A record of the creation of the wooden Japanese-style trailer "Ocha Tabi-go"
KIMURATOMOKIWe have created a teahouse camping trailer called "Ocha Tabi®" using traditional Japanese construction methods . It is a camping trailer that can be towed by a passenger car.
I hope to enjoy tea in the beautiful scenery of the four seasons, and to have the opportunity to interact and learn with you all as we embark on an exciting journey exploring the traditional culture of each region .
September 1, 2023: The woodworking work by Somakosha has been completed. Tiny House Japan (Flicka Caravan LLC) will now transport it to their workshop.
I first became interested in wooden camping trailers when I learned about Mr. Tagami of Tiny House Japan. He is a builder who handcrafts beautiful wooden trailers that are like works of art using solid cedar wood and various other natural materials harvested locally in Oita Prefecture, where his workshop is located.
I was instantly drawn to this trailer, as I had always wondered if there was a way to make better use of traditional Japanese techniques and lifestyles rooted in the local climate in the modern era. After seeing Tiny House Japan's trailer, I wanted to build a shrine-like trailer and travel around Japan someday. After watching a video of Tagami's trailer, I copied it and created the 3D CAD data shown in the image below.
(The plan is to mount this building on a trailer chassis.)
It is a traditional Japanese house consisting almost entirely of pillars and fixtures. It has a 2 tatami mat entrance hall that doubles as a dirt kitchen, a 3 tatami mat raised Japanese-style room, and a bathroom at the back.
I decided to visit Mr. Tagami of Tiny House Japan and ask him directly whether it would actually be possible to build it, and whether such a thing could even be driven on public roads. However, Mr. Tagami said that he doesn't do Japanese-style things. However, there must be many craftsmen who would like to work on something like this, and among them is a young and skilled master carpenter named Mr. Yamamoto of Somakosha in Okayama Prefecture. He might be able to take it on. If Master Yamamoto is willing to do it, Mr. Tagami said he would be willing to take it on.
I immediately made an appointment with Mr. Tagami, and flew to Okayama Prefecture to meet Master Yamamoto. When I explained my plan to him, he showed interest and agreed without hesitation .
Thus, with the help of these two talented craftsmen, my dream began to move towards becoming a reality.
First, Ta-san revised the layout based on my design. The interior was kept purely Japanese, but the exterior was redesigned with a sophisticated look that is characteristic of Tiny House Japan. He also used the finest wood from Oita Prefecture, including the rare cedar called "Akamasa" that can only be harvested from a single cedar tree.
Under Tagami's design and supervision, Somakosha was responsible for the basic structure, exterior walls, interior, fittings, furniture, etc. The initial production period for the trailer was expected to be about three months in total, with Somakosha taking two months and Tiny House Japan taking one month. However, in reality, it took about a year from the time the contract was signed to dry the wood, another six months after the blueprints were completed to marking and carving the wood, and another six months or more to assemble the structure, the interior, and the fittings and furniture to be installed.
The planning began around 2021, the contract was actually signed in the summer of 2021, and completion is scheduled for early 2024, making it a project that will take approximately three years.
Although it is a Japanese-style building with a simple structure, in order to ensure sufficient strength, it was constructed using very time-consuming timber framework, which resulted in a great deal of time and effort. 
Regarding the extremely unusual job of building a vehicle that can run on public roads using traditional methods, without using any metal parts such as nails in the basic structure, he said, "It's a continuous process of intense work, but I enjoy it," and "It's the greatest joy of being a carpenter." With the help of Master Yamamoto, a first-class architect, he constructed a vehicle that was safe and would not budge even when driven on public roads.
Thank you very much to everyone at Somakosha.
Tiny components carved into never-before-seen complex shapes are fitted together with precise, precise accuracy and then assembled onto the trailer chassis.
Although each component is small, the effort required is not much different from that of building an entire house, and only Somakosha could do work with such care, says Tagawa of Tiny House. 
The state of the building in late May 2023. It looks so beautiful that it would be a shame to cover it with an exterior wall.
After discussing with everyone what to do with the exterior walls, we decided to leave them unpainted and unvarnished. At first, dirt would be quite noticeable, but we hope to enjoy the changes that occur over time and let them grow for a long time to come.
There are many wooden buildings that do not fade even after many years. If we take good care of this trailer, I'm sure it will do the same. I think it would be wonderful if we could continue to use it with care and pass it down from parent to child, and from child to grandchild for generations to come.
On the recommendation of Master Yamamoto, we had tatami mats from Yokoyama Tatami in Kyoto installed. The taste of the room has improved dramatically since the tatami mats were installed. I don't have any knowledge of the tea ceremony, but it would be wonderful to hold a tea ceremony with this. Thank you, Yokoyama Tatami, for making such a wonderful tatami mat .
Similarly, at the suggestion of the master carpenter, the interior walls were made of shoji paper. These are paper walls that break easily. This makes the walls very light. He said that people could have fun by pasting different types of washi paper on them as they went along. 
View from the back. The kitchen is on the right and the customer service counter is on the left, with a raised Japanese-style room beyond. This opening has double doors.
Viewed from the side, the Japanese-style room offers a relaxing atmosphere while looking out at nature.
We also had removable shelves installed on both sides of the Japanese-style room. You can display your works on the shelves and use it as a gallery. 
Somakosha began construction in January of the same year and spent an astonishing nine months completing the project. 
To everyone at Somakosha, we asked you to do a very difficult job this time, but you worked so hard to produce a beautiful, flawless job with such care, and we cannot thank you enough.
We hope you will treat this "Tea Journey" as a treasure entrusted to you by all of us, and use it with care for many years to come.
First, we transported it to Tiny House Japan's workshop in Oita Prefecture, where they carried out waterproofing work, installed water supply and drainage systems, installed fittings for the doors and windows, and carried out procedures such as vehicle inspection registration.
The trailer was finally completed and delivered to our home in Shizuoka on January 27, 2024. Thank you very much to Mr. and Mrs. Tagami for transporting it from Oita Prefecture.
The trailer is usually kept at Kimuraen's home and office.
If you are interested, please come and see it!
On February 12, 2024, I went out for my first drive after taking delivery of the car. My destination was Fukuda Fishing Port, about 15 minutes away by car. There are many surfers gathering there. 
I visited the beach. The car that was delivered was
It had been raining a lot and we couldn't go anywhere, but the weather was nice that day and we were able to see the beautiful ocean.
The view of the ocean from the Japanese-style room is amazing.
I look forward to the day when we can welcome guests to this tea room and enjoy tea with them.
There are a few more preparations you need to make before you can open your store.
We are a tea shop in Shizuoka, so we are thinking of using this to operate as a tea shop, but we are still feeling our way around what other uses it can have.
If you have any requests, such as wanting to use the space for a tea ceremony, renting it out as a gallery, or holding a game of shogi here, please feel free to contact us .
We would like to provide various information from the following!