Eco-park shows off inventor's unplugged lifestyle

NASU, Tochigi Prefecture--The modern dream of a home chockablock with the latest electrical gadgets comes at a price: high utilities bills and a big carbon-emissions footprint.

But here in the green Nasu Kogen highlands of northern Tochigi Prefecture, a model house is being built that combines some old-fashioned ideas with the latest in eco-technology.

At Hidenka Park ("non-electric" park), life is decidedly low-tech. But that doesn't mean going without conveniences like a refrigerator, says inventor Yasuyuki Fujimura, 65, who is creating this low-power world.

"Let me ask--is electricity absolutely necessary for refrigerators, vacuum cleaners, dehumidifiers? Perhaps that is just a perceived notion, a misconception," the inventor said. "The role of the inventor is to offer more options. I'd like to suggest people try a lifestyle like this, one that is fun and enjoyable."

Construction of his model house, which will use absolutely no electricity, began Oct. 21, with completion slated for next spring.

Only environmentally friendly materials are being used in the two-story wooden house in this town overlooking picturesque mountains. Surrounded by abundant greenery, the place will be an unplugged showcase.

Its eco-technological wonders include a refrigerator box, dehumidifier and floor cleaner that all function without a spark of electricity and were invented by Fujimura, an expert in green technologies.

"In Japan, life with electricity is the norm. I want to offer (an unplugged lifestyle) as an option," Fujimura said.

For the project, Fujimura bought the 1-hectare plot and moved here from Zushi, Kanagawa Prefecture, in July 2007.

Already up and running on minimal electricity are: Fujimura's studio, where his unplugged appliances are on display, a greenhouse, a hut containing a hand-operated wood chopper and a pesticide-free vegetable plot where he uses only organic fertilizer.

When completed, the model house will become the core facility at Hidenka Park.

Fujimura's former career was as an engineer for a major machinery manufacturer.

When he was 39, his son Kensuke, now 29, developed severe asthma. Aghast at the aspects of modern life that he worried may have contributed to his son's condition, Fujimura quit his job and vowed to invent only things that are "kind to children and the Earth."

Since then, he has devised 1,100 eco-friendly inventions and patented 650 of them.

Fujimura's focus is on home appliances that don't require electricity.

He coined the term hidenka (non-electric) appliances to counter the conventional denka (electric) appliances.

To date, he has created 150 devices, such as a fridge that relies on nocturnal radiation cooling to keep food cool. Under clear night skies, ground heat escapes up into the atmosphere, causing the ambient temperature to drop by morning.

Fujimura applied this common phenomenon to his stainless steel refrigerator box. According to Fujimura, the eco-fridge, placed outdoors, can keep food cool at a steady 7 or 8 degrees, even around noon in the peak of summer.

His other inventions include a dehumidifier that uses paper filters seeped in calcium chloride. The filter is dried for repeated use.

Another clever invention is a floor cleaner, designed to replace electricity-hungry vacuum cleaners. It comprises a cylindrical brush equipped with belts that pick up tiny dust particles as it is pushed across a floor.

Since 2003, Fujimura has worked on an international project to provide his unplugged appliances to nomadic people in Mongolia, who have seldom relied on electricity.

Fujimura said his eco-refrigerator is popular among the nomads because it keeps their staple mutton from spoiling, even in summer's heat.

However, Fujimura said: "(These inventions) may do well in developing countries. But they probably won't be welcomed in Japan where people look for convenience."

When a friend prodded him to consider promoting a shift toward less reliance on electricity use in energy-sucking Japan, his eyes were opened.

It didn't take long for Fujimura to come up with the plan for Hidenka Park.

The park is open to visitors twice a month, when groups of about 20 can tour the facilities. His son, Kensuke, left his job with a major electric appliance maker in the United States to support his father's work.(IHT/Asahi: November 4,2009)