Energy: Electricity

     TEPCO, Japan's electrical energy company, is leading a vigorous campaign for people to adopt electricity as sole form of energy at home.  As opposed to Canada, where electrical supply is abundant, electricity in Japan is expensive, and we never really considered it as our main source of energy.

     Yet, we visited one of TEPCO's Switch Showrooms in Shinjuku on opening day.   We learned a lot about IH stoves, which we've never used.  Had not heard of them either until a while ago when we started reading about alternatives to gas stoves.  We are definitely getting an IH stove for the obvious reason that there will be less cleaning involved.  Now, choosing our IH stove was quite a dilemma for us.  All Japanese hobs come equipped with a grill and a fan, which are a bit hard to clean, as compared to foreign brands which don't have these features. But we like garlic bread and cheese toast, so we need our grill... 

     We decided to compromise on maintenance and get a Panasonic KZ-JT60MS which seems easy enough to keep clean and allows us to save at least 150,000 yen...  Foreign IH hobs are that much more expensive in Japan. This particular stove has three hobs, one of which is 'all-metal', which means we can use any type of pan, including our pressure cooker which is not IH compliant...   Panasonic and Hitachi are the only 2 brands to have all-metal hobs on their IH stoves.  We opted for Panasonic which had a nicer design. 

     We happened to catch a Cooking Demonstration by a famous Japanese chef who gave the audience quite an impressive display of his skills on an IH stove, preparing 'mabo dofu.'  The appliance seems easy enough to use, despite my reservations...  I've been cooking on gas for the past 20 years, so I'm expecting some adjustment will be needed to serve edible meals.  I've heard a lot of novices users burn their first meals.

     Anyway, back to energy, IH stoves run on 200V, so a special line is needed just for this appliance, since all others run on 100V.  We didn't even know that was possible...  Like we said, we're learning everyday!  Our next concern was the stove and we were really impressed with Panasonic Built-in stoves (also running on 200V to cook that Christmas Turkey faster!) on display at the showroom.  That's until we talked with our Kitchen Planner, Takara Standard, and we realised that since the oven will not be visible from the dining room, we may as well opt for the less expensive over- the-counter type oven by Hitachi.

     Why Hitachi?  That's because they make the largest counter-type induction range combination ovens with 33L capacity. Some models come with two levels, so you can cook two lasagnas at once.  That's what we need!  Another option would have been to buy a larger oven to be placed below the stove, as is usual back home.  In fact Hitachi has a neat 41L oven that we were considering for a while.  But none of us want to bend down on a daily basis to use the microwave.  Counter height is much more practical.  Other savings to be used elsewhere.

     Choosing electricity over gas to cover our hot water needs did not make much sense either, given the much lower price of gas, even using EcoCute.  On a related note, Tepco also promotes heated flooring, but we were not impressed with this type of heating as only our toes seemed to remain cozy.  That brings us to our next energy-related visit, which was to Tokyo Gas' Showroom, also in Shinjuku, the subject of our next post... 

Insulation

     Our preliminary concerns were: insulation, energy, and layout.  We spent a lot of time comparing the benefits and drawbacks of Cellulose Fiber (the costlier option), Fiberglass and Rockwool.  Insulation needs have to be examined according to local climatic conditions, and it's helpful to know that it's not really the amount of insulation but rather the R-value of insulation (a rating used to measure the insulation's ability to resist heat flow) that is determinant of effectiveness.

      From what we gather, in Japan,  the average insulation cost for the entire house is 200,00 - 300,000 yen using either Rockwool, Fiberglass or Mixed Styrene Foam.  Cellulose Fiber runs the bill up an extra 300,000, minimum.  As far as we know, the preferences are as follows in Japan:

- Rockwool: 40% of people chose this.

- Glass Wool:  20 % of people chose this; popular in Canada.

- Mixed Styrene Foam: 20% of people chose this. Worst option, but cheap; used mainly for Tateuri-ready-made houses.

- Cellulose fiber: 20% of people chose this; comes from Canada. Friendlier to the environment but not economical.

      Anyway, we ended up  learning way more than we wanted about insulation, and became slightly confused and frustrated at our inability to make a choice.  We finally decided to trust our architect, who obviously has more experience and knowledge than us on this issue, and opted for Rockwool instead of our earlier preference Cellulose Fiber.  The savings will go toward the installation of a Radiant Floor-Heating System...

You have to see it to believe it!

   With proper insulation, double insulated walls (as per JIO regulations), good ventilation, and quality windows, we hope to be well shielded from climate rigors, humidity, and bugs... all of which are a problem at our current place.  Just take a look for yourself.  Our daughter's room has been the most affected by mold caused by water dripping from the wall and ceiling.  Her windows are so wet we place a bath towel to reduce the damage. The towel is completely drenched by the second day. 



A very sorry state of affairs.



 Despite repeated attempts to get this room cleaned and protected, the damage continues.  This second photo was taken about one month after we were forced to move everything out of that room into the living room for two weeks for supposed repairs.  No improvement whatsoever.  Luckily, this is the last winter we will have to spend here...  

Finding Inspiration

     Ever since we started this project, it has been on our mind almost 24/7.   We've had about 5 meetings with our architects so far, accumulated tons of notes, researched countless sites and visited various showrooms just to make some basic decisions about layout, energy and insulation.  We also toured houses designed by TwoStyle and were quite impressed with a colonial style house they built in Mitaka.

     We've also been taking pictures of homes and features we like.  Ever since we heard that our house's exterior would be stucco type, the norm here, we've been looking at stucco-brick combinations that would enhance the external appeal of our home.  This house located near our current home really caught our eye and we showed it to our architects. 

     In order to finalize the 1F and 2F plans, we sifted through dozens of sites to collect pictures of the type of rooms we like and the type of furniture we prefer.  To help us figure out the layout and what would and wouldn't work, we made a larger version of our plan using grid paper and made scaled down versions of the furniture we plan to take with us or purchase.  To allow us to "move around" the furniture, we glued our cutouts to post-its and placed them on our grid where each square corresponds to 45.5cm.   This is our 2F grid:

     This has helped us visualize our movement within the house and the space at our disposal.  We currently live in an apartment half the size of the house, so we needed to rethink our needs within a larger space.  We went to Ikea, since this is probably where we will get some of our new furniture, and spent a full day just looking at options and materials.  We found nice ideas and put several items on our list.  This is also where we found a kitchen island we liked so much that it made us rethink our kitchen plans.  So it was a productive visit, and we came back with a catalog to browse freely at home.  It is also really helpful that their Japan website is available in English! 

Choosing an Architect

    The building restrictions for our area and the shape of our land pretty much dictate the overall plan of our house.  Of course, our needs, like car space and bike storage, and personal tastes come into play, but we're not architects and even though we tried to draw a layout, we did not get very interesting results... 

     When we first met TwoStyle Architects, we told them what we needed and generally explained our preferences in a house layout.  Even though we come from places where space is not an issue, we did not want a huge house, knowing that merely 10 years from now, our kids would be fleeing the nest.  So we were OK with 50m2 on each floor plus a loft, but we insisted on efficient use of space. We were looking to have a small bathroom and only one toilet, to spare us all the cleaning!

     What we didn't know is that we could have an interior terrace, and that's why we were so impressed by our architects’ first presentation.  This terrace would not only add an extra 18m2 usable space on sunny days, but would also give the feeling that the house was much bigger.  At night, special lighting on the terrace would provide a sensation of warmth.

      In addition to the usual kitchen-dining-living areas and bedrooms, we had specified that we needed a studio for my jewelry, a music studio for my husband and a study/work area.  All of our wishes were reflected in this initial plan, and although we knew we would then need to refine the various spaces, we knew that this was solid groundwork.

      So after weighing down our options (2 other firms), we hired TwoStyle Architects and paid their retainer fee.   TwoStyle was recommended by our realtor, and even though we had a good feeling about them, we nonetheless contacted two other firms to compare and decide which one was best suited for us.  We were completely clueless as to the home building process in Japan, and I believe we pretty much read everything related on the internet. Nonetheless, we failed to grasp the differences in approach and cost among architects, house makers and house builders.  We knew we wanted to have a good handle on spending and a lot of ideas on design. 

As we move along into the project, we are very satisfied with TwoStyle's approach and commitment toward our goal.  We are even surprised to see that communication is even better than expected - all e-mails are in English only and most of our conversation also.  So we feel confident that we have made the right choice.  Fingers crossed until we move into our new home next May.

TwoStyle - 2

     Following a preliminary meeting with Two Style Architects where we roughly explained what we were looking for in a house, we fixed a meeting for a Presentation.  On that day, Director Shioda-san and Architect Yakushiji-san showed us two plans and a model of our house.  We were really pleased with one of the plans which featured a beautiful wooden terrace enclosed within the walls of the house.  This terrace, while occupying a significant amount of space (18m2) would not count toward the specified surface that we could build on.

     In this area, and most of residential Inokashira surrounding the park, the surface on which we are permitted to build is 40%-80%.  This means we can occupy another 40% of the size of the land on the 2F.  We can also have a loft, but here again there are restrictions: a) the tallest point of the house must not exceed 10m, and b) the ceiling of the loft cannot be higher than 1.4m.  This restriction on construction surface, as we soon learned when looking for land, is called "Kempeiritsu".

     Now, our initial feeling on this was that we would definitely have a lot of room around the house and we could definitely get a garden.  But 40% of the land is quickly filled when you add an enclosed terrace, parking space, entrance, and the mandatory 50cm around the house...  From looking at the sketches and the model, it actually feels like the house is filling out a lot of the land! 

     Japanese laws have changed recently regarding building restrictions.  For instance, our soon-to-be neighbor to the left was not imposed this 40-80% restriction back when he built his house; his front door is so close to the road...  But we prefer having a bit of space between the house and the road, and our neighbors!  We were also imposed a setback because of plans to widen the street which shaved off a few cm off our land.  The houses to our right have already complied with the setback regulation, but not those to the left.   As it is right now, the street is a bit narrow, but we won't be driving a large van anyway, if we drive a car at all.  Still debating the purchase of a car, as we also need to get our Japanese driver's licenses.  If we succeed with this we will post later on that process as well... 

Buying Real Estate

     When we began looking for land this past August, we really wondered where to start.  This was actually a process we had undertaken 8 years previous, but we had never followed through on a purchase back then because we didn't have our Permanent Residency and also because we were ambivalent about staying in Japan for long at that time.

     So this time, we started looking at available land and properties on the internet but we wanted to get in touch with a Realtor that would help us track that piece of land that would best suit us.  We didn't want to buy a used home, knowing that the building standards have evolved in recent years.  We didn't want to buy a prefabricated home either (Tate-uri) because we had very specific needs that were simply not adressed by ready-made homes.  We had already seen a few and weren't impressed.

 

     We first visited a Real Estate Agent near Kichijoji Station who introduced 3 pieces of land.  Surprisingly, the agent was only midly interested in helping us, and after our initial meeting, he never contacted us again.  We never went back there either.  We then visited Landmark Real Estate Agent where we met with Fujimori-san and Miyao-san, who were both keen on assisting us without being overly zealous.  That's an important point because we didn't want to feel rushed.  They showed us 3 pieces of land and took us to see one of them. 

    In the evening, we took our bikes and peddled on over to see one of the proposed lands, and that's when it happened!  We fell in love with it!  We were unable to even consider any other land after that.  So it was hard to bluff with Fujimori-san on our next meeting and not let it show that we REALLY wanted this one.  Fujimori-san showed us a couple more places, but finally, by the end of the meeting, we were making an offer...

   Land prices have been dropping in and around Tokyo over the past few months.  This particular land was originally posted at a much higher price than what we got it for.  The difference between last year's price and this year's was 1000 man yen (approx. 100,000 dollars).  We still requested a rebate on the asking price, and confirmation that our offer had been accepted came to us the very next day.

Fujimura Pool

     Back when our daughter decided she wanted to learn to swim at all costs, we considered many alternatives in our neighborhood.  We tried Yokogawa and Fujimura, but the latter won our vote due to proximity to our place (just a few minutes walk), even though it seemed a little strict.  So we went all out and bought the club's swimsuit and the swim cap, got the swim bag also and our daughter went merily to classes, as I sat at the 2F viewing station with our then baby son.  Since then we've also enroled our son, from the age of 4, as he was also fretting about getting into the pool. 

Totally different experiences with both kids: one was serious and dedicated to learning quickly and passing the different levels of competence, the other totally committed to fooling around in the water and making as little effort to listen to the teacher...  I was approached once by a concerned instructor who wanted my permission to be "stricter" with my boy...  No way! He was only 4 and loved water, so I thought the classes were worth it anyway, even though he progressed ever so slowly.  He's 7 now and a bit more in tune with the program, so I'm happy I didn't pull him out as I had considered so many times.

     Fujimura's administration also eased over the years.  I recall an incident way back when the "Furikae" (make-up classes) rules were tighter where I ended up explaining my views to the pool's director...  (Gaijin parents are usually trouble-makers!)  Amazingly, the policies changed a bit thereafter, and I've been very happy with their system ever since.   Tests for lower levels are held during class, once a month.  For higher levels, tests are given every 3 months, on a Sunday.

     Fujimura is located near Tokyu Department store, and they are open everyday but Sunday for regular kids classes.  My daughter now takes Diving lessons there and loves it, but the class is given a bit late (7pm) for the time being.  My son is on the twice-a-week program, and is finally learning the crawl...  Prices are every reasonable and switching classes is now easy and practical.   I also like the kind of family atmosphere in the reception hall; the assistants are quite welcoming and seem to know the kids by name!