Hi Iacopo , finally my bathroom finished. I would like to share some photos . Thank you again for the ofuro.
J. from Paris
Brava!
For this project we just supplied the ofuro and the shiji-like glass sliding doors were built locally.
even if the rooms are comparted, it looks so bright and ethereal with the shoji-like design! the grid gives order and at the same time makes it feel more spacious. I am sure the layout is also very flexible and cozy at the same time.
Even if it not technically shoji, it evokes in my mind the words of the immortal Japanese author Jun-ichiro Tanizaki. Click the link below (documentary by NHK) if interested in learning why…
Well, the good news is that there is concrete interest from a party in Australia. I cannot reveal the details now but I have a clear feeling the project is going to materialize. The reason I am anticipating this “scoop” is that this could become an important precursor of more similar projects. Yes… the not so good news is that what is left over of the construction heritage in Japan is depleting quickly like snow under the sun. Let alone the governmental policies to encourage demolition of unoccupied buildings, the hyperbolic depopulation of rural areas, and aggressive marketing of prefabricated house makers and governmental grants scavengers.
The next wave of demolitions is not going to spare even temples and shrines. Actually, there is a weird cause triggering a trend of demolition of old temples all-over Japan and the Kameyama example is just the tip of the iceberg. Let me explain. Some temples are being demolished because of a decrease in the population of Buddhist priests or Shinto “guji” to take possession of the building. Sad but probably inevitable.
But what shocked me is that many temples are being demolished for the purpose of rebuilding a new ones. In rural Japan, the local families (danka) support their temple or shrine both with yearly donations but also with special crowdfunding for particular occasions such as repair of the building, additions, and reconstruction but also to cover expenses such as the wedding of the son of the priest, rebuilding of the house of the priest etc.
Needless to say that this system can be taken advantage of … and actually it is often abused by unethical priests. A rural family may be asked to pay a special contribution of 10,000 USD or even more to buy a house for the son of the priest. Unbelievable as it sounds, it was common sense in most rural Japan. Needless to say, the grip of traditions, moral burdens, and social customs do not affect the younger generations and the priests (both the greedy ones and the ones in good faith) understand that if they want to raise a large amount of money, they can only appeal to the 70, 80, 90 years old practitioners. And every time there is a changing of the guard in the head of the families, the temple loses a sponsor.To cut a long story short: the priests understand that this is their last chance to plead for large donations, while the old guard is still alive… The irony of the fate is that these Japan traditional social customs is now one of the causes of the destruction of the cultural heritage.
As it is useless to cry over the poured milk, the question on the table is:
What can we do to turn this tragedy into an opportunity?
Action 1: I will try to use the Kameyama temple example to gain some visibility in Japan and find out about other submerged realities of temples on the verge of being destroyed and for which we can still propose an alternative plan.
Action 2: I need help to spread the word, network, gather information about possible host locations for Japanese temples (and maybe also traditional houses).
Will you help me? Often a local park or botanical garden can provide the space available to relocate the temple, and governmental authorities, local businesses, and art patron may raise their hand. By giving a new caring home to a traditional Japanese building, your city may gain an extra feature that can bring tourism, cultural activities, media coverage, and new business opportunities.
Ride the cheap yen!
（I am sharing a photo kindly participated from M&M who purchased from us an ofuro back in 2005. More info is available in the testimonials gallery)
Lumber had a cost increase at the beginning of 2022, after about 6 years of fixed prices. Shipping costs are now increasing on a monthly basis…
Nonetheless, this is probably the most convenient period to purchase an ofuro! As you certainly know, the dollar and the euro exchange rate soared in the past 2-3 months and gained 20% or more on the Japanese Yen. Experts say this trend is going to last for a few years but I think the biggest gains on monetary fluctuations can be made in the first period before all other economical factors came into play and balance the situation.
The message is: if you are considering buying an ofuro, NOW is the best moment ＼(^o^)／ Contact me for an updated quotation or for any questions!
Let`s meet in NY in July!
Because of Covid, (and also because I am not vaccinated), in the past 2 years, I could not travel as I wished to…But I think it is now time to spread my wings again! I will travel to NY from July 7th to July 14th.
I have a few meetings but I will have time to meet old and new friends. Please let me know if you are available and it will be great to get together for a coffee or a green tea!
One of the reasons I am traveling to the USA is a non-ofuro related business. As an architect, I am now proposing projects that use artificial lagoons (kind of very large pools) to revitalize the rural and stranded property.
Too many of Japan`s 2500 golf courses are now being sold for a few pennies and becoming the prey of solar panel farms, land infills, dumps and other speculations to earn state subsidies.
And from the governmental side, it is shocking to see the huge rise of green field developments, useless industrial parks and “white elephant” projects despite the surge of vacant industrial and commercial land (brownfields). The economical crisis is apparently the excuse to immolate well-preserved pieces of nature for the brutal … though useless pork-barrel type of developments.
As an alternative, I aim at creating smart cities, retirement communities, and resorts that can sacrifice a small piece of nature in exchange of large economic output, local employment, and a lifestyle that can ensure more contact with nature while respecting it.
One of the most ambitious projects is to create a smart city in the Kyushu region, 10 Km from Oita airport that – with its 3.0Km long runaway – is not only a convenient hub for transportation but is also a candidate for the space industry with collaborations with Virgin and Sierra Space.
Please let me know if: 1) You have an interest in investing in smart real estate projects in Japan 2) You have a way to connect me to “Virgin Orbit” or “Sierra Space” companies
I know that this is not the most proper vehicle for this type of information but as my favorite motto says: “give life a chance”!
Have a wonderful summer and … I hope to meet you in NY (or in Japan)!
This nice couple based in the USA, purchased a K-grade hinoki ofuro from us in 2005. Now, they decided to order wide hinoki planks – all heartwood to clad the ceiling and further upgrade their lovely bathroom.
The ofuro really looks brand new after 17 years, thanks for taking good care of it! I hope the natural feel of the ceiling and added hinoki fregrance can bring you happiness for the next 16 years to come!
Message from the client:
Iacopo – your tub and wainscotting looks wonderful I am sending you 10 pictures. Please feel free to use whatever works best for you All the best M.
I love the semi outdoors / semi indoors setting！ Too bad you can only do if you live in the tropics…😢
Be sure to click the PLAY button in the video below to see the motorized door in action＼(^o^)／
Message from the client:
Iacopo San, It is finished and I can start enjoying my blue lotus Spa Ofuro and I love it! I give you some photos and videos for your magazine, Kind regards,
Behind the curtains! Incredible scoop! This is actually the tub that will be displayed at the Kominka summit. The absolute protagonist at the Bartok design booth!
Sawara does not have the glamour of hinoki but is definitely the perfect choice to be installed in a kominka – or to bring the wabi-sabi and homey, understated atmosphere of a kominka to your home!
I am keeping these comments light because you will have the possibility to view it during the zoom-LIVE on April 22-24
For specs and sizes, check the details below but let me anticipate that is one of the most popular sizes for a compact ofuro.
UPDATE: the data connection is very bad 💦 I am not sure I will be able to do the live streaming… Please check the facebook page for the last minute updates: https://www.facebook.com/itorrini
in the morning from 8:00 to 9:00 JST I will try to make a guided tour of some old japanese houses in the area.
As anticipated last month, our participation at the Kominka Summit is confirmed! And even more amazingly: here is a list of the other companies that will exhibit at the Minka mall !!
But Kominka Summit 2022 is not only the Minka mall exhibition. If the management approves, I will try to sneak into the seminar room and bring you to your homes the wisdom of our top-batters:
Keynote speaker for the event is author and lifelong minka and inaka advocate Alex Kerr, whose 300-year-old minka in the Iya Valley, Chiiori, is one of the best-known in all of Japan.
Other speakers include Azby Brown, acclaimed author of seminal books including The Genius of Japanese Carpentry and Lessons in Living Green from Traditional Japan; traditional plasterer Kyle Holzhueter (the first westerner to pass the level one Japanese National Plastering Exam); traditional architects Jonathan Stollenmeyer and partner Kohei Yamamoto (1st class licensed architect and carpenter); organic farmer and educator Chuck Keyser; and Jaya Thursfield, whose YouTube channel (under the name “Tokyo Llama”) documents his traditional home’s renovation and has more than 15 million views.
(If I cannot sneak in, I will try to interview them after the events)
I am planning to stay connected with zoom and facebook-live during the event and provide a virtual tour to all of you who cannot participate in person.
Topic: kominka summit 2022 through iacopo`s eyes Time: Apr 22, 2022 03:00 PM Osaka, Sapporo, Tokyo Join Zoom Meeting
one of the most simple concepts yet more difficult concepts to grasp about japanese tubs is that you do not really need to worry about the plumbing.
The best configuration is to have the ofuro simply sitting on a waterproof floor, sloped towards a floor drain and just let it drain onto the floor, without a fixed piped connection. Think of the ofuro as a large bassinette.
Merits:
1. you do not need to raise the ofuro and create a space below it to mount the pipe, the syphon etc. 2. it is easy to move the ofuro over for cleaning and maintenance. 3. you can flip orientation or position so it looks at the sunrise at sunrise and sunset at sunset! 4. you can even move the ofuro to the terrace/garden and fill it up with a hose or other fun things like that. 5. you can let the ofuro overflow from the top rim, as in a japanese hot spring, giving a sense of abundance and infinity.
Objections & Counter-arguments:
6. the drain is requested for filing to the building department
I understand that regulations may have scarce flexibility. That said, custom-made wooden tubs are not certified sanitary equipment (NSF, UL, CSA, ETL etc…) anyway. An ofuro is a soaking tub therefore is a fitness/well-being equipment like a home sauna or a tanning bed. Be creative, think out of the box. Your shower is a piece of sanitary equipment, your ofuro is not.
That said, if you really really want to provide a hard connection to a drain pipe: it is possible. We can provide an adapter with a female socket dia 50mm (1 1/2″) with G thread. Please check this page for further details: https://bartokdesign.com/5-tub_details/hinoki-tub-drain_and_waterproofing and do not forget to click on the links to open the drawing and photos.
7. We need a drain to connect to the overflow
Again, if you have a wet room, you do not really need an overflow. Think again about it! An overflow is mounted some 50mm or more (if the ofuro has a top frame) under the top rim. This means that you are losing 50mm or more of depth. Also you cannot enjoy the feeling of the “vanishing edge” and the relaxing sound of water gently overflowing from the top. Another problem with the overflow is that you will need a ledge or lining to hide the corrugated pipe of the overflow. See the following pages to see examples:
That said, if you really-really need an overflow connection, we can either install the plastic hose (as per photo on the right) or you can ship us your bespoke fitting.
Note that most standard fittings do not work on an ofuro because the wall thickness (33~42mm or more) is thicker than commercial acryl/FRP bathtubs.
8. We cannot install a wetroom
In some cases, we see ofuros are installed in bedrooms, or in situations where is not possible to recess or built-up a wetroom curb. Actually, even in a bedroom, it is possible for instance to have a section with a waterproof floor (recessed or built-up) covered with a floor grating platform. See this smart example from a client here:
9. We do not know why but we want to connect the ofuro to the drainpipe anyway you can even move the ofuro to the terrace/garden and fill it up with a hose or other fun things like that.
and now, here is the main course of this article. Please read it if the previous argumentation convinced you.
OK. I do want a wetroom for my ofuro. How can I build it?
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For the sake of bullet lists, I can think of three main categories. a) use a large size shower pan/shower tray. It may not be big enough for XL ofuros but there are sizes to fit up to our M-7 (L=1500-1600mm) size. Cheap and easy to install, you can just buy one from amazon and have it installed. Many variants are available: low rise or with curb, black, white, or even gray or purple! corner drain or center drain, etc. Just internet search “shower tray large” or something like that.
b) use a wetroom system. Some have already the drainpipe built inside the panels for a slimmer and smarter installation. Here are some popular ones:
c) DIY. There are infinite ways to create a waterproof layer using PVC liner, asphalt mats, FRP, urethane paint coating etc. Similarly, there is a wide choice of floor drains, linear drains etc.
We are available for liaising directly with your plumber or contractor (via zoom, WhatsApp call, or email) to answer all their questions, also at the time of installation. On the other hand, please do not ask us which system is better or how much should be the gradient of the floor. As you understand, these are all environmental variables, and only the people on site can evaluate the peculiarities and requirements of each project and decide which system makes more sense for your project ＼(^o^)／
one of the most common questions we receive is “can Bartok design supply tubs with a system to keep the water warm all the time?”
The short answer is: NO. We are makers of Japanese wooden bathtubs. If we were selling how water or spa system we would just be resellers of some other company product. Moreover, we would not be able to supply spare parts or maintenance services.
To keep the water warm, there are basically 4 options:
1) Add hot water
Simple as the title, you drain some lukewarm water and add some 60-70 C. hot water to raise the average temperature. Pay attention not to get scalded!
2) Ask a local SPA or POOL equipment company
A re-circulation system consists of a small pump, a cartridge filter, a gas or heat pump operated post-water-heater and optionally a water sanitizing system (UV or Ozone. Chlorine is not good for the wood)
3) Ask Rinnai
Rinnai is one of the main gas domestic equipment makers in Japan and in recent years they started an aggressive expansion policy overseas. Rinnai offers “on-demand” gas-operated how water heaters. “instant” or tankless “tankless” is just another way to call them. Differently from other makers, Rinnai hot water heaters can be equipped with an option to also reheat the water with the very same equipment. This is the option (almost standard in japan) called OI-DAKI.
Try to Google search “Rinnai + your country” to find the best way to contact them. They will propose one of these 2 diagrams (direct or indirect connection) :
Do not ask us which one is better. Ask your plumber or your contractor and discuss the topic directly with Rinnai.
What is more important from our side is to decide which type of sockets to use for the SUCTION and for the RETURN.
The tubs are made in solid wood so a hole can be drilled on-site almost anywhere to install these sockets.
On the other hand, you will need to advise the plumber on how to secure them because the tub walls are thicker (t=42mm) than an acrylic or PVC tub. I think there are at least 3 possible approaches:
A) use a dedicated valve.
You may also ask Rinnai but your plumber might have to customize it. Here below is a diagram and an image photo to explain what I am talking about.
Basically, there is a mushroom-shaped valve that sucks lukewarm water from the front and returns hotter water from the slits around the base. This is a smart solution and also has a filtering function to protect the recirculation circuits from clogging etc. Again, I am almost sure that the valves available on the market (but maybe you would have to import from Japan) are too short to bypass the thick wood wall so your plumber will have to customize /extend it.
B) use SPA connectors
There are many makers such as Waterways, Hayward, Certkin, Jacuzzi, Pentair etc. that are producing SUCTION and RETURN fittings. Here below are 2 photos for your reference. Also in this case chances are your plumber will need to extend the threaded part but maybe this solution offers more flexibility and the parts are more readily available.
C) use the existing FILLER SPOUT
This is a little more difficult to explain but I am sure your plumber will grasp the concept.
If you use one of our wooden spouts, you can just feed the return pipe (from the Rinnai system) inside the spout and let it gently flow from the beak of the spout! You do not even need to have a dedicated spout for this. You can just have 2 pipes feeding the spout: one with the hot water from the wall-mounted mixer or thermostat and one from the recirculation circuit and hit two birds with a stone! In this case, you just need a suction socket but your plumber could even use the existing drain socket for this and mount a valve outside of the tub that can be opened to drain the water from the tub once finished.
It would be ideal if your plumber could do the sucking for the circulation from the drain socket and do the return inside the spout. You would feed also a normal premixed water pipe into the spout so it can at the same time output re-circled water and can also be used as a filler.
4) install a chofu wood burning stove
This option applies to outdoor tubs only. Chofu is another famous Japanese maker producing wood-burning stoves that are attached directly to the back of the hot tub. Not only for re-heating, it can be also the regular hot water supply for your outdoor ofuro. With reference to the specs of the heater and ways to connect it, please ask Chofu. https://www.chofuglobal.com/contact.html
Quite honestly, this is all we can say about our experience in re-heating or recirculating the water.
As said earlier in this article, the main problem we are concerned about is “HOW THE CONNECTION INSIDE THE TUB IS MADE.” Again, your plumber can drill holes as necessary almost anywhere as our tubs are made in solid wood.
We can also drill the holes for you if you prefer, but would definitely recommend you do it on site which gives your team much more flexibility.
One more tip: to overcome the problem of the thickness, you can either:
X) extend the fitting`s threaded connection
-or-
Y) make a trim around the hole towards the outside face (obviously) in order to reduce the thickness locally and be able to tighten the nut. See an explanatory image below.
Yes, this photo is for an anchor bolt and not for a pipe, but you understand the concept.
I hope this article clarifies some issues and remain available for any question you may have. Also, it is probably a good idea if you have your plumber or contractor calling me (whatsapp) or mailing me directly.
Hi Iacopo, “Hello, I am looking for a 2 person outdoor hot tub, that can stay filled without a need to empty it after each use. Is it something you can do? Thank you!”
We can provide the tub but NOT the hot water heater.
We would not be able to supply spare parts/maintenance so you will have all the advantages (price, service, support) to use a local provider.
To reheat the water you have 3 options: a) install a SPA recirculation system with post-water-heater (gas or heat pump). b) try to ask RINNAI (https://www.rinnai.us/ ) if they can provide a hot water heater with a built-in recirculation system. c) or you can drain some water and add 60-70 degrees hot water to restore the optimal temperature.
Please let me know of any other questions/problem
A common way to proceed is that you let me know the sizes/image of the ofuro you are looking for so we can provide a quotation/drawing and we can start from there for modifications/alternative quotations as necessary.
Also, you can find a price list for common sizes on the page below：
https://bartokdesign.com/download
-> please check 1), the first document in the list.
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If you let me know your exact address I can prepare a quotation for the shipping charges.
About the sizes: note that we do not keep stocks so every item is made after order.
For this reason, we can customize the sizes for your needs without any surcharge (of course larger tubs will be more expensive in proportion)
We are looking forward to working with you and remain at your disposal for any question/problem.
We have been invited to participate at the ”Minka Summit 2022” (22-24 April 2022) in Hanase (Kyoto)
There will be some 50 exhibition booths related to traditional crafts, restoration of folk houses etc. Bartok design will have a small exhibition booth featuring at least one ofuro and our best smiles!
Experts in Japanese culture such as Alex Kerr and many other amazing keynote speakers will also be at the event.
It is really a dream come true. Absolutely awestriking!!
Because of Covid, (and also because I am not vaccinated), in the past 2 years, I could not travel as I wished to…But I think it is now time to spread my wings again!
