What colors of wood do you offer? Can you share some pictures of the actual colors/shades.
Dear Y, We use natural wood, no pigments, or dies. Also, only conifers can be used for bathtubs so the colors are quite similar. (they are all light color woods.) I mean that there is no dark wood like walnut or reddish like mahogany.
Our three kinds of wood are: ・hinoki (whitish. color tone similar to birch) ・asnaro (yellowish. color tone similar to oak) ・sawara (orangeish. color tone similar to cherry)
If you want we can send some physical samples. Where are you based? If we can use EMS shipping the cost will be 4000 JPY. If not (USA, Australia etc. – during the COVID emergency) we will have to use Fedex so cost will be 12,000 JPY
Please let me know how you intend to proceed. Best// iacopo
The cultural center and ryokan in S. Ginesio (central Italy) re-opened in the post-corona era on May 20th.
And to celebrate they cleaned and re-sanded their knotty hinoki 15-year old bartok design ofuro.
I leave the photos to describe the whiteness of the regenerated hinoki and the colors of the springtime filling it completely.
After the Corona virus I think that long haul flights and trips to faraway countries will be pursued less. We will assist to the spread of the “micro-tourism” model as theorized by the President of the hotel chain “Hoshino Resort”
If you are in Europe, what other excuse are you waiting to visit the Wabi Sabi Ryokan? For questions/ reservations, contact Ricky and Serenella as per the details below:
hinokitiol is a natural extract of asnaro-hiba wood with strong antimicrobial performance. It has been proved effective in treating penicillin-resistant streptococci and is used as a component for disinfectants, cosmetics, scalp and acne treatments etc.
It can be diluted in water and vaporized in the air: it lasts much longer than other volatile substances like alcohol. It has been used as a local and ambient disinfectant and insect repellent.
☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆ Can It be helpful in inhibiting or treating the COVID-19? ☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
I do not know.
But I can supply it ! (because it is a by-product of my manufacture of Japanese cedar wood products, mainly Japanese ofuro bathtubs).
☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆ I offer to send samples of hinokitiol to research institutes in case they are interested in testing it against the COVID-19 virus.
Please contact me and let me know the address and contact person information for the shipping. I will send 1g via airmail. Product and shipping cost is on me. ☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
As of march, 17 2020 I already shipped a sample to:
1) Dr. Raymond Goodrich Colorado State University’s Infectious Disease Research Center - USA
2) Dr. Maurizio Cecconi Humanitas University - Milano - Italy
3) Mr. Joseph Payne Arcturus Therapeutics - Torrey Pines Mesa - La Jolla - USA
4) Dr. Brooke Fiala Washington’s Institute for Protein Design, Seattle - USA
5) Dr. Chen Katz Migal Galilee Research Institute, Qiryat Shemona - Israel
I do not have personal contacts within the ９ large companies who have been largely publicized on the media (nor I have big sympathy for large corporations) . Anyway if you know some researcher who is worthy, please let me know!)
・ Inovio (USA) ・ Cure- Vac (Germany) ・ Gilead Sciences Inc. (USA) ・ GlaxoSmithKline (USA) ・ Johnson & Johnson (USA) ・ Moderna Inc. (USA) ・ Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. (USA) ・ Sanofi (USA) ・ Vir Biotechnology Inc. （USA)
Anybody else you think could use the natural hinokitiol to help defeat the virus?
As they say, every cloud has a silver lining. The coronavirus emergency -> craze -> histeria is provoking an economic havoc that could damage irreversibly large sectors of the economy.
But is also giving the chance to millions of people to rethink their priorities, optimize their time and rearrange their routines. One big discovery is definitely ZOOM meeting software (no affiliation…)
I had some tepidly disappointing experiences with s**pe or goto**ing. The first 5 minutes of the conversation were spent in yelling “moshi-moshi, hallo etc.” the next 5 minutes were used to restart computers and inevitably the conversation took place on whatsapp.
But ZOOM is very stable and the interface is so easy to use. It is possible to have meetings with up to 100 people (and more for special users) and when somebody talks, the speaker pops up in the magnified part of the screen. It is also possible to share documents or scroll on SketchUp models etc.
I am planning to use ZOOM also to connect with people who are interested in purchasing an ofuro or need to solve some problem I can help with.
I am still not sure on how to embed it in the homepage or if it makes sense to create periodical live webinars etc. I would appreciate your insight and opinion about it. I am still a novice in ZOOM.
I purchased the paid plan (about 200 $ per year) so I can make unlimited meetings with up to 100 people. Of course it can be used also on the smartphone so I am always reachable. My ID is 51848377. Let`s connect. A virtual hug to everybody!
Just a few words to update you about: 1) a fatal encounter with an experimental tatami maker 2) meet iacopo in London on 2/27!
Chapter 1)
Our schedules did not match: although we had a couple of tentative venues we did not manage to meet. R&S: two dear italian friends and Bartok design ofuro users, always present in my mind and inspiring my activities and discoveries come to Japan for a couple of weeks. They come to Kansai, they were here in Nara, Kyoto and surroundings but we did not manage to meet… Such a shame…
But every cloud has a silver lining! Before living they gave me the introduction to Mitsuru Yokoyama, young tatami maker in Kyoto. I could not resist and called him immediately. It was a very strange feeling: like my own voice was echoing back. I immediately felt our ideas were on the same wavelength and as much as it was pleasant to talk, I felt we almost did not need to talk..!
Well, the Princess Sawara outlet tub has been sold. But as we had several requests for the same princess… so at the same time, we decided to build another one… Same material, same sizes, an identical twin to the previous outlet tub!
We do not have anymore sawara material in stock for an outlet tub so if you missed the first one, this is the last chance…
I just want to send you some words, and pictures, from Norway, saying that we still are in love with our Hinoki bath tub, and we use it several times every week (except the warmest weeks of summer)!
On Christmas eve, our daughters (that have started to ask for a bath when they come to visit…:) wanted to have a “Christmas bath” – as did I of course. Inspired by the book “the japanese bath”, I made a “Christmas edition” bath, as you can see from the picture.
(We usually do not add anything to our tub water, of course, the hinoki scent is wonderful on it’s own). I took the chance that this would not harm the tub, and it seems to do fine:) Since our three daughters were using this bathroom during the Christmas holidays, we agreed that the use of perfume, hairspray etc would have to be used in another room (the toilet), not to ruin the hinoki scent that meets you as soon as you slide the door open, and greets and calms our senses. The shoji doors, which were sliding perfectly the first half year, have started to stop halfway for some reason. We have to look into that. Maybe the humidity has been too hard on them?
I follow your blog posts with great interest! It is exciting that you provide suggestions for future visits to Japan! Especially the hiking trips look very nice. As Norway is a country with many travelers, and Japan becoming very popular, ideas are popping up… Hm. It is a real dilemma now, with our environmental challenges, not to travel so much with airplanes, on the other hand being adventurous and really love to travel..
Anyway, Happy New Year and thank you for all your shared inspiration this past year!
So here are some pictures! You can see the lamps, that were not installed in your last pictures – and the rhododendron is blooming outside in the June pictures, beautiful when they reflect in the water. Unfortunately we have had no snow this winter so far, so no real wither pictures.. Since you are an architect, I attached some pictures of the room itself too. Look at the reflections from the tree outside on the wood panel behind the ofuro in the early morning light! (aspen wood). (Should you want to use some of the pictures, you are welcome of course:)
Remember, if you ever come to Norway, you would be most welcome to visit, and look for yourself:)
Trying to get something close to 34 inches all over- L 34 or so and W 34 and a deeper than what is shown in your homepage. Maybe 32 in. Price? and also can bath fizz bombs be added to this wood?
Thank you for your interest in our japanese bathtubs！
In this case, the length of the planks (to be mounted side by side like in a barrel are pre-cut (final height = 740mm = 29″).
For this reason, we cannot simply extend the height.
We have the option of cutting custom material for a taller kadomaru but this would increase the cost in a higher proportion than the benefit you can enjoy
Another option consists of making a box-like custom tub with the height to match your requirements.
If you let me know the plan size you require, I can prepare a quotation.
You can refer to the standard tub sizes for reference ->-> ofuro price list
Or just go for the sizes you like (a custom size is not more expensive than an equivalent standard size)
◆fizz balls: I do not know the composition but I am afraid it would stain the wood.
You can use some neutral bath salts, anyway the whole concept of the hinoki bath is to enjoy the natural aroma without any addition.
We are looking forward to working with you and remain at your disposal for any question/problem.
Japan is nicknamed as the “land of the rising sun” but not everybody knows that New Zealand actually enters the new year one hour earlier than Japan.
Nevertheless, considering the landscape, the culture, the personality of the Japanese, I think that there could be no better nickname!
In Japan it is custom to spend the last evening of the year laid-back at home and get up early to climb on high ground to contemplate the first sunrise of the year.
This year I was in Shikoku, on Inoyama – also known as Sanuki Fuji for its beautiful perfect conic shape – near Zentsuji in Kagawa prefecture. The sky was clear and the angle was unobstructed. The sun is popping out as an egg yolk being tossed out from the belly of the mountain. I can understand the sense of surprise and reverence that pre-blue-screen generations may have felt everyday contemplating the most important daily event on earth: the rise of the sun.
Even if it is only once a year, assisting to this extraordinary miracle always has a powerful effect of filling up my energy cells while grounding all the negative stress. I do not know if I can call it a mindfulness experience but I am a big fan of the “hatsuhinode”: the 1/1 sunrise watching.
Of course one could do it 365 times in a year (366 times in 2020!) but nothing compares to enjoy it from a place like this, with the mindset of january 1st, feeling the warmth of the first rays shaking the winter night.
I wanted to share with you this moment with the auspice that 2020 can be a shining year for you: bringing happiness, health, and prosperity!!
2020 is also the year of the Olympic games and I am sure you will feel closer to Japan than ever. If you want to celebrate the games with a bottle of sake, do not forget to dress it properly with our “kimono bottle covers”. New colors, new package. Check the shop here-> https://bartokdesign.com/product/kimono-bottle-covers
