Known for Oda Nobunaga, Yōrō Falls, Hida-Takayama, and cormorant fishing, Gifu Prefecture is steeped in culture. Here, we visited the Matsui family, who are quietly shaping a life of their own—not in a tourist center or remote hideaway, but on a modest patch of farmland, where they find joy in the everyday.
Joining PAPERSKY editor-in-chief Lucas was Gifu-based metal artist Eri Naruse. Together, they talked about home, lifestyle, and what the future might hold.
Guest／Lucas B.B.（PAPERSKY Editor）
Guest／Eri Naruse (Metalwork artist and founder of Ery, based in Nakatsugawa, Gifu)
Host／Keisuke & Kaori Matsui (BESS home owners, living in Gifu City, Gifu Prefecture)
1. The simple joy of picking fruit and eating it fresh.
The area around the Nagara River in Gifu Prefecture is a major travel destination, known for its retro townscapes and over 1,300 years of ukai—traditional cormorant fishing. A short drive from Gifu Station, crossing the Nagara River in under 30 minutes, the scenery gradually shifts to open farmland. In the distance, Gifu Castle crowns the peak of Mount Kinka. It’s in this setting that the Matsui family makes their home—a BESS house nestled into the landscape.。
Lucas B.B. (Lucas): “As soon as we pulled up, I knew this had to be the house. The trees and plants are so well cared for—it looked like the house was nestled in its own little forest.”
Kaori Matsui (Kaori): “I love gardening and have been planting trees little by little and taking care of them with love.”
Lucas: “Keisuke, are you into trees too?”
Keisuke Matsui (Keisuke): “To be honest, I’m actually more of a lawn guy, haha.”
Kaori: “I’ve definitely taken the lead on the garden, haha. I want it to feel like a small forest, with just the chimney and roof peeking through the trees.”
Eri Naruse (Eri): “The greenery is so well cared for—your garden is beautiful.”
Kaori: “I grew up in the mountains of the Hida region, and as a kid, there were lots of fruit trees near our house. I remember picking and eating fruit with the seasons. After we had this place built and I started working on the garden, those memories came back—and I thought, why not plant a cherry tree, or a crabapple tree? The ideas just kept coming. So rather than growing flowers to look at, I prefer growing things you can harvest and enjoy.”
Lucas: “What other kinds of trees have you planted?”
Kaori: “Plum, chestnut, mandarin orange, persimmon, loquat… Instead of carefully tending a vegetable garden, I prefer to leave the fruit trees to nature and just enjoy the harvest when it comes.”
Lucas: “People who live in BESS homes often have really cool gardens. There’s something special about the way the plants grow and take shape naturally—unlike the perfectly manicured ones made by professionals. What do you enjoy most about living here, Keisuke?”
Keisuke: “I’ve always loved making things, and ever since moving into our BESS home, that urge has only grown. I’ve built everything from our bookshelves to the bike shed in the garden myself.”
Lucas: “That’s awesome—the bike shed looks great!”
Keisuke: “We also did the entrance path ourselves, mixing the cement from scratch.”
Eri: “From scratch? That’s impressive!”
Keisuke: “We are into our eighth year here, and I’ve come to the realization that living in a BESS House has somehow had the effect of reminding us what it is that we want from life, and how we want to spend our time. Must be something in the water!”
Lucas: “You must love seeing the process of a small forest growing up all around, and all the changes that it involves.”
2. Finding fun in little jaunts to LOGWAY locations
The Matsuis love nothing more than tending to their garden and turning their hands to DIY. While they were initially taken by the “Wonder Device” model by BESS, they ended up opting for the “Country Log.” The crew sat down to learn the reasons for this amongst other topics.
Keisuke: “I am actually from Gifu originally and many years ago my grandparents lived in a house that is now sitting empty round here. When our daughter was born our thoughts turned to having a house built, and that in turn led us to this location.”
Kaori: “It was around then that Keisuke heard about BESS’s “Wonder Device” from a colleague, and it was totally new to us both.”
Keisuke: “I had heard of BESS before then, so we decided to go to a LOGWAY (showroom). There were a few houses with woodturning stoves around the area where we previously lived and I was kind of taken with the idea of having one ourselves. That was our first visit to a LOGWAY, and we loved the vibe of the actual showroom as you could check out all sorts of different houses.”
Kaori: “So we started going on little trips to LOGWAY showrooms in Aichi, and Shizuoka and Shiga, we couldn’t get enough.”
Eri: “It’s fun looking at houses isn’t it.”
Keisuke: “And as we made our way around various showrooms, we encountered “Country Log” and it was love at first sight. What decided it was the triangular roof and the windows. The land that we viewed through the large windows at the LOGWAY “Country Log” is similar to our current land and we both felt excited at the prospect of having that view on a daily basis.”
Kaori: “The roof also ticked all the boxes for us, and so we soon settled on the “Country Log”.
Keisuke: “When we were house-counting we did check out models by other house builders, but decided quite early on in the process to go with BESS.”
Kaori: “There’s something interesting about BESS homes.”
Lucas: “I find it interesting that the “interesting” aspect is what made up your mind. It’s not about just living in any old house, you want to find joy and inspiration in your everyday life.”
Kaori: “What I really liked about the Country Log was the layout—it’s so unique. The roof has a striking slope, which gives the skylit spaces a special atmosphere. Living in a triangular space is pretty unusual, right? I love rearranging furniture, so a layout like this sparks all kinds of ideas. I’m always thinking about how to switch things around, which means even after years of living here, it never gets boring.”
Eri: “It’s nice how the inside still feels surrounded by wood. How do you handle maintenance?”
Keisuke: “About once a year, I re-paint the wood deck. We’ve lived here eight years, so I’ve done it around eight times.”
Lucas: “So you’re growing the house, too—in your own way.”
3. Growing Together—Home and Family in Motion
It was time for a snack—hōba mochi, a local favorite from the Kiso region—brought along by Eri, who lives in Nakatsugawa, Gifu, an area with deep cultural ties to neighboring Kiso. The mochi is made by blending rice flour with buckwheat, wrapping sweet bean paste inside, and steaming it in fragrant magnolia leaves. Often enjoyed in early summer, it’s a simple, nostalgic treat. As they shared the seasonal snack, the conversation turned to what each person looks for in a home.
Eri: “I originally grew up in the heart of Tokyo, but I always felt a bit cramped—like life was moving too fast. I’d long wanted to live somewhere surrounded by mountains and rivers, so I’m really content with my life in Gifu now.”
Kaori: When I was little, I lived in Hida, where the mountains felt like they were right in front of you. That was beautiful in its own way, but after moving to Gifu, I really noticed how open the sky feels. The mountains aren’t pressing in—they surround you from a distance, and that space feels just right.
Lucas: “What moments do you enjoy most while living in this house?”
Kaori: “I think I love the evenings most. When the sunset is beautiful, I’ll often run to a spot where I can get a good view and take photos. On those days, even the kids will come tell me, ‘The sunset’s really pretty today.’”
Keisuke: “And once night falls, the stars come out—and they’re just as beautiful. I never get tired of watching them. You can even see the Milky Way from here.”
Lucas: “What about you, Eri?”
Eri: “I work from home most days, so I really notice subtle shifts—like the feel of the air when the seasons change or the way the humidity shifts. Living close to nature, you get those quiet, grounding moments every single day. And that makes me really happy.”
Lucas: “The house itself matters, of course—but so does the environment around it. What do you, Matsui-san, look for in a home?”
Kaori: “I think for me, it’s a place that heals. If I’m not calm and relaxed, it’s hard for the rest of the family to feel that way too. Of course, there’s parenting and all sorts of things to think about, but right now, this house and the little forest we’ve created around it really support me. I feel like I can live peacefully here.”
Lucas: “Sounds like you’ve created something pretty close to perfect, then?”
Kaori: “Oh, not quite. The kids will grow, we’ll change too, and so will the house and the trees around it. I think life is about moving with those changes—welcoming them, letting them reshape us a little at a time. If we can stay open and adapt as we go, that feels just right to me.”
Keisuke: “No matter where we go—for work or play—we always come back here. So I think of home as the place where I can reset, both physically and mentally. And in that sense, I’m really content with this house.”
Kaori: “I also feel like I want to live in a way that expresses my dreams and values—with the house at the center of it all. And if we can create something that’s uniquely ours, something different from others, even better. In that sense, this house really fuels our creativity, and I’m deeply satisfied with it. That excitement we felt when we were visiting different LOGWAY sites, imagining the kind of home we wanted to build—it still hasn’t faded. I feel fulfilled every day.”
Eri: “I’m actually in the middle of planning a self-renovation on my own home right now, so visiting the Matsuis today came at the perfect time. Seeing your place and hearing your thoughts really inspired me—it reminded me that building a home should be something to enjoy. I’m excited to take that mindset into my own project.”
Lucas: “Thank you all for today. Next time I visit, I’m sure this garden will have grown into an even richer little forest.”
BESS Homes
https://www.bess.jp