame and Molding



     This meeting coincided with the start of the electrical work so we had to go through all of the rooms to check the position of consents, switches and lighting.  We had to make a number of minor adjustments here and there.  We placed dimmers in the Living Room and in the Master Bedroom.  We confirmed the location of 'Komame' Switches (that allow to turn power off). 

      With us that day was Chief Carpenter Fukuzumi-san (Touryou), Construction Director Suzuki-san (Shachou), Carpenter Fukuzumi-san (Daiku- 大工) (yes, the carpenters are brothers!) and the Electrician, Shibata-san.  We were also accompanied by our architect Yakushiji-san as well as by TwoStyle Director Shioda-san who made a big impression on our son as they spent time playing together while we reviewed the plans...

      We exchanged greetings and heard from Suzuki-san about the overall progress of our project.  Efrain expressed his gratitude and admiration to the team for their commitment and craftsmanship.  We also thanked each of these key players (as well as Site Manager Kato-san who was absent) with a small token of appreciation.

      Our degree if confidence in our Architect and our Builder is something that has amazed us from the start of this project.  We could not imagine going through a project of this scope without having complete faith in them.  So far, they've also proven to be flexible when we requested last-minute changes, and efficient in rectifying problems when we pointed out anomalies. Great team!