Hokkaido

week3

     Hello!
     I will tell you about the house of Hokkaido.
     Hokkaido is very cold, and it often snows in Hokkaido, so the house of Hokkaido has to have a lot of measures against cold and snow. In short, we are able to live warmly in the house of Hokkaido. However, this is not only characteristics of the house of Hokkaido. Surprisingly, the house of Hokkaido is cool in summer, and warm in winter. That is because the house of Hokkaido is high tight and high thermal insulate. In addition, the house of Hokkaido has a high efficient heating system and ventilated technology, so the house of Hokkaido has not only a comfortable thermal environment but also high energy-saving performance.

     Characteristics on the appearance of traditional houses in Hokkaido are that the roof is steep, that there is a chimney, and that they have double-entry doors and double-paned windows. First, I will tell you about the roof. The roof of the house of Hokkaido is a thatched roof of galvanized iron and there are few tiled roofs. That is because it snows in Hokkaido. Recently, two forms of the roof of Hokkaido appeared. They are s steep roof to drop the snow to the ground (rakusetsuyane) and a roof on which the snow melts (murakusetsuyane). The former is good on the house because snows don't lie on the roof, but it is hard to remove the snow off a road since the amount of snow which drop the snow to the ground increase. In addition, the solidified snow falls, so there is a great risk of the snows' hitting people. The latter is two forms. One is called a flat roof and is the form that the winds blow the snows. The other is called a duct roof and is the form that it looks like a flat roof when you look at it from the outside, but it has a slope toward the center of the roof. The snow melts from the inside touching the roof, so a duct roof has the form that the snow flows to underground with the duct. This is mainly used at the city. Second, I will tell you about heating systems of Hokkaido. Heating systems of Hokkaido is the method that warms everywhere in the house. That is because moisture is generated where the temperature is lower in one house. Recently, the number of the house with a chimney has decreased, and a method which is mainly used is "a central heating". "a central heating" is a method that warms the house with the panel everywhere to send out a hot water made in the boiler. In addition, there is also a method that uses a stove installed to the main place such as a living room instead of a boiler. Finally, I will tell you about ventilation. It is important for the house of Hokkaido. That is because, as the above, the house of Hokkaido need high tight and high thermal insulate, but as a result moisture rises. However, if you ventilate without thinking, heat escapes from the house. Therefore the concept of ventilation plan was generated. This is the concept of ventilating with acertain regularity so as not to impair the efficiency of heating.
     In short, the house of Hokkaido has a lot of measures against snow and cold.

Okinawa

week2

     Hello!
     I will tell you about the house of Okinawa.
     First, characteristics on the appearance of traditional houses in Okinawa are that the color of the roof is red, that the house is surrounded by a stone wall and a hedge, and that the screen for the blindfold which is called "Hinpun" instead of the gate is standing. "Hinpun" has three important roles. One of them is an amulet because it is said that something bad can not turn a corner. In addition, "Hinpun" has the purpose of preventing a direct wind and of the physical blindfold. Moreover, there are Okinawan lion statues which is called "Shisa" on the roof of the houses in Okinawa. It is used as talisman against evil. A male Okinawan lion statue has a mouth open and a female Okinawan lion statue has a mouth closed.

     Second, characteristics of traditional houses in Okinawa are that it is designed to suit the season.  When you hear the Okinawa, you think as if Okinawa were in summer all year round, but that is not true. Okinawa is the path of the typhoon from summer to autumn, especially, so the houses of Okinawa have a lot of measures against typhoon. Red tiles of the roof of the house in Okinawa is fixed with plaster, and the height of the house in Okinawa is low and the house of Okinawa by surrounded by a stone wall and windbreaks such as a garcinia spicata, a indian laurel and a yew plum pine in order to avoid as much wind resistance as possible. Here I will introduce the wisdom of measures against typhoon of the people of Okinawa. A strong typhoon comes to Okinawa, so a clothesline sometimes even flies. Flying a clothesline in the sky is dangerous and is as if a spear of the javelin throw flies. Therefore, the people of Okinawa fix firmly a clothesline to a clothes-drying platform with string or wire in order not to fly. They also fix trunks and branches of garden trees. The following is a glass window. The people of Okinawa set up a glass-filled iron wire which is able to stand up to high winds, or stick enhancement films or grates. If there is a gap in the window in the old house, the people of Okinawa plunge magazines into the gap and fill the gap. They nail plates to wooden shutters like old cartoons.
     Third, the houses of Okinawa have a water tank on the rooftop. Okinawa is a water shortage area historically. The reason for this is the climate of Okinawa and the population density. The palateau of Okinawa is composed of the palateau of coral reefs, which have low water-holding capacity. So rain in Okinawa flows out to sea immediately without being stored. In addittion, the population density in the center of the city of Okinawa is as high as that of Tokyo. As a result, Okinawa is a water shortage area.
     Finally, I will tell you about recent houses of Okinawa. Recent houses of Okinawa are a concrete building. That they have in common with traditional houses in Okinawa is that Okinawan lion statues exist on the roof or the pillars of the gate, and that the houses are surrounded by a stone wall and windbreaks. Red tiles of this picture are an imitation and are concrete tiles colored red.

History

week1

     Hello!
     I will tell you about history of Japanese houses.
　  In prehistric age (from the Jomon period to the Kofun period), there was a pit dwelling, a flat-land dwelling and a raised flooring type house.  A pit dwelling (tateanajyukyo) existed since the Jomon period and in Edo period, a small number of people lived in it. A pit dwelling had a square shape and a circle shape. A pit dwelling is built by digging up the ground. It is that because the rate at which heat is transferred in the ground, so I was able to stay cool in summer and warm in winter, and that because a pit dwelling is low and you are able to build a pit dwelling with less material, so it is easy to build a pit dwelling. A flat-land dwelling (heichijyukyo) existed since the late Jomon period. Unlike a pit dwelling, A floor of a flat-land dwelling is the same height of the ground. This is the appearance of the Japanese floor, which is the same height of an earth floor. A raised flooring type house (takayukajyukyo) existed since the Yayoi period. The rice was transmitted from the continent in the Yayoi period and then people made a raised flooring type house in order to store the grain harvest. The underfloor of a raised flooring type house is wellhole and a raised flooring type house is enhanced breathability in order to prevent moisture. This is a architectural technique to consider the climate of Japan. The idea of a raised flooring type house has been taking advantage of that there is underfloor in a house of modern Japan. European house with low humidity is not like this idea of ​​underfloor.

     In ancient times (from the Asuka period to the Heian period), a pit dwelling changes into a main building in a Heian palace, and a prototype and a basic type of the manner of the Heian period palatial architecture appeared. The manner of the Heian period palatial architecture is the form of the residence of the Emperor and noble, which was completed during the Heian period. The manner of the Heian period palatial architecture has a sleeping space closed and a day space opened, and the former is called "Yon no Otodo" and the latter is called "Hi no Omashi".
     In the Middle Ages (from the Heian period to the Kamakura period), the manner of the Heian period palatial architecture was developed. It changed to asymmetrical from symmetrical arrangement of building. This was a change due to an emphasis on the functionality and a change due to reduction in the size of housing and simplification in the form of housing which caused by the financial deterioration. In addition, a palace called "small Shinden" appeared. "Small Shinden" was built far from the palace group centered on the Shinden because it had the property of ensuring private space.
     In modern times (from the Muromachi period to the Edo period), the traditional style of Japanese residential architecture appeared. It has square pillars, sliding doors, akarisyoji, shutters, and tatami, and has become the basis of modern Japanese architecture.

     Through a history like this, Japanese houses have been developed.