Barn Again: the Japanese Way

A growing number of architects and preservationists in Japan are trying to salvage Japanese “minka” farmhouses and bring them into the new millenium. “A lot of wisdom, good thinking and good materials went into making these homes,” says architect Yoshihiro Takishita, who disassembled a farmhouse in Japan’s Gifu prefecture, and rebuilt it on the hills of Sagami Bay in 1976. His abode is a spacious one, unlike the stereotypical tiny Japanese apartment: he has added outdoor hot tubs, a billiards room and a red spiral staircase.