Saturday, November 8th

YouTubers – Saturday 10:00 – 11:15

Moderator: JJ Walsh

• Maigo Mika: Mika 

• Akiya Kominka Life: Brandon English

 

JJ, Mika and Brandon will talk about what having an active YouTube channel is like, from filming, editing, and more.  They’ll also be discussing their current projects.

 

Rules, Regulations, & Funding – Saturday 10:00 – 11:15

Moderator: Vince Ng, Minka Board member

• Mitsuo Tsurutani: Architect at Atelier Grue; Vice President of Japan Association of Traditional Reconstruction Architects

• Koji Toda: Board member of the Aichi Chapter of the Japan Kominka Association; Manager at Toda Komuten, a five generation design-build firm

 

Creative Women in Minka – Saturday, 14:45 – 16:00

Moderator: JJ Walsh, host of Sustainable Japan

• Naoko Omae: owner of OW Indigo, located in Miyama, Kyoto. Handmade clothing and fabrics created from authentic aizome dyeing.

• Emily Smith: documentary filmmaker and master forager

• Tana Haugo Kawahara: Owner of Tsukienko Kominka Diner

 

Three talented and creative women will discuss the role a renovated traditional structure plays in developing their businesses and inspires them in their work.

 

How I Renovated my Minka – Saturday, 14:45 – 16:00

Moderator: Marcus Consolini, owner of Daimon Shuzo Sake Brewery & Minka owner

• Alex Balson: Shinshiro 

• Coline Aguirre: Kyoto 

• David Caprara: Nara

 

Three expats who have made their homes in Japan will discuss their personal minka journeys, then there will be Q&A with the audience.

 

Architects & Builders – Saturday 16:15 – 17:30

Moderator: David Caprara, Journalist, minka renovator

• Miroslav Bachura: Architect & renovator

• Masakazu Yoshida: Architect & renovator

• Felix Conran: Designer, architect, builder

• Noriko Yamada: Architect & renovator

 

Listen to four professionals talk about their work, past and current projects, and their thoughts on the future of heritage buildings in Japan, followed by Q&A with the audience.

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Sunday, November 9th

Innovative Approaches to Rural Revitalization – Sunday, 10:00 – 10:50

Moderator: Andrea Carlson

• Ryoko Yoshida – Kuhcan

• Tomohiro Kawaguchi – Kominka Machidukuri Council / Smile Quality Inc.

• Samuel Zeller – Akiya Collective

 

Three people will describe approaches their organizations are taking to revitalize rural communities while giving second lives to kominka.

 

Beyond Minka – Sunday, 11:00 – 12:15

Moderator: Andrea Carlson, board member of Minka Society and Kominka Collective

• T-Michael: T-Wabisato, a property in rural Noto Peninsula currently undergoing extensive renovation to be reborn as a retreat for artists, designers, and others looking for authentic Japanese experiences.

• Mehak Wadha: The Awarenest, a sanctuary where Indian yoga meets Japanese Zen, including aerial yoga, meditation, sound healing, and massage.

• Nathanael Ulfer: Jaminka, a traditional kominka dismantled, shipped to Jamaica, to find new life as a meditative retreat center. 

• Andrea Carlson: The Kominka Collective, an organization that - with their partners Toda Komuten - saves minka and other structures that are going to be demolished and relocates them within Japan or overseas to give them a second life.

 

Four people who have been involved in successfully rescuing and renovating kominka for uses beyond private residences. They’ll discuss their projects, followed by Q&A with the audience. 

 

Writers & Readings – Sunday 11:00 – 12:15

Moderator: Roland Kelts, author of Japanamerica: How Japanese Pop Culture has Invaded the West, among many other works & articles

• Azby Brown: Architect, artist, historian, and writer

• Iain Maloney: Author of The Only Gaijin in the Village, among many other books

• Everett Kennedy Brown: photographer, author, minka renovator

• David Joiner: Author of Kanazawa and several other novels

 

Each of the writers will read from one of their works, followed by Q&A with the audience.

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Masters of Minka – Sunday, 13:35 – 15:00

Moderator: Miroslav Bachura, Architect & Renovator

• Yoshihiro Takishita: the “Godfather” of modern rescue and renovation

• Azby Brown: Architect, artist, historian, and writer

• Haruo Nishio: Japan Thatching Guy; expert renovator

• Yoshinobu Toda: Architect in a five generation design-build firm, minka relocator and renovator

 

Join four of Japan’s most experienced experts in all things minka as they discuss their careers, the current state of heritage buildings in Japan today, and what we can all do going forward to help preserve these beautiful structures before they’re all destroyed.