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Dear friends allover the world,

We appreciate all your kind mails and phone calls and feel sorry to make you worry.
Actually we are far from the areas of destruction and did not suffer any damage.
I am also astonished to look at the TV: they look like images from another country as there was no shake or tsunami in western japan.
Due to overloaded telephone lines I was able to contact our warehouse in Chiba only on sunday morning, 36 hours after the quake. The tremblor was strong but fortunately no damage to people and equipment.

Now the nuclear emergency is giving some serious concern.
I cannot be optimistic but there is no point in panicking and I am trying to collect unbiased data and act rationally. I am sharing some thoughts and founds on my facebook profile.

About the work, we are fully operational, all our material is safely stocked inside and we are at your disposal for any question. Actually, we try to keep busy to counteract the hypnotic effect of the round the clock TV news…!

Lastly, let me share with you the link to some donation sites.
These people lost family, property, work. At least let`s return them some hope.

Our friend`s ryokan in central Italy was featured on Vogue!
Omedetou!
Find the link here below to read the article.

https://www.vogue.it/people-are-talking-about/vogue-arts/2011/01/un-ryokan-nelle-marche

Take a look at these works of art!
(click on each picture for an enlarged view.)
The “kumiko shoji” possess the geometric harmony of a moroccan lattice-work and the wit and non casual irregularities proper of the most refined japanese court culture.
Feel free to let us know your requirements (pattern, sizes) for your custom shoji!

We build and shipped some custom size shoji doors made in “sugi” pine wood. sizes are 1238mm x H 2200 for one door and 950mm x H 2200 for another opening. (normal shojis are in the range of 900mm for the width and 1800-2000mm for the height.)

We also provided overhead rail floor rails and jambs made in hinoki gluelam (it is safer than solid wood as it does not warp or bend)

We supplied the shoji paper and glue/spackle separately as paper is easily damaged by humidity during the ocean freight. Inside the container the temperature tends to be very high, and paper will stretch and wrinkle if it is already attached on the shoji frame.

We know that rather than the cold buttons of the mouse, you prefer the delicate touch of the cherry blossoms falling on your hair.
Anyway, if you are far from japan and missing its onsen, its cozy ryokan with mystical stone gardens shining with the moonlight, we hope you will enjoy this 3D walkthru simulation.
If you like it, write a comment!

You can actually walk inside this virtual japanese room (and take a relaxing bath in our ofuro, of course!)
1) You need to use Internet Explorer (sorry, does not work for other browsers)
2) Download the Power sketch viewer plugin from “Magic Hour Co.”. Click the Icon.
3) Access the 3D file. virtual-showroom3d.php

You can jump to the saved views with the buttons in the control bar or just press the mouse left button and slowly glide thru the garden…
(Yes, there is also a toilet behind the fusuma doors in case you cannot contain your surprise…)
I hope this can be a hint if you are considering a japanese atmosphere for your home extension.

This is for all of you who visited our warehouse (and for all of you who plan to visit…)
On 6/28 we are moving! The new warehouse/showroom will be operational from 7/1.

We are relocating closer to Chiba, within the Tokyo Central lumberyard – Chiba lumber center.
The address is: Yoshioka 496 Yotsukaidō City, Chiba Pref.

The closest station is Yotsukaido Sta. (on the JR Sobu line for Chiba)
We are actually very close to Narita Airport, you are welcome to drop by on your way back!

Did you know you can order just a duckboard?

In this case, a friend architect ordered one for (I imagine) a very special bathroom. We had a detailed correspondence about using the planks long wise or width wise. We custom built the sleepers to adjust to the existing slope. The grating was divided in two pieces for easy maintenance. The client chose not to chamfer the corners of the planks for a sharper look. We adjusted the size a couple of times.
Every communication was done in a fast and accurate sequence of questions and answers, like in a ping pong game. Perfect.
Well, almost perfect…
The sunoko is now happily installed, I hear, but… we are having 2 practical problems. I am mentioning it here so it can be of reference for other cases.
We strive for perfection but sometimes problems happen all at the same time…
Please bear with us as we will do our best to assist you in any circumstance.

problem 1) One plank was damaged during the transportation with EMS!
solution 1) All the shipments are insured. If you already opened the box and used it for more than a week, there is nothing we can do from our side. You will have to file the claim to the post office, they will produce a damage report. Send it to us. We will file it to the japanese post office and obtain a refund. Meanwhile we will make a new sunoko section and ship it to you. Sorry for the trouble!

problem 2) Some of the stainless steel nails developed some rust stains!
solution 2) No kidding! I confirm we use SUS1818 type stainelss nails.
As you can find on internet resources (wikipedia etc.), the only case that stainless steel produces rust is when it gets in touch with another ferroid material. The chrome coating anti-oxidation barrier of stainless steel is neutralized by the electrolitic effect of the two metals touching.
Cause:
a) It is possible that some metal dust from the hammer remained on the nail head
b) or maybe your water is very rich in iron
Solution:
Dip a moist, soft toothbrush in a box of baking soda. Or you can use a mild pickling gel. Rub back and forth gently on the stained area. Rinse abundantly.

Our client kindly participated us these pictures.
Looking at the ofuro bath tub from the lavatory area:

Japanese and western. Just like the lucky owner of this sleek bathroom (a japanese-american couple), mixing it up makes life more interesting!

The tub is a large knotless hinoki with tob border frame.

Please enjoy the second video in my kabuki experiences series. This video is a short run through of where this wonderful opportunity has taken me.