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“moon shaped tub” crowdfunding campaign

I spoke about this project with some friends back in january.

They have been contacting me regularly for updates.

I finally squeezed in the 3-4 days necessary to prepare the material and launch it online….

ladies and gentlemen, the crowdfunding campaign for a new generation of hinoki bathtubs is alive!

tsukiburo-banner640wide They are curvy and sexy, they are cutting edge, they are hand-made. Here is the beginning of the new “KAKEHASHI” collection!

House for sale in Osaka

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A japanese friend is selling his house in southern Osaka and since it is equipped with a nice hinoki bathtub, I decided to call it out here, in case somebody in interested.

It is remote that users of this site may be considering purchasing of real estate in Japan, but who knows! Also note that this is not a heritage building but a full featured 3 story family house with 2 cars garage.

asking price: 42.8 million yen

year built: 2001, december

structure: timber (post and beam)

floor area: 148.22m² (3 story, 4LDK)

land area: 166.81m²

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You can find more information and photos here:

http://win-jyuken.jp/?post_type=fudo&p=4272&shu=1202&ros=592&eki=6508&ken=00&sik=0&kalc=0&kahc=0&kalb=0&kahb=0&hof=0&tik=0&mel=0&meh=0

Production Schedule

We often receive an inquiry about the time required to produce and deliver a tub.

Of course I will be glad to answer your request in detail case by case but here some general guidelines for your reference.

All bathtubs:

Production time (from date of confirmed order)

1) if smaller than M-7) 1500 x 750 : 3 weeks + delivery time

2) is larger than M-7): 6 weeks + delivery time

3) round tubs, kadomaru tubs: 2 weeks + delivery time

4) outlet tubs (ready-to ship): 1 week + delivery time

+Delivery time:

Add 1 week for air freight

or 2-5 weeks for ocean freight

note: for general reference, our common customs sizes are listed in this page:

https://bartokdesign.com/download

Please contact Iacopo by email for more details about the current production schedule or any other question/problem.

new prices for the bath accessories

I would like to call your attention on 2 changes in our lineup of japanese bathroom accessories:

1) the design of the ladle (small bucket with handle) was updated with the use of a braided wire.
This gives more stability even if it makes the look different from the large bucket which still has the flat copper bands. On the other hand, the new ladle coordinates with the round foot bath. oke-hi2

2) there will be few adjustments (prices increases) in the accessories due to the cost increase of the stools and new pricing categories of the EMS Japan post service.
Please find the new prices below.
170601-hinoki-bath-accessories-pricelist
This new price list will be effective from june,1 2017 so if you are ready to buy some accessories, I recommend to place the order by 5/31.
The shopping cart will be updated with the new prices on 6/1 at 0:00 JST

rural kabuki in Kobe

Today I went to the gorgeous Minatogawa Shrine in Kobe.
The building was rebuilt in reinforced concrete as many other examples thru-out the country but the balance, its setting in the green in the center of Kobe always gives me a sensation of wellbeing. Incidentally, here is where I got married, 15 years ago… but this is a different story…

This time I was not a normal visitor: I came to participate to a casual festival as a … Kabuki actor!
Actually I have been impersonating the character “Nango Rikimaru” from the play “Shiranami go nin otoko” for over 18 years!
It all started when I visited a traditional festival and forgot on the ground my note-book.
It was promptly returned to me and one year later I was recruited to be on stage!

Nouson-kabuki (rural kabuki) is a standard (or maybe I should use the past tense) of local festivals and the amateur actors (in the past mostly peasants) were dressing up and making up their face to entertain the community.

The five characters are thieves that are surrounded　by the police and are giving their testaments before the final fight. Some of them had noble origins, some of them are played as onna gata (with an effeminate makeup). Nango is a rough pirate hiding on ships and popping out all at the sudden and threatening the crew with his shining sword. He is not repented and showing off his red underwear he draws his…umbrella preparing to sell his life dearly!

kazoku-buro

I have some american friends who spent their honey moon in japan.
They both love ofuros but had to enjoy the hot water separately.
If you go to an onsen-ryokan, you may have a bathtub in your room also.
But the “real thing” is of course the “dai-yoku-jo” (large bath area) which is separated by sex. Here you can enjoy different temperatures of water, ishiburo (stone-bath) rotenburo (outdoor bath) goemon-buro (wood fired metal bathtub) and all the optionals including waterfalls, softly lit stone lanterns and spectacular foliage.

So my friends were separating, going to their bath area and feeling guilty to indulge longer in the hot water… You do not want to have your newlywed partner say “did you came here to spend time with me or to enjoy the thermal water by yourself?”

Please keep your ears open: there is a trick if you want to love the onsen as much (or almost as much…) as the company of your partner: you can look for a “kazoku-buro”.

Many ryokan offer family bathtubs that can be used for a limited time by your party exclusively.
Some require an extra fee, some others do not. In this case they are usually crowded and you have to reserve well in advance or wait.

Here below are some photos from the hotel “kami-no-yu” (god of hot water) in Yamanashi prefecture. The address is 17, Ryuji, Kai city. telephone: 0551-28-5000.

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This one is suitable for a large family!! But do not forget to read the notice before entering…
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The ofuro is inside but you can enjoy the landscaped garden from the window!

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I cannot here list all ryokans that offer a “kashikiri-kazokuburo” anyway I will share some other reviews in the near future.
Meanwhile, if you are going to japan and want to try this experience, please let me know: I will be glad to look for a suitable ryokan for you.
If you want to do it by yourself, try to access googlemap with the tags selected by clicking the link below:

https://www.google.co.jp/maps/search/%E8%B2%B8%E5%88%87%E5%AE%B6%E6%97%8F%E9%A2%A8%E5%91%82+%E6%B8%A9%E6%B3%89/@35.7192132,134.0200653,5z/data=!3m1!4b1
Then, zoom on the location you choose.
The onsen will be twice as enjoyable if you can share it together with your other half!

nemophila blooming

Roses are red violets are blue, sugar is sweet…
I studied this short poem as 1st grade junior high student in Torino some 33 years ago: what a flash back!
But this is just to say that flowers in japan are not only sakura.
A friend went to maihama seaside park in ibaraki prefecture (north of tokyo) and sent me some shots. I did not know it so I felt I had to share it with you! I am enclosing here some photos.
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Can a cracked wooden tub be repaired?

To repair a cracked wooden tub (we often supply this advice to customers who own wooden tubs from other makers) use the following guidelines:

1) small crack, no leak: just fill the tub and let it rehydrate overnight. As the wood swells back the crack should be completely reabsorbed.

2) small crack with leak: place newspaper pages inside the tub spread over the crack area (be sure NOT to use a newspaper printed with petroleum-based ink). Then fill the tub. The newspaper does not let the water through but transfers the humidity to the wood. Proceed as 1) above.

3) medium crack with leak: fill the crack in its deepest area with clear silicon caulking and let dry for 24 hours. Then fill the tub and keep the water inside for 1-2 days, The wood should swell back and a part of the silicon will probably be squeezed out.
You can cut the excess of silicon with a cutter knife.

4) large crack or asymmetrical crack (triangular shaped): in this case the wood not only cracked but warped as well. Even if re-hydrated it will not return to its position completely. In this case, you should fill the crack with epoxy putty (we can supply it) + sand to make the surface even and make the repair invisible as much as possible.

This crack happens often when the client uses air-conditioning or heating equipment and as a countermeasure keeps some water inside the tub. This precaution is of course very important BUT please understand that it cannot guarantee 100% that also the external side of the wood planks will be sufficiently hydrated.

Natural repair for wood crack!

I would like here to share a story with a happy ending. I hope it can be of help to others also.

PHASE 1) 12/20/2016

The client purchased two round footbaths in December 2016.

PHASE 2) 4/16/2017
We received the following email from the client:

Hi
One of my foot tubs is leak and unfortunately I don’t find the note which followed with advise how to fix it. Could you please send it to me by mail?
Thanks.

My answer:
I am sorry for the problem.
Can you send me a picture?
Is there a crack? How many mm wide?
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half-kamachi outlet tub – sold out –

sorry, sold out!

Asnaro is very aromatic and its “forest scent” perfectly matches the spring-time atmosphere.
We had just the right lot so we decided to make a new outlet tub.
This tub is not only new, it has a new design – and I am sure it will become a classic!
It did not happen on the design table, it was just when we were picking up the material to laminate the sides we noticed we were just a little short. Of course we could re-assort the planks to compose a different size but playing with the lumber that was there we had an inspiration.

I am almost sure that the asnaro aroma kind of made this idea sprung from Nobuhiro`s mind.

He said: why don`t we apply a kamachi (top frame border) only on the short sides?
This makes the corners flush when you look at it from the top, additionally it makes it easy to lift the tub (like a handle) from the head and feet side.

From now on, I will call it “half-kamachi detail” until I come up with a better term.

This springy, fresh design outlet tub is made with straight grain asnaro-hiba.
Details as here below:
L1150mm x W750mm x H675mm (external dimensions) 580mm(depth) knotless natural Asnaro wood bathtub.

1) AB grade tub (quatersawn) : 410,000. JPY
2) Packaging: 135x95x88cm plywood box: 36,000. JPY
3) transportation: to be quoted (please let us know your exact address: we will provide a quotation before you purchase the tub)
Please check the drawing here for the detailed dimensions: outlet170421

This tub does not have a “back side”. It has the copper apron on both sides so we can apply the iron brand on whichever side – if you want. About the short side, you can see what I was meaning by saying that the “half-kamachi” can be used as a handle to grab and lift the tub.

The immaculate interior of the tub!

And this is the “half -kamachi” seen from the top. It makes the forner look flush (L-shaped)

If you like this tub, I recommend to contact us soon. I am sure it will not last!