The Japan Minka Reuse & Recycle Assn. educates the public on minka preservation and finds owners for unwanted farmhouses through its "minka bank" listings. The minka it lists are offered free, but moving and restoring one in Japan run about $350,000, roughly the cost of building a new wooden home, said Toru Kanai, director general.
Architect Ryoichi Kinoshita of Atelier Ryo in Kyoto pegged the cost of transplanting a minka overseas at $600,000 and up, including flying in Japanese carpenters to put it back together.
Interest abroad appears to be picking up. Along with Stanley's minka, two international projects are underway. A small Japanese farmhouse was assembled at Musee de l'Homme in Paris for an exhibit next year. Kinoshita just rebuilt a 200-year-old minka on a Hawaiian hillside for an American family who had lived in Japan.
"Japanese traditions like judo, sushi and Zen have become international hits," Ando said in a light moment. "Next, maybe Japanese minka will be. Sometimes if foreigners see value in something, then the rest of Japan recognizes it."
That's how it worked for Masako Orita, who learned to appreciate her heritage while living in the United Kingdom, where her husband served as Japanese ambassador.
"We were often invited to country houses by our British friends, and they inspired us so much," she said. "They are very proud of their beautiful old houses. I said to myself, wait a minute -- we have similar ones in Japan."
Now retired, the Oritas had a minka transplanted to the Izu peninsula, south of Tokyo, this year. She finds solace among its blackened posts and beams, set off by smooth, white plaster walls.
"I feel so relaxed, among those natural materials," she said. "They stood for 200 years, so you feel kind of safe surrounded by -- I don't know -- your ancestors."
About 87% of the homes sold in Japan each year are new, government data show. That's the reverse of the United States, where 85% of sales are of existing homes. The average Japanese house lasts just 30 years.
But the renovation market is growing. Sumitomo Realty & Development Co., a major player in the housing market, began restoring minka three years ago in response to customer demand. It has completed 600 so far, 300 in the last year, spokesman Naotaka Ushigome said. Like many Japanese, he wasn't aware of the possibilities a decade ago.
