Little House in a Big Mountain

We're back. It looks like I'll have a busy summer in the lakes, rivers, mountains, and forests of Nagano. I go back in two days for some work. I still don't know how regular the work is, or how often I will be able to return to Tokyo. With luck it will not be long before we have a place to live nearby... a place in a big mountain with a little field, and maybe a river too.

We did not find a house. The $50/month traditional Japanese house we had our eye on was rented right before our eyes. When we arrived at the city office to ask for the key to check the house out, we were informed that someone had come only an hour earlier to look at it. We waited, hoping that he would return the key and continue his search elsewhere, but the phone call soon came with the bad news that he would rent the house.

Never-the-less, we found a great area (I had actually gone through there twice - once by accident, and once as a part of my yet-incomplete big dream project). While a bit far from where I will be working, it is ideal in terms of environment and atmosphere. When we asked around about any openings we were told there were none at present, but soon an old traditional Japanese farm house with a straw roof may be opening up.

Pray for us.

Probably the best part about the area is the diversity in residents. There are some old folks who have lived there their entire life, as well as many "new" faces - transplants from the big city, artists, hippies. The photo above is of a great couple that let us stay at their place for the night and see first hand the lifestyle we are aiming for.