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"In the Shadow of Mount Fuji\nA Traditional Residence Extends its Roots\nSet in the dramatic foothills of Mount Fuji, an American family's minka, or farmhouse, reflects the simple craftsmanship of 19th-century rural Japan. To create the grounds, the family enlisted the celebrated Zen priest and landscape designer Shunmyo Masuno.\nThe living room's spare d\u00E9cor highlights the architecture.\nThe house\u2014relocated to the site by previous owners\u2014was oriented to views of Mount Fuji. \"It's almost a clich\u00E9,\" says the wife. \"You think, How interesting could it be? But every single day is different.\" Massive wood beams crisscross the ceiling in the living room, known as a banshodate after the traveling craftsmen who engineered the columns and beams. The adjacent smaller space serves as a family dining area.\nRafters above the second-floor landing are lashed by thick rope.\nA glass-enclosed passageway links the residence to a traditional Japanese bathhouse.\nThe large soaking tub, bordered by a karesansui, or rock garden, \"is designed for the entire family to bathe together,\" says the wife.\nMasuno designed a hand-chiseled Hikita-stone path that winds its way through hardy, cold-tolerant plantings. Kuromatsu Teruyoshi, of the 300-year-old Kyoto garden design company Ueto Zoen, executed Masuno's plans.\nOpening onto the rear garden, the master bedroom has shoji doors, which provide privacy while permitting light to filter in. Armani Casa lamp.\nThe rear fa\u00E7ade. \"The original thatch of the roof has been replaced for practical purposes with tile,\" says the wife. \"But the characteristic praying hands' shape is preserved.\" Gloster chaise longues."^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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