薮下研究室

「センポ・プロジェクト」
私たちは千畝記念館から半時間のところに日本旅館を開業しようというプロジェクトを立ち上げました。恵那駅前で偶然出会ったユダヤ人の旅行者の方から「千畝記念館は午前中に訪れないといけない。なぜなら、この近くには旅館がないので、日が暮れるまでに次の目的地に移動しないといけないから」という話を聞いて、午後からでも記念館に行けるようにできれば、遠方からわざわざ千畝に会いに来てくれる方々に喜んでもらえると思ったのが切っ掛けです。
We have begun a project to open a Japanese inn located about 30 minutes
from Chiune Sugihara Memorial Hall. One day I happened to come across
some Jewish travelers near Ena Station. We got to talking and they said, “We
have to visit Chiune Memorial Hall in the morning because there’s no place for us to stay overnight around here. We want to get to our next destination by nightfall.” This got me thinking that it would be nice if travelers coming a long distance just to visit the Memorial Hall were able come in the afternoon at their convenience, knowing that there was somewhere not far away where they could stay for the night.

私たちは現在、恵那市の飯地高原に日本木造建築の家屋を所有しています。春は山桜が咲き、秋は紅葉に覆われる大自然の中にある２４００坪の土地に建つ日本家屋です。建築材料は、地元の銘木「木曽桧」の柱、壁は珪藻土の土壁、和室の欄間は屋久杉、５０畳のフローリングは欅です。家の構造は、釘を１本も使わない日本建築の伝統技術「木組み」構法です。水は地下８０メートルのところからポンプでくみ上げるミネラルウォーターです。この鉱泉水を温めて露天風呂に引いています。
We own a home in Ena City in an area known as Iiji Heights in the mountains.  The home is a wooden structure built in traditional Japanese style situated on two acres of land in an abundant natural setting where we enjoy the beautiful cherry blossoms in spring and the brilliant fall leaves in autumn. The building pillars and beams are Japanese cypress, a much-valued type of wood in Japan. The walls are of diatomaceous earth, a natural material that is an excellent humidity regulator. The transom above the sliding paper doors in the first-floor room is carved from Japanese cedar from Yakushima Island. This precious wood has since been banned from use in building construction. The flooring in the spacious 165-square-meter living room is Zelkova wood. The home was constructed utilizing a traditional carpentry technique of Japanese architecture for joining wood without the use of a single nail. The water used in the home is mineral water pumped from a depth of 80 meters below the ground. This mineral water is used not only for drinking and cooking but also to fill the large open-air bath.

ひと家族が暮らすには十分な間取りなのですが、宿泊を目的とするには手狭です。そこで、このプロジェクトでは、敷地内に宿泊棟を建設して、最大で１０人が泊まれるようにしようと考えています。現在ある家屋は食事や音楽鑑賞のためのコミュニケーション棟として利用します。今回のプロジェクトは現在の家屋をコミュニケーション棟に改装するための資金を集めることを目的としています。完成は２０２２年春を予定しています。一方、宿泊棟の完成の完成は２０２２年秋を目指しています。わたしたちのプロジェクトにプレッジpledgeしてくださる方には、一年間好きなときに何度でも家族や友人だけで別荘のようにご利用いただける特別会員権をプレゼントいたします。
The floor plan is adequate to house a family; however, as a lodging for accommodating travelers, it is somewhat small. That is why we have conceived this project to construct a building on the site that is large enough to accommodate a maximum of 10 persons for an overnight stay. We plan to utilize the home as a communication space where travelers dine, listen to music, and just relax. In order to modify the home into a communication space for travelers, we are in the process of raising funds. We plan to complete the modifications by the spring of 2022. We are also aiming to complete the lodging on the site by the autumn of 2022. Persons pledging money to this project will be presented with a special one-year membership to use the home as a vacation home with their family and friends as many times and whenever they wish for a period of one year.

露天風呂に浸かって、日本庭園の桜や紅葉を眺めながら日本酒はいかがですか？日本酒はコーシャ認証を受けた「獺祭」などはどうでしょう？食事は和食器に盛り付けた茶懐石料理をご提供いたします。四つ星ホテルとはちょっと違う日本の伝統文化を存分に味わうことができます。また、千畝記念館は山奥の小さな盆地にあるので、交通の便が良くありません。そこで、ご希望があればセントレア空港から英語のナビが付いたレンタカーを用意いたします。
Imagine gazing out on beautiful seasonal nature as you soak in an open-air bath. And you may also enjoy a cup of Japanese sake as you do so, which is a practice many Japanese people love. We recommend Dassai, a well-loved sake in Japan (and it’s kosher!). Kaiseki cuisine, which is a multi-course meal prepared with seasonal ingredients, will be served for dinner. This is an opportunity to experience the traditional Japanese food culture unlike the cuisine and atmosphere of most high-class hotels. Chiune Memorial Hall is located in a small valley in the mountains that is not easily accessible by public transportation, so we will also arrange for a rental car from Central Japan International Airport (Centrair) for those travelers desiring this service.

このプロジェクトを企画したもう１つの切っ掛けは、和ロウソクを製造している教え子の家業が立ち行かなくなっており、家業を継続するための一助になりたいことです。コロナ禍で壊滅的な打撃を受けている日本伝統工芸品の職人たちは他にもたくさんいます。このままでは４割が年内に廃業を余儀なくされるということです。ならば、飯地で提供できる和の空間を伝統工芸品で構成する、実際に使用した工芸品を販売する、クラウドファンディングの返礼品を伝統工芸品にする、そして売上全体の１割を職人に還元することで、日本文化の衰退を食い止める一助になればと考えました。ご理解とご協力をよろしくお願いいたします。
Another motivation for starting this project was to help a former student of mine whose family business is making Japanese candles. The family is finding it very difficult to maintain the business. There are many other artisans engaged in the traditional crafts of Japan who have been dealt a devastating blow arising from the effects wrought by the Corona virus. It has been predicted that if this situation continues, some 40 percent of these artisans will be forced out of business. If that is the case, then I would like to do what I can to stem the decline of Japanese culture. This will involve providing a space in Iiji that is created featuring traditional handicrafts that will be offered for sale and also given as small tokens of appreciation to persons contributing to the project through crowd funding. I plan to donate 10 percent of the proceeds from sales to the artisans. We are sincerely grateful for your support.