Remove, Replace, Repeat: The Unending Restoration of a 200 Year Old Farmhouse in Togari, Nagano

Outland Japan

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Episode 02 of Snow Country Stories Japan* transports us to Togari, Nagano to chat with Rich Morgan. Rich and his wife Maiko are engaged in the ongoing restoration of their home, a 200 year old traditional farmhouse. Known as ‘kominka’ in Japanese, these beautiful houses acted much like lifeboats within the heavy snow, allowing families to sustain themselves through winter. The skill and strength of the construction required to withstand the snow means that kominka survive to this day, however many now lie abandoned and under threat of collapse or demolition.

Rich and Maiko began renovation of their kominka in 2017, a project that continues today as they experiment with what’s possible when restoring these beautiful houses. Interwoven into the tale of breathing new life into an old house, Rich tells his own story including how he ended up in Japan and once here, how he found his way to the deep snow and an old house in Nagano. We discuss the ongoing restoration of the house including the tantalising prospect of a ‘katana’ (sword) hidden above, surprises below, and just why these buildings are worth saving - an eloquent argument for which Rich makes at the close of the interview.
Sachi-ya: http://sachiya.net/
*please note, at the time of upload of this episode, the name of the podcast was 'Snow Country For Old Men'. It has since changed to 'Snow Country Stories Japan'. For more information about that change, listen to the special announcement uploaded on April 24th 2023.
Outland Japan is a bi-weekly podcast hosted by Peter Carnell - a freelance tour guide based in northern Nagano – that transports you to rural, regional and the wilds of Japan in pursuit of stories that lie outside the neon hum of Tokyo and golden trimmings of Kyoto. Stories of travel, life and culture beyond the big cities. Follow the show on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube. Please note, prior to October 2024, Outland Japan was named Snow Country Stories Japan.