Carpentry Experience: Building Together from the Ground Up
In October 2024, I received a request from a family visiting from Singapore.
Two families—parents and children around 5th grade—came with a clear intention:
Not just to see the Japanese countryside, but to experience it.
I proposed three different programs:
- Carpentry + rice harvest
- Fishing + camping
- Hiking + onsen
They chose to do all three in a two-day stay.
In this post, I’ll focus on the carpentry experience.
Designing the Experience
Once we decided on carpentry, I had to think carefully about what we would build.
I chose to design a chicken coop.
Not a small one, but a proper structure—
something that would give the chickens enough space,
and also protect them during winter.
But more importantly, this wasn’t just about building.
It was about learning.
So I asked myself:
What should the kids take away from this?
I decided to focus on the foundation—
the part that everything stands on.
Teaching the Foundation
To make it easy to understand, I simplified the design as much as possible.
I drew a basic section of the footer and explained:
- how the ground supports the structure
- what layers go into the foundation
- why each layer matters
The kids were fully engaged.
They quickly started calculating the number of materials needed—
faster than I expected.
From Ground to Structure
After understanding the process, we moved into the work.
We started by digging the soil for the footings.
Then, step by step:
- setting the base
- installing the footers
- raising the frame
Everyone worked together.
Parents and kids helping each other,
learning by doing, not just watching.
What Made It Special
What stood out wasn’t just the structure we built,
but the way everyone participated.
It wasn’t a “tour.”
It was a shared experience—
something physical, something real.
By the end, they didn’t just see the countryside.
They understood a small part of how things are built here.
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