During our recent trip to Japan our friend Ai Hosokawa arranged for us to visit the restored farmhouse of Kazuhide and Hiromi Hashiya in Fukuoka.

The couple go about the daily requirements of up-keeping a farmhouse including chopping their own wood to keep their home warm during the colder months. There have been renovations made to the home, but they have been done so tastefully that everything looks perfectly balanced and within period. There are carefully selected art objects that were on display for our arrival, a mix of contemporary craft as well as Japanese and Korean antiques. The Hashiya’s have a remarkable collection of craft and antiques, and pieces are displayed during different seasons.

You can sense their genuine love of their home, and also their appreciation of daily ritual. For instance the couple enjoy having their own Tea Ceremony every morning,

The top floor of the home, where all of the solid wooden walls are removed to open the room completely to the open air.

The covered patio off the kitchen.

I really like the simple gardens in Japanese farmhouses, they remind me more of the gardens here in Canada.

A repair to the plasterwork reminds us a little of calligraphy.

The front gate to the house, framed by large wooden beams with walls made from plaster mixed with grass.

The outside of the front gate, an impressive structure in its own right.

A closeup of the textured plaster.

A hanging swing is in the front entrance of the home, complete with a traditional mud floor.

The raw tree trunk support was a nice contrast to the square columns.

The interior with double height paper shoji screens.

A traditional Irori in floor hearth, originally used for cooking but now being used to perform Chanoyu.

A beautiful lidded ceramic chest by Uchida Kouichi, next to an antique game board.

Ai, her daughter Tsubaki and Hiromi on the front steps colouring.

The living space off the entrance and patio, one of the only spaces with western style chairs all of which are antiques. The carpet is very interesting, it is Japanese dyed with indigo. It isn’t that common to find antique Japanese carpets like this, and this one was especially beautiful.