Finding new value in dormant wood. We spent two luxurious days in the forest.

Nice to meet you. My name is Tomita from MONOSUS Food Research Institute.

I joined the company in September last year and am mainly in charge of back office work for Shashokuken. Before that, I worked as a manager at a coffee shop, worked for an app management company, and did a variety of other jobs.
Now, while I'm doing my office work, I actually work at Kudan Shokudo and the company cafeteria for half of the day, so I go around the bases (including Kamiyama)! Recently, I've been hooked on traveling around the city while enjoying the scenery on a rental bicycle. It's hot.

Perhaps because of this, the appearance rate at the head office is low, so I have an ambition to become closer to everyone at Monosus. At that time, I was approached by Mr. Hayashi from WOOD STOCK YARD, and I participated in the "WOOD STOCK CAMP & Engawa Lab Festival ★ 2023 Spring ~ Woodstock Yard Karuizawa Lab Building Opening Commemorative Event! ~" held on May 27th and 28th!

This event was held at Wood Stock Yard Karuizawa, located in the forests of Karuizawa. It was a free-spirited event where participants could try making furniture using wood from WOOD STOCK YARD with our self-build partner Engawa Shoten , eat meals together, camp, and enjoy live violin music.

Excitement in the lab building

WOOD STOCK YARD Karuizawa is located a short distance from Karuizawa Station.

I wondered if I was really here as I climbed the path out of breath, only to be greeted by a spectacular space that made me exclaim, "Wow!"

Surrounded by trees, there is a splendid laboratory building that Hayashi and his team built by themselves, as well as benches and tree stumps to sit on, which is exciting in itself. Just below the forest there is a stream with a pleasant babbling brook.

Upon entering the lab building, we noticed that light was streaming in from the roof, making it feel as if we were standing in sunlight filtering through the trees.

Looking closely at the floor, we saw that it was made of different pieces of wood, each different color and size.
"This was a lot of work!" he said, but it felt like a unique floor that was unlike any other, and I found myself looking at it from end to end.
By the way, it seems that the roof truss framework was first assembled and then everyone worked together to lift it up.

Mr. Hayashi established WOOD STOCK YARD and developed the forest.

When I thought about how it must have been a place filled with so many ideas, hardships, and happy memories, I was overcome with emotion as I imagined what it was like back then, even though I wasn't there.

Let's try DIY!

The shed is stocked with plenty of wood and professional tools.
On this day, a DIY event was being held by Engawa Shoten in the newly completed lab building. Taking advantage of the opportunity, I decided to try making furniture for the first time.

I wanted a bench but I didn't know how to take it home, so I was troubled by this for a while. Then, Mr. Watanabe from Engawa Shoten gave me some advice: "If you give us a single piece of wood, we can make it into a bench!" So I decided to make two stools.

Watanabe-san carefully explained each process and showed us a sample stool. He also taught us how to make the AA LOW STOOL by Ishinomaki Kobo, a company he has recently become good friends with.

Ishinomaki Laboratory 's AA LOW STOOL was designed by Torafu Architects. In order to promote DIY culture, Ishinomaki Laboratory allows people to use the design as a reference for DIY activities for non-profit, private use.

By the way, to let you know my DIY level, I was unable to assemble a small rack even after spending a whole day crying, so almost all of the furniture in my house has to be assembled by someone else. I'm clumsy and can't read instructions...

1. Board selection

First, choose your favorite board.
I was talking about how I like wavy wood patterns, and
"That's the grain. Straight is straight grain. It doesn't differ depending on the wood, but the pattern that appears depends on the direction it is cut," says Hayashi.
Now, from now on, when you go to a furniture store or lumber store you can say, "I love wood grain."

By the way, the eye-like patterns on the nodes are apparently formed when branches get wrapped around the trunk as it grows.
I thought it was nice to be able to feel the history of the wood, so I decided to choose something that was unique.

2. Make the boards the same thickness

The automatic planer is moved a few millimeters at a time to scrape the surface of the board, but this is quite difficult. If you don't do it properly, it will get stuck halfway through, or you will end up with a ragged pattern that looks like it was made by a beginner (even though it's supposed to be automatic...).

3. Cut to the required length while looking at the drawing.

I calculated which length of parts to take from which board, and chose my favorite board for the side that would be most visible when I had it in my house. Once I did that, the cutting process wasn't as difficult as the machine looked.

4. Mark the screw locations and drill holes

This was the hardest part for me as I have poor spatial awareness.
“Is this supposed to be on the inside?” “Where do I put this side to make it the outside?” “If it’s cut at an angle, does that mean the holes should be drilled at an angle as well?”
I kept thinking about this and had a question mark constantly floating over my head.
The knotted part is brittle, so it seems not suitable for driving screws in. I was recommended to cut it off, but I wanted to keep it, so I decided to bring it to a part where I won't be driving screws.

5. Screwing and assembly

I used an impact driver, and it felt like I was doing DIY! It was fun. At the first stage, it was a little wobbly, so it was a little difficult to do alone. When Hayashi saw that, he quickly helped me out using his tools, saying, "If you do it like this, it will be stable and you can do it well," and he was amazing. Hayashi has a lot of knowledge, so halfway through I felt like I was talking to a carpenter (laughs).

It's finally finished!

This is what we ended up with.

There are gaps and wobbles here and there, and even holes that I accidentally made (sweat), but I've grown attached to it and am very happy with it.

So far, they have been a big hit in the kitchen. They can also be used in a variety of other ways, such as to put your bag on, as a bedside table, to expose plants to sunlight, or to stack two on top of each other.

How to enjoy the forest

After spending two days in the forest, I realized there are many different ways to enjoy the forest.

In the Night Forest, we interacted with the other participants while munching on the meat that Hayashi had grilled for us.
As always, the meat and homemade sauce are delicious...
Although it was my first time meeting everyone except the Monosus members, I was happy to be able to talk to so many people.

The next day at lunchtime, Holly from "The holy ground" played an instrument for us, and we enjoyed the luxury of listening to the violin in the peaceful forest.
Porta danced along to the music, little kids jumped in with ukuleles, and everyone sang along. "I'm really enjoying the most wonderful and happy time right now..." I felt that with my whole body.

lastly

Actually, I had been interested in WOOD STOCK YARD for a while after reading Mr. Hayashi's articles.
I wondered why I felt this way, even though I'm not particularly fond of wood, but when I made something with my own hands using wood that was not available on the market, I felt like I was able to "discover value in something that was lying dormant," and I thought, "Ah, this is it! I love this moment!" I was happy to discover that this is why I somehow prefer old things to shiny new things and why I wanted to live in an old house.

I'd like to try making a picture frame next, but it would also be interesting to paint pictures on the scraps I cut and turn them into room plates, paperweights, or magnets. The red cedar sold at WOOD STOCK YARD is a member of the cypress family and has a wonderful scent, so the shavings could be made into sachets.
It would be fun to have a workshop with everyone from Monosus.