happiness, ku:nel volume 38 arrived in the mail just the other day. it provided a refresher on the simple way japanese homes adapt to the variations in temperature across the seasons.
i have recently filled in my back verandah to make a sunny eating, reading and tea drinking spot in my house. it is called the nook. i have a little pergola-type construction jutting out as well, but summer will be hot. i think i will use similar bamboo screening (sudare) leaned against the back of my house when the summer sun is at its worst. then remove when i want those rays back again in autumn and winter. so i am thinking to employ sudare and deciduous grape vine, and am also thinking of strawberries planted in a vertical grid and trained tomato and bean vines that give a green edible shield at the height of the summer sun. but is that too much? anyway, i think sudare are a simple, adaptable solution to keeping a house cool come summer.
above top: quneru flickr
above bottom: detail from ku:nel
not sudare, but nice photo showing how in summer bamboo sliding doors replace the solid doors to allow for cross-ventilation: ku:nel
external view of the leaning bamboo: ku:nel
not sudare, but nice photo showing how in summer bamboo sliding doors replace the solid doors to allow for cross-ventilation: ku:nel
external view of the leaning bamboo: ku:nel
above two: miho flickr
machiya sudare: glue-nobu flickr
I love the Summer in japan though it's so hot and humid... You always post great images which make me visit there....
ReplyDeleteOur living room is facing south-west and it gets REALLY hot in summer so sudare is something I can't live with. But since last year I replaced sudare to "green curtain" (it's getting very popular here now), growing asagao to make a sudare like effect. well, Japan's summer is here....hot hot hot! (I'm not a big fan of japanese summer.)
ReplyDeletehi hiki and natsumi! yes, i lived in kyoto - the most humid summers i have ever known! hiki - what is asagao i wonder?? i would love to see some pictures some time! i will try and find some pictures of tomato vines and green beans 'curtains' as well:)
ReplyDelete"asagao" in English is morning glory? grows on vines and has trumpet like flowers in many colours. I will try to post the photos of my asagao. Tomato vines sounds interesting! I'm growing green beans too :)
ReplyDeletelove these, nice!!
ReplyDeleteI'd love to know how to get my hands on Ku:nel and Coming Home. I dropped into Kanga Kanga on Russell Street today but he doesn't stock them :( Any ideas on how to subscribe?
ReplyDeleteI lived near Kyoto for a few months and one of my favourite things to do was to take the number 5 (?) bus and visit Keibunsha Books. There's no better place to empty your wallet.
i am looking forward to your asagao hiki:) hi aron and kate! i subscribe to ku:nel through kanga kanga - the owner there orders it for me and then sends it on to my home address. it is expensive with the exchange rate, but worth it for me... to my knowledge and checking the ku:nel site, you can't subscribe directly if you are not living in japan unfortunately...number 5! ah, there are memories:)
ReplyDelete