Our Team

Susumu Watanabe - Head Carpenter
Watanabe Kensetsu have been the carpenter family for the village since Susumu’s grandfather started the company 60 years ago. Along with his brother and father, Susumu continues the tradition of fine wood work and carpentry by working closely with our team to develop designs and restoration processes to bring the beauty of the antique houses up to modern living standards.

The teams ability and willingness to source local lumber, recycle original materials and work cost effectively are key skills allowing us to bring a superior product to market on time and within an affordable budget.

Jacob Reiner  -  Architecture & Project Management Cornell ‘93ALS
Jake is the overall project architect responsible for initial structural assessment and valuation of homes, coordinating design and budgeting to minimize costs, and ensuring use of the highest quality sustainable materials.   He also coordinates the PR and sales program for the Shojiko Traditional Village and regularly appears in Japan TV, magazines and newspapers to promote the project.

He has 20 years of experience in sustainable design, construction management, eco-technology and agriculture in Hawaii, New York, Canada and Japan.  While at Cornell University, he published The Importance of Community Involvement, outlining the benefits of  creating sustainable villages to address environmental concerns.  In 2000 he founded the Earth Embassy to develop and promote green businesses, and in 2006 incorporated Eden Homes, an architecture, design & build company, to construct eco-friendly homes and villages.

Akaike Komuten  – Detail & Restoration
Akaike-san has personally built over 30 fines homes in the Yamanashi area.  In our Shojiko homes he is responsible for many of the innovative re-uses of traditional features and techniques preserved in the buildings.

His custom staircases are legendary, his classic style front doors with added security and insulation sought after, and his hand-built cedar bath tubs sell internationally.