The Japanese are very keen on the Estonian log houses
18. June 2015
The last broadcast of the season of the ETV (The national public television station of Estonia) economic programme Kapital was focused on niche products and markets. Kapital visited one of the log houses in Japan, which has been manufactured in Estonia, and asked one local reseller, why the log houses manufactured in Estonia are so valued in Japan.
Nearly 90 % of the wooden houses
manufactured in Estonia are exported, mainly to Europe, but there are also more
exotic target markets. Thus, the log house manufacturer located in Saku, Mountain Loghome OÜ, has sold houses to
Japan already for over 13 years. The Kapital crew visited the log house
of Mountain Loghome OÜ in one of the most popular resorts in Japan and
interviewed a local reseller in order to find out why the Japanese are so keen
on the log houses.
The representative of the Japanese
reseller of Mountain Loghome OÜ, the company’s chief executive officer Mitsou
Noguchi said in the interview that the Japanese highly appreciate the quality
of the houses manufactured in Estonia. It takes an average of 1.5 months for
the house container that is dispatched from Tallinn to reach the other side of
the globe. The Japanese are willing to pay for it and also to wait longer,
Noguchi confirms. “The quality of the Estonian houses is equal to that of the
production of other manufacturers of the Nordic countries. Estonian manufacturers
are trustworthy and our cooperation is working very well,” the real estate
developer said from his own experience. Noguchi’s company has resold the
Mountain Loghome houses already for 13 years.
“It is very important for the Japanese
that the house would be 100 % natural,” Noguchi said and added: “In
addition to naturalness, it is essential that the log houses are resistant to
earthquakes.” In a country, where earthquakes are frequent, it is crucial to
have buildings that would withstand the forces of nature. “A log house is more
stable than ordinary houses and stands firmly together in case of an
earthquake,” Noguchi confirmed. He brought an example how after an earthquake
last year, people admitted that they felt safe in the log house.
Log house becomes a
year-round residential house
Until recent years, the log houses were
luxury goods for the Japanese and not affordable for all. They were mainly used
as holiday homes by the wealthier people. According to Noguchi, the log houses
are becoming increasingly popular in Japan: “Recently, the log houses have been
equally bought for recreational and residential purposes and many customers are
younger people.”
Watch more about the Japanese keenness on the log houses, Mountain Loghome, and
the cooperation between the countries from the ETV list of recorded programmes here. The broadcast begins
at 7:40.
Mountain Loghome OÜ recreational house