Article

Design for Aging: Jikka House

By Tekspert Lorne Monday, February 20, 2017 11 Comments Share This:

There are plenty of retirement homes for “active seniors,” with activity centers, communal dining and maybe even a pool. Moving in to a place like this usually means you’re ready to have yourself some R&R—or you need help with daily living.

Two Japanese women in their 60s had something different in mind for their retirement home. Nestled on top of a flattened mountain in Japan’s Shizuoka Prefecture, their set-up offers them the optimal environment for their plans: A place where they can care for older residents of the surrounding neighborhoods as they themselves live out the rest of their lives in what must be one of the world’s most beautiful architectural designs for aging, Jikka House.

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Jikka, or 実家, literally means “real home” in Japanese; it’s used to refer to your parent’s home—the place you can always come to.

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The women of Jikka, a retired social worker and a cook, worked with Tokyo architect Issei Suma to create their home, actually a collection of five accessible teepee-like structures with peaks that echo the mountains all around. At Jikka, the two women will cook and serve food in the cafe as well using the kitchen as a base for a “Meals on Wheels” type food delivery service. They’ll also host patients who need nursing care. The huts all open to serene landscape views and well as being interconnected with one another.

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Soaring ceilings, lots of daylight and an aesthetic that’s simplicity defined create a healing environment for mind and body. Architect Suma described the design to the Huffington Post as “something as unembellished as a primitive hut and something as holy as a chapel.”

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Each hut serves its own purpose. The largest, at the heart of the complex, contains a large kitchen and dining room.

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Around this are guest rooms.

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Even the swimming pool is wheelchair accessible.

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Japan has the fastest-aging population in the world, and the country’s age boom is leading to a range of innovations. (See Senior Planet’s article on the innovations coming out of Japan’s age boom.)

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What can we learn from Jikka about design for aging—and about our older years as a time to work with and for our local communities?

Visit Issei Suma’s website

All photos: © takumi ota

COMMENTS

11 responses to “Design for Aging: Jikka House”

karel nauwelaerts:

Thursday, February 14, 2019 at 4:46pm

I saw the Jikka House on Belgian Television. Every year I come to Japan, because I love Japan. So I decided to try to come to
Jikka house. But the problem is there is no way to contact the Jikka house: no email address, and whe I try to phone, there is no answer.
Can anybody help me to give a way to contact them. I really want to meet these ladies and eventually stay there for 1 night, when possible.
I would appreciate it very much !
Warm regards, Karel Nauwelaerts Belgium

Reply to karel nauwelaerts
1. ny:
  
  Friday, April 19, 2019 at 12:38pm
  
  Hi. Karen.
  
  I live in Canada but am originally from Japan. I was so enchanted by Jikka House featured in the article that I did some online search in Japanese and found that the place being advertised as a café/restaurant!
  
  One Japanese restaurant guide site called Tabelog categorizes Jikka’s cuisine as table d’hôte, lunch & sweets. The restaurant is open to public from Wednesday to Saturday between noon and 3 p.m.
  
  Prices vary from ¥3000 to ¥8000 per course/person. Reservations required. Can be booked for private dinners, parties, etc.
  
  Jikka is a short drive from Izukyu Izu-kogen Station. The phone # & more info is listed at the URL below.
  
  https://tabelog.com/en/shizuoka/A2205/A220503/22029516/
  
  Good luck!
  
  Reply to ny
2. Caspar:
  
  Friday, June 30, 2023 at 4:16am
  
  Hi Karel – did you manage yet to go and visit? We visited Jikka three weeks ago and it was the most wonderful experience. Happy to share with you how we managed to made a reservation (note that they are only open 2 days a week 12:00-14:00 and you are expected to be there around 12:00 because the meal is a ±2 hour journey). Best wishes, Caspar
  
  Reply to Caspar
' * Aria * ' M. Lamont:

Sunday, December 10, 2017 at 10:07pm

Absolutely stunning! .. so serene & welcoming. Love the *glorious* flood of light throughout! Would love to live in this ♥ ♥

Reply to ' * Aria * ' M. Lamont
Joan Beaubian:

Wednesday, November 1, 2017 at 11:57am

This is a dream house

Reply to Joan Beaubian
Bettie Prentice:

Thursday, September 21, 2017 at 4:19am

beautiful!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Reply to Bettie Prentice
Dale:

Tuesday, September 19, 2017 at 3:47pm

Serene. Just looking @ the pics is calming. Imagine living there. Ohhhh

Reply to Dale
Susan Spaulding:

Thursday, April 20, 2017 at 4:24am

I absolutely love it!! I’d like to know more.

Reply to Susan Spaulding
Keely:

Saturday, March 11, 2017 at 3:36am

Love it, so could be a sought after area

Reply to Keely
Jan:

Friday, March 3, 2017 at 8:05am

Love it

Reply to Jan
GWF:

Wednesday, February 22, 2017 at 10:44am

The Japanese Sr. complex is FANTASTIC!!!

Reply to GWF