Artichouse from Arctic Circle

Hyvää Joulua!

2011-12-23T08:14:00.003+02:00

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

New log home coming to Rovaniemi

2011-10-20T10:04:00.000+03:00

Before winter, there is another Artichouse log home project starting in Rovaniemi town, quite near to city center.

In few days there will some more visible work done at the site, concrete elements will be assembled and this structure will form a basement. Basement has a garage, living room with fire place, bath room and of course, sauna.

On top of this basement there will be a log house with 1st floor and a loft. But more about that later. Let`s hope winter is holding itself for a while!

Winter is coming

2011-10-18T21:37:00.005+03:00

Mid-October is passed, daytime temperatures in Lapland are still up to +10, night time temperatures falling closer to zero. Winter is coming, but it is not stopping construction work. Actually arrival of winter is speeding up the process, certain readiness should be reached before real winter with tens of degrees frost arrives.

Not far away from Rovaniemi town there is a family home project. Foundation work is almost finished and Artichouse log house kit will be delivered in one week. There will be busy times at the site. Target is to get the log frame, complete roof structure and window/door assembling done soon, in order to move on with interior work.

Finishing interior in comfort, when house has working heating system and it is cold outdoors, is a good target for a builder!

by HM

Typhoon is getting closer...

2011-09-23T11:27:00.003+03:00

As you may know, Japan is hit by typhoon quite often.
We don't call it by name, we number it.
Please don't ask me how we count it. (^_^;)

Last week, the typhoon 15th hit Japan.
I received a photo from a building site right before the typhoon got closer.

Typhoon,,, it could be "panic" at building site. They have to collect the materilas so that they are not blown away and pack them so that they don't get wet... The client was writing that "Typhoon is getting closer. In Japan, around this time of the year, we are in battle against strong wind and heavy rain".

Battle... yes, I can imagine, it must be like that.

By ST

Beautiful Norway !

2011-08-12T17:04:00.004+03:00

I was in Norway during my summer holiday.
Nature was just beautiful, awesome, breathtaking....anyway great.
I always like scenery where have "water" near, coast lines, beaches, river, lake, harbor...and fjord. Water was crystal clear, lake was emerald blue, river was icy blue...I enjoyed so much. I would like to show all the photos to you, though, there is limited space and time. So...three photos from a couple of hundreds. (one of the good things of degital camera is you really don't have to care about how many photos you are taking!)

I took some photos of typical houses in Norway. Most of them were "white" painted. I will write about that next time....maybe.

by ST

Open house in France

2011-06-19T11:02:00.016+03:00

Like last year, Artichouse France participated to "Les journèes du patrimoine dela maison bois" - the days of the heritage of the wooden houses. This year, it was held on the 14th and 15th of May.

We opened 3 houses to the visitors in the following areas:

- Tarn (81)

- Lozère (48)

- Haute-Savoie (74)

Here are some photos from the event.

- this house with "city-corner" -

These are from the house in the area "Tarn".
The house is still under construction, though, visitors were warmly welcomed the owners.

- Tasty BBQ! -

- enjoying tasty food and harmonious chatting -

We would like to thank you all the house owners for their hospitality and hope the visitors had a good time discovering the Artichouse.

フランスの３地区でオープンハウスを行いました。
写真は「Tarn」の一軒、シティーコーナー（カバー前）のログハウスです。まだ建築中でしたが、お施主様のご協力くださり、温かくゲストを迎え入れてくれました。バーベキューを美味しくいただきながら和やかなムードで行われたオープンハウス。お施主様のご協力感謝するとともに、訪問くださったみなさんがアルティックハウスで楽しいひと時を過ごしてくだされば幸いです。

Tiny but great !

2011-05-31T12:56:00.022+03:00

Some time ago, a retired gentle man, Mr. Pouzet, who was keen of scale models for many years, contacted us.

He had experiences in building little traditional houses or monuments made of stones, but

never had opportunity to build a wooden house model.

He fell in love with a few of our house models and he choose the chalet in the French Alps. Then, he started...

little by little...step by step...piece by piece

It took about 1000 hours to complete.

Wow... What a masterpiece!!

From Artichouse France

少し前でしょうか、すでに退職された男性のお客様、Pouzetさんがいらっしゃいました。ミニチュアをつくるのがご趣味のPouzetさんですが、今まで、伝統的なタイプの小さな家や、石でできたモニュメントなどをつくったことがありますが、木の家をつくったことはありません。アルティックハウスのログハウスに惚れ込んでしまったPuzetさんが選んだのは、アルプスにあるお家です。さっそく作り始めました。少しずつ、一本一本、一歩一歩。。。出来上がるまで１０００時間もかかったそうです。素晴らしい出来栄えに拍手！

♪ ~ we are the champion ~ ♪

2011-05-19T08:27:00.002+03:00

GOLD FOR FINLAND !

(photo from: Iltalehti)

International Ice Hockey Federation World Championship 2011

YeeeeeeeeeeeeS !

Japan Beauty

2011-04-25T08:33:00.002+03:00

No explanation required...I guess.

Artichouse in Moscow !

2011-03-25T14:38:00.005+02:00

Hello!　I am very sorry for not updating this blog for so long.

Artichouse is attending an exhibition in Moscow now !!!

ブログの更新が滞っておりました。申し訳ございません。

今、アルティックハウスはモスクワの展示会に出展中です！

追伸

3月11日に発生しました大震災により、亡くなられた方々のご冥福をお祈り申し上げますとともに、被災された地域の皆さま、その家族の方々に心よりお見舞い申し上げます。

By ST

Arctic Rally 2011

2011-01-31T11:13:00.003+02:00

One of popular winter events, "Arctic Rally", was held in Rovaniemi on the last weekend.

The highlights of this year was that the popular WRC driver, Mikko Hirvonen, was on the participants list of the rally. I myself was also excited about that, though, unfortunately he crashed his car in the previous race and he could show his driving to fans in Rovaniemi.

What a pity!!

ロバニエミの冬の人気イベント、北極圏ラリーが週末に行われました。今年の目玉は、WRCドライバーである、ミッコ・ヒルヴォネンの参戦だったのですが、この前のレースで車を大破して不参加ということに。ちょっと楽しみにしていたのでガッカリです。残念！！

Saariselkä News

2011-01-18T15:43:00.008+02:00

How is it going so far in 2011?

I hope it is going well for everyone.

Winter is high season in tourism in Lapland.

Lots of tourists come to Lapland from European countries, Russia, Japan and etc. Saariselkä is one of the popular destinations for tourists. You can do snow-mobile-safari, husky-safari, skiing, relaxing in spa and you can see northern lights if you are lucky.

In the the local newspaper, Saariselkä News, you can get lots of useful information about the area and what you can enjoy there. Besides of that, you will find Artichouse advertisement !

2011年いかがお過ごしでしょうか？

冬のラップランドは観光シーズンです。ヨーロッパ各国、ロシア、日本などからたくさんの観光客が訪れます。中でも、サーリセルカは人気のスポット。スノーモービルサファリ、ハスキーサファリ、スキー、スパなどが楽しめます。運が良ければ夜空に舞うオーロラを見ることも。ローカル紙「サーリセルカ・サノマット」にはホットな情報がいろいろ満載です。アルティックハウスの広告も掲載されているんですよ。

by　ST

Season's Greetings

2010-12-23T08:54:00.002+02:00

Merry Christmas!

Joyeux Noël!

Frohe Weihnachten!

Feliz Navidad!

С　Новым　годом!

Season's Greetings to all of you!

from Artichouse

Christmas is coming !

2010-12-20T15:26:00.011+02:00

Time flies...

Oh no...our blog has been forgotten for long (again). Sorry for that.

I guess everyone knows that Christmas is approaching.

Radio plays Christmas songs all day long and shops are crowded by the people hunting for the gifts. Well, I would like to show you some photos to share "Joulu" atmosphere.

Traditional food for Christmas: Joulukinkku= Christmas ham

Lots of lights to decorate windows in the dark winter

One of the Christmas flowers: Amaryllis

(sorry photo is a little hazy)

Cute decorations

Santa Claus Village in Rovaniemi

Tonttu (Santa's little helpers)

(actually, they are Safari tour guides)

Artichouse in Air Astana in-flight magazine

2010-11-23T13:30:00.007+02:00

By any chance, if you fly by Air Astana, please take a copy of the in-flight-magazine, "tengri", with you.

In the issue #6 (29), the page 119, you will find our advertisement!!

Air Astana is the national carrier of Kazakhstan.

More than 6,000 passengers flying with this airline domestically and also internationally.

We hope it catches eyes of those people who enjoy reading during their long flights and it starts to dream about comfortable everyday life in cozy Artichouse log houses !

もし、エア・アスタナに搭乗する機会がありましたら（残念ながら日本には就航していないようですが）、是非、機内誌"tengri"（29号）をご覧ください。119ページにアルティックハウスの広告が掲載されています。エア・アスタナはカザフスタンのフラッグキャリアで、毎日約6,000人の乗客を運んでいます。この広告が、長い飛行の間に読書を楽しむ乗客の目を引き、アルティックハウスのコージーなログハウスで過ごす毎日を夢見るきっかけになればよいのですが。。。

By ST

Preparation for dark winter

2010-11-09T16:06:00.006+02:00

Everyday it is getting darker and darker in Lapland.

It is STILL dark when I wake up and go to office.

It is ALREADY dark when I go home. Outside it is snowing and it is -10 degree.

Yes, winter has reached us here.

When winter comes, people in Lapland (could be Finland) decorate their houses with illuminating lights. Those decorated windows, entrance, yard and balconies are giving pleasures to our eyes. I could say it is quite nice and pretty, one of the beauties we can find in the dark winter.

So, like the other Finns do, I did put some lights on my balcony as well. Pretty simple but I would say it is nice...isn't it?

(I should have taken the photo from outside!)

どんどんどんどん暗くなっているラップランド。朝起きて出社する時はまだ暗く、仕事が終わり帰宅する時はすでに暗くなっています。外は小雪が降っていて、気温は－１０度。すっかり冬です。冬になると、ラップランド（おそらくフィンランド）では、各家庭がイルミネーションで外を飾ります。窓や玄関、庭やバルコニーが光で満たされます。冬の風物詩ですね。きれいです。そんな中、私もフィンランド人と同じくバルコニーに電飾を付けました。シンプルですが。。。まぁまぁいいですよね？（外から写真を撮ればよかった！）

by ST

Exhibition in LYON

2010-10-25T09:31:00.005+03:00

We participated in an exhibition held in Lyon.

It was "Salon Résidence & Bois" at Eurexpo, a couple of weeks ago, 15-18.10.2010.

We had many visitors at our booth and the exhibition was very successful.

Thank you very much for your visit and cooperation!

１０月１５日～１８日、フランスのリヨンで開催された展示会”Salon Residence and bois ”に参加しました。たくさん方にご来場いただき、成功に終わりました。

ご来場、ご協力まことに有難うございました。

By ST

How did I realize autumn arrived?

2010-10-12T14:06:00.007+03:00

Leaves of the trees first turned rich vivid yellow, red and orange, now falling down to cover the ground. And without exception, swans, as many other birds living their summers in Lapland , moving south for warmer climate.

On Sunday evening, when we were driving besides Ounasjoki (long river north to Rovaniemi town) I saw something like white bags floating in the river. In the dusk it was difficult to understand what they really are, until one of them rise her head.

Swans, maybe about one hundred of them, were having some rest.

Early Monday morning, first thing in my mind was if swans are already on the way south. Up from the bed, quick breakfast, rubber boots on and rushing to the river side. There they still were floating, making loud noise and waving their wings. Then some of them, in the groups of five or six, speeded up by running on the water surface, detaching themselves from the river and flying away.

While watching those big birds flying higher and higher, questions turned up in my head, how they know correct direction, do they get lost sometimes, how do they know when to come back… All the time there was that loud communication around, “…when do we fly…it’s getting chilly here, let`s fly!.. others are already leaving….”

Sun is rising, but it is not really warming any more. I leave swans behind and head to the office. Crispy leaves on the ground are breaking under my boots, autumn is here.

The whooper swans is nominated as a national bird of Finland.

(swan experience gathered and written down by 13 years old Sanna, on the day when she was not in school, but took part the national “Operation a Day`s Work “, donating her pay roll to charity.)

秋が来ると葉っぱが鮮やかな黄色や赤やオレンジに変わる。そして、落ちて地面を埋め尽くす。夏を過ごしていた鳥達が暖かい南へと飛び立っていく。日曜の夕方、オウナス川に沿って車で走っていた時、川面に浮かぶ白いものが目に入った。ビニール袋が浮いているのかと思った。その中の一つに動きがあった。首をもたげたのだ。白鳥だった。羽を休めていた。百羽くらいはいただろうか。翌朝、目覚めた時、最初に浮かんだのは白鳥達のことだった。もう旅立ってしまっただろうか。さっさと朝ごはんすませて、長靴をはいて川岸へと急いだ。まだいた。騒がしく鳴いている。そのうち、５、６羽が一組になって川面を勢いよく走りだし飛び立っていった。鳥達はどうして行き先を知っているんだろう。迷ったりしないのだろうか。。。そんなことを思った。残っている白鳥達が大きな声でざわめきあっている。まだ行かないの？寒くなってきたじゃない。あっちのグループはもう行っちゃったわよ！と言っているようだ。朝日が昇って来た。冷え切ってしまったのであまり暖かさを感じられない。足早に川岸を後にする。凍った葉っぱが足の裏でクシャっと割れる。秋はまだここにある。

（この記事は、一日ボランティアでオフィスにお手伝いに来た１３歳のサンナが書いたものです。この日に得た報酬はチャリティに寄付されました）

By SLM + ST

Lapland in autumn

2010-10-01T14:30:00.019+03:00

It is already Friday...Time flies.
Some photos from the wild nature of Lapland.
I guess no explanation needed.
もう金曜日。。。時の流れが速くて。
ラップランドの森の写真を少し。説明は要りませんよね。

By ST

one day trip to Kilpisjärvi

2010-09-17T15:17:00.009+03:00

Last Saturday, we made a short trip to the north by bike.

The destination was Kilpisjärvi, it is located north, at the edge of left side of Finland.

We weren't planning to go this far, though, the weather was nice and the scenery of yellow leaves was too pretty to stop the journey.

Kilpisjärvi is at the boundary of Sweden and Norway, I would call this place as "golden triangle" of Scandinavia.

There was beautiful nature, very fresh air and a kind of wilderness you would enjoy. If your hobby is trekking, I would strongly recommend to visit and stay there for a couple of days.

oops... did I write "short" trip ?

No...it wasn't "short" in distance because we traveled 888km in a day!

先週の土曜日、キルピスヤルビに行ってきました。

キルピスヤルビは、フィンランドの北、左手、ノルウェーとスエーデンの国境近くにあります。スカンジナビアのゴールデントライアングルとでも言えるのではないでしょうか。出かける時は、こんなに遠くに行こうとは思っていなかったのですが、天気も良く、紅葉もきれいだったのでつい。。。美しい自然、美味しい空気、フィンランドではめずらしい少し荒々しさのある景色を楽しめるキルピスヤルビ。トレッキングがお好きな方にはおススメです。2、3日滞在することをお勧めします。

一日で行って帰ってきたのですが、走行距離888キロ。日本ではちょっと無理な距離ですね。

By ST

Exhibition starts this Friday !

2010-09-06T15:44:00.006+03:00

Artichouse is going to take a part in the exhibition "RoBau 2010" in Rostock, Germany.

RoBau is one of the most successful construction fairs in the northeast of Germany and this is the third year for us to participate.

RoBau 2010 is held from 10-12.09.2010 (this week !!) and our stand is 517.

We will be the only company representing log houses at the exhibition.

Please come and visit us if you are around in Rostock by any chance.

If you have any questions about the exhibition, please contact Artichouse German speaking staff.

Also more information can be found at: http://www.stadthalle-rostock.de/robau.html

ドイツのロストックで開催される建築・建設フェア「RoBau2010」に参加します。今年で3度目の参加となります。開催期間は9月10～12日、517スタンドです。ログハウスメーカーの参加は弊社のみ。もしお近くまでいらっしゃいましたら、是非お越しください。

By ST

Autumn in Lapland

2010-08-30T13:36:00.012+03:00

I had to check the calendar on my work desk this morning.

Yes, it was showing that we were still in August but it was difficult for me to believe that it is supposed to be at the end of summer.

Before leaving home for office by bike this morning, I had to find my gloves from a "winter box" and wear them.

Autumn has come to Lapland already.

As a piece of evidence, I took a photo to show to you.

See! You can find yellow leaves in trees!

今朝、会社に来て思わず机の上のカレンダーをチェックしてしまいました。

８月ですよね。。。まだ。気温からいって、夏の終わりにいるとは思えない寒さ。今日は自転車で出社したのですが、出かけにしまってあった手袋をとりだしました。ラップランドはすでに秋を迎えています。証拠に写真を一枚。すでに紅葉が始まっています。黄色い葉っぱが見えるでしょう？

by ST

a small amazement

2010-08-16T10:02:00.009+03:00

These are pine cones…it is obvious, isn’t it?

We brought them from somewhere, we actually don’t remember where from, I would guess they were from Hungary or Greece when we visited a couple of years ago. Anyway, they have been left (more or less neglected) at our balcony for long.

When I cleaned the balcony in spring, I was ready to put them in a garbage bin and asked for permission from my husband just to make sure. Then, he said “Don’t do that because they are still living!”

Living…??? According to what he says, they close tight when it is raining and wet and they open up when it is fine and dry. Oops…I really haven’t noticed those changes at all.

I became curious and waited for some rainy days and sunny days. To my surprise, cones are very sensitive to moisture, closing and opening according to the weather. After a couple of years, through Lappish winter and summer, they are still living. Amazing isn’t it?

まつぼっくりです。ご覧の通りですが。（余談ですが、まつぼっくりの正式名を思い出せず辞書を引いてしまいました。「松かさ」と言うんですね）どこからだったか忘れましたが、多分ハンガリーかギリシャだと思うんですが、2、3年前に行った旅行先から持って帰ってきたのです。持ってきたはいいけれど、ずっとバルコニーに放って置かれたまつぼっくり達。春には私に捨てられそうになったところを、旦那が「ダメだよ。生きてるんだから…」とゴミ箱行きを免れたのであります。え？生きてるだと？？雨が降ると閉じて、晴れると開くそうな。全然気づいていなかった。ちょっと興味がわいてきて、天気が変わると様子を観るようにしていたら…おーっ！ほんとだぁー！湿度にきちんと反応するんですよね。もうずいぶん経つのに。ラップランドの冬と夏を乗り越えてまだ生きている。素晴らしい!

by ST

Fun in Helsinki

2010-08-04T11:00:00.010+03:00

I spent my summer holiday in Helsinki this summer.

It is nice to be in “big” city sometimes, the scenery, shops, trends, foods and people walking along the streets feel quite different compare to the small town in the north. The weather was very nice and it was quite hot. It has been quite unlike for me to say “it is (too) hot!” in summer of Finland.

We visited amusement parks, did shopping, did a short excursion to Tallin and etc. We were very actively moving around and enjoyed the city life our utmost.

One of the main purposes to go to Helsinki was MUSE concert in Kaisaniemi park. MUSE is a rock bank from UK. It seems they are also very popular in Finland as well and their 21,000 tickets were sold out. The show was supposed to start at 20:00, although, we went to the park around 15:00 and joined in a long queue to win a good spot to see their performance closer. Five hours to wait under the bright sun was a sweaty and tough thing to do, though, our efforts paid off when the show started. It was just great and enjoyed it a lot.

While wandering about the town, we found that PINK would hold her concert during our stay at the same place, Kaisaniemi park. She was a kind of my favorite and we decided to go to see her also. I would say it was a right decision ! Again sweaty efforts were required but the show was just wonderful. It was the entertainment. What a great fun it was ! It was on the last night of Helsinki stay and we really enjoyed our holiday fully until the end.

今年の夏休みはヘルシンキで過ごしました。たまに行く“都会”は、景色、お店、食べ物、流行、街を歩く人々も北の小さな街の風景とは全く違って見えます。お天気に恵まれ、フィンランドの夏では珍しく“暑い～”と言える陽気でした。アミューズメントパークに行ったり、ショッピングをしたり、フェリーで気軽に行ける隣国のタリンまで足をのばしたり、と毎日たくさん動いて首都で過ごす夏休みを楽しみました。今回のヘルシンキ行きの目的は、イギリスの人気ロックバンドMUSEのコンサート。フィンランドでも人気があって21,000枚のチケットは売り切れ。コンサート会場のカイサニエミ公園は若者で賑わっていました。ステージは夜8時から。でも、近くで見るには場所取りに早くから並ばなくてはなりません。午後3時には長～い列に加わって開演を待ちました。ジリジリするような太陽の下で5時間待つのは辛かったですが、開演したと同時にそんな疲れはパッと忘れ、MUSEのライブを十分楽しむことができました。街をぶらぶらしていたら、ヘルシンキにいる間にPINKのコンサートがあることを発見。PINKはちょっと好きだったので、せっかくなので見に行くことに。同じ場所でのライブ、同じように長時間待たなければなりませんでしたが、行って大正解！とても素晴らしいコンサートでした。この日はヘルシンキで過ごす夏休み最後の日。最後の瞬間まで楽しむことができました。

by ST

for our clients in Japan

2010-07-06T09:17:00.008+03:00

こんにちは。
久しぶりに快晴で気持ちの良い夏日のロバニエミです。
今日は日本のお客様へのお知らせ投稿です。

新カタログ「ナチュラルコレクション」の日本語バージョンができました！

刷り終った完成品を手にすると、もう少し紙が厚くてもよかったなぁ、うーんココは・・・などと思ったりもしますが。次回への改善点です。フィンランドでカタログやリーフレットを作るのは日本で作るのとは違った苦労があります。翻訳まではすぐに（？）できるのですが、訳を入れる場所に行間や幅を調整して原稿をレイアウトするのにものすごい時間がかかるんです。アルファベットを使わない日本語はデザイナーにとって解読不可能ですからね。行が句読点から始まっていたり、ファイル形式を変換するときに文字が重なってしまったり、と修正に時間がかかります。「これでよし！」とＯＫを出すまでに何度も何度も見直すのですが、作業に慣れてしまうと逆に盲点ができてしまっていて見落としてしまうこともあるので注意が必要です。

新しいカタログ、刷りあがった匂いのするうちに発送しますね。

(For the readers from other countries, it may be better to translate what I wrote above there)
Hello. We are having a very nice "summer" day in Rovaniemi.
Today's article is especially for the clients from Japan.
Our new brochures in Japanese language are finally ready !
When I had the freshly printed brochures in my hand, some thoughts came to my mind, such as "I should have chosen thicker paper" or "I should have done..."...wisdom afterward. Well, I will save the wisdom for the next print, then.
Making materials in Japanese, such as brochures and leaflets, is not so easy here, it takes time and efforts. Translation can be done but the layout is problematic. Japanese characters are not alphabets, as you know. As those characters are not familiar at all to the designers and they can look like “secret codes” which he/she cannot understand, it quite often happens that the sentences start with “punctuation mark” or sentences get cut at the strange points. I have to go through the draft again and again very carefully. Although, when going through many times, it makes me get used to the routine work too much and my eyes don’t catch them anymore. Well, I will post you the brochures before they lose the smell of freshness. Look forward to it.

by ST

Juhannus – time to enjoy

2010-07-02T08:59:00.009+03:00

On the last weekend, it was “Juhannus” holiday in Finland.

Juhannus is the second most important celebration after Christmas for Finnish people.
It is to celebrate the summer solstice and it is often translated as “mid-summer festival” in English. In Lapland we have “yötön yö” = nightless night, so it is often called “valon juhla” which means celebration of light. Juhannus eve was on the 25th of June this year and we had a longer weekend. So, what Finns do on this holiday are: going their summer cottages, doing barbeque, eating a lot and drinking a lot, enjoying outdoor life and sun…they just want to enjoy their short summer.

In Rovaniemi, the weather was really good and it was literally a day to celebrate the light.

At the end of the day, we have a big bonfire called “Kokko”.
The fire was set at 0:00. Bonfire at the midnight of night less night…isn’t it amazing?

先週末はユハンヌスの連休でした。
ユハンヌスはフィンランド人にとってクリスマスに次いで大事なお祝いの日。夏至を祝います。日本語ではよく夏至祭と訳されていますね。ラップランドでは白夜、夜の来ない夜の季節ですが、そのためか、この日は“光を祝う”日とされています。今年はユハンヌス前夜が25日で、3連休のお休み。この連休にフィンランド人が何をするかといいますと・・・別荘に行く、バーベキューをする、たくさん食べてたくさん飲む、アウトドアライフを楽しむ・・・とにかく短い夏を思う存分楽しむ！のがユハンヌスの過ごし方です。

ロバニエミでは、25日は久々の晴れで気温もグンっと上がり、言葉の通り光を祝う日となりました。ユハンヌス前夜の終わりには、“コッコ“と呼ばれる大きな焚火がたかれます。零時に着火されるのです。夜のない夜にたく焚火・・・なんだか素敵ですよね？！

by ST

News from France - open (wooden) houses !

2010-06-15T15:00:00.012+03:00

Artichouse France participated in a special event called “Les journées du patrimoine de la maison bois” - the days of the heritage of the wooden houses - on the weekend of 29th – 30th May.

The event was organized by the magazine “Architecture bois et dépendances” - architectural woods and dependences. The idea of the event was giving opportunities for those who are interested in wooden architectures to visit wooden houses so that they could experience and feel the real atmosphere. URL: http://www.mouvementbois.fr/

We really liked the idea and decided to take part in the event and we were able to arrange 5 houses to welcome the visitors.

We had “open house” in the following area:

- Morbihan (56)
- Bas-Rhin (67)
- Lozère (48)
- Haute-Garonne (31)
- Haute-Savoie (74)

This photo is from the open house in “Haute-Garonne”.
Atmosphere was very good and the house owner kindly welcomed and offered a overwhelming hospitality to the visitors.

We hope that those who came to our Artichouse houses enjoyed their visits and would like to thank them for the visits. Also, we would like to give many thanks to the house owners who gave us a great cooperation for this event.

By ST

アルティックハウス・フランスは、5月末の週末、29～30日に行われたLes journées du patrimoine de la maison boisに参加しました。日本語にすると“木造住宅の価値をみる見学会”といった感じでしょうか。。。これは、Architecture bois et dépendancesという木造住宅を特集する雑誌が企画したイベントで、木造建築に興味をもっている人々を実際に建っている住宅に招待し、木の家の雰囲気を体験し感じてもらおうというのが主旨でした。アルティックハウスも５軒のオープンハウスを用意してこの企画に参加することにしました。この写真はHaute-Garonne地区でのオープンハウスの様子を撮影したものです。雰囲気はとてもよく、お施主様もあたたかく訪問者を迎えてくれました。

訪問してくださったお客様の皆様、ご協力いただいたお施主様の皆様に感謝です。

Last week in RVN

2010-05-27T20:48:00.005+03:00

We have had very nice summer weather here in Lapland.

From my experience which is even quite short, I know that summer in Lapland is not so long. Last couple of days it has been chilly and raining, it made me worried if summer was already ended. This morning sun came back to shine and it seems that summer is still continuing. What a relief!

Last Thursday, the air base of Rovaniemi was open for public. I have heard that they have their door open for a day once a year. I made a quick visit during lunch time.
There were air fighters displayed, a brass band playing a show by air fighters and so on. They all looked so interesting. Lots of citizens and students from schools were thre. It could be very exciting for everyone, especially small boys, to see the fighter planes so close and even they could climb up a ladder to a cockpit to see the inside.

There was also a long queue for “hernekeitto”. Hernekeitto is green-pea-soup which is often served in Finland. I have heard that especially army made hernekeitto is very good. So it was time for me to taste the real one, though, unfortunately I am not a big fan of that soup. Sorry!

Then, we had “Naisten Kymppi” on last Saturday. It means something like “10km for ladies”. You can run, you can walk…just you can enjoy the outdoor life but this event was only for ladies. In Rovaniemi, we have this event every year and there seemed to be more participants than the last year. The weather was just perfect and the RVN ladies in colorful T-shirts enjoyed the fresh green and fresh air of the sunny weekend.

このところ夏日が続いていて、ラップランドの夏は非常に短いと経験上（短いですが）身をもって知っている私は、このまま夏が終わってしまうのではないかと不安に思っていました。ここ2、3日は氷雨のお天気で極北の夏に戻ってしまっていましたが、今朝からはまたお天気が回復。すがすがしい陽気です。

さて、先週ロバニエミであったイベントを紹介します。
一つめは、フィンランド空軍ロバニエミ基地の一般開放日がありました。年に一回あるのですが、せっかくなのでお昼休みに行って来ました。戦闘機が並び、吹奏楽が演奏され、エアーショーもあり、中々充実したイベント。一般市民はもちろん、小中学校の生徒もたくさん見学に訪れていました。中には、戦闘機のコクピットに梯子がかけられていて、登って中の様子を見られるコーナーもあり、大人も子供も興味津津の様子でした。もうひとつ長い列ができていたのが“ヘルネケイット”の前。ヘルネケイットとは、簡単に言えば豆スープ。フィンランドではよく食されるスープです。中でも、軍が作るヘルネケイットは格別美味しいとのことだったので、「本物」を味見するチャンスだったのですが、残念ながら私はちょっと。。。すみません。

二つめのイベントは土曜日にあった「ナイステンキュンッピ」。「女性達の10キロ」という意味です。走ってもよし、歩いてもよし。ちょっとアウトドアを楽しむイベントです。ただ参加者は女性限定。ロバニエミでは毎年行われています。暑くもなく寒くもなくパーフェクトな天気でした。今年は去年より参加者も多かった印象です。色とりどりのTシャツを着たロバニエミの女性達が、新緑と新鮮な空気を存分に味わった週末のイベントでした。

By ST

Lapin Erämessut 13.5.-16.5.2010 in Rovaniemi

2010-05-18T15:39:00.015+03:00

Lapland Outdoor, Recreation and Wilderness Fair 2010 took place in Rovaniemi 13.5.-16.5.2010.

After long winter, weather was really pampering Laplanders. Exhibition days were sunny and temperatures around +25C, so no wonder there was new record amount of tickets sold, 25000 people visited this happening this year. Erämessut is arranged every second year.
Hunters, fishermen and other people interested in outdoor activities found their way to see latest equipment. Supply was not restricted only to rifles and fishing rods, but you were able to learn new about hunting dogs, clothing and kayaks. Artichouse was also on display sharing outside booth with one of the constructing partners, booth location near to the main gate of exhibition was successfully fortunate. Many people got guidance for their summer cottage plans and definitely, due to positive feedback, we will see many new Artichouse log houses rising in Lapland, as well as in Sweden and Norway!

By HM

ラップランドアウトドアフェア２０１０がロバニエミで５月１３日～１６日の４日間に渡り開催されました。
天候に恵まれ、長い冬を終えたラップランド人にとっては最高の陽気でした。開催中はずっと晴天で気温も25度まで上がり、この天気のお陰で、来場者は２５０００人にもなり、これまでの開催の中での最高記録となりました。
ハンティング、フィッシングをはじめ、アウトドア好きな人が集まり最新のモデルや装備をチェック。ライフルや釣り竿だけでなく、狩猟犬やウェアやカヤックなどの関連商品もたくさん展示されていました。アルティックハウスも地元の協力業者と一緒にブースを構えました。メインゲート近くのブースにはたくさんの人が立ち寄り、別荘についての問い合わせがたくさんありました。感触もとてもよく、ラップランドはもちろん、スエーデンやノルウェーでもアルティックハウスの新しいログハウスがたくさん建てられるかもしれません。

no food to cook on this weekend?

2010-04-23T14:28:00.006+03:00

It seems that we have had quite many of “strike” lately in Finland.
Since the Finnair pilots strike in December last year, luggage handling at Helsinki airport, truck drivers, harbor workers, harbor warehouse workers, supermarket workers… I have lived here for 6 years but I don’t think I have met this many strikes. Now we have a strike of the workers of “fresh food products” going on.

Yes, I am sure that this strike has a certain “strike” on our everyday life.

Milk products, meat, bread…lots of food supply are affected. I went to a supermarket yesterday and found some shelves were almost empty. I bought a pork fillet which was the last one from the shelf, even though I wasn’t planning to buy it at all.

Good ! I have something to cook today and tomorrow but what shall I eat after that?

No fresh food on the table on Sunday, maybe…

なんだかストライキばっかりあるような気がするこの頃のフィンランド。
去年１２月のフィンランド航空パイロットのストライキ以来、ヘルシンキ空港の荷物をハンドリング会社、運送、港湾、港湾倉庫、スーパーマーケット・・・と続いているような印象があります。ここに住んで６年になりますが、こんなにスト続きの年は今までになかったような気が。今は、生鮮食品関係者（卸業者だと思いますが）のストがあって、これは生活を直撃です。影響を受けるのは、乳製品、肉、パン、野菜などなど食品全般に渡ります。昨日行ったスーパーでは空っぽにちかい棚がちらほら。買うつもりのなかった豚ヒレ（最後の一本）を思わず買い物かごに入れてしまいました。今日と明日は料理するものありますが、明後日はどうしようかなぁ・・・何も作れないかも。なんて。

by ST

Spring meeting in Lapland

2010-04-13T15:02:00.018+03:00

Artichouse spring meeting in Lapland was held during the last weekend.
The weather in Lapland was not perfectly welcoming, though, we were pleased to have our clients from 5 different countries. The meeting was programmed for 3 days. And I would like to write how the meeting went here shortly.

The day one - Friday, April 9th

It was "study" day.
We visited our production line in Sodankylä, which was about 130 km north from Rovaniemi. At the factory there was a project of solid log under process. I was glad to hear a comment from a client that our production line seemed to work very effectively and efficiently. After visiting the factory, we had lunch and short presentation by Sales Director HM. Then, we head our bus to back to Rovaniemi via Santa Claus Village.

The day two – Saturday, April 10th

It was “fun” day.
It was raining in the morning and we were wondering whether we would go for Snowmobile Safari as we had planned or not. At 10:00 starting time, the sky was still grey but luckily it was not raining. I still wonder if anyone would want to go for the safari under that weather, though, our clients looked pretty eager to join in the winter-spring-adventure of Lapland, and then we decided to start the adventure. We put the riding gear on at the safari company and it was time to ride on the snowmobiles. We drove in the forests and the road was covered by soft wet snow, though, the snowmobiles were smoothly running. After 2 hours drive, we were at the destination Vikäjärvi and had some snacks and off course we cooked sausages in the fire.

You cannot go home without having sausages in Finland!!
After the lunch we drove back to Rovaniemi, surprisingly it took much shorter because everyone became familiar to snowmobile and the journey was a lot faster.

The day three – Sunday, April 11th

It was the final day of Tour de Barents.
Artichouse was one of the main sponsors of this cross country ski race.
At the Ounasvaara ski stadium, we had our own tent decorated with our posters and log samples, like an exhibition booth. As you can see in the photo, the athletes were wearing our logo on their uniform. The race was exciting. I was surprised to see how fast they skied.
In the afternoon, Profin air balloon team arrived. The weather was perfect to fly. It took lots of efforts to prepare for the flying but the pilot (MH from Profin) was professional in hot-air-balloon- flying. The balloon was huge and it looked great. It started float slowly and went up higher with one of our clients who won the lucky lottery of “flying tickets”. I hope he enjoyed the experience in the sky.

The meeting for 3 days passed very quickly.

I hope everyone participated found something enjoyable and fruitful from the meeting.
Thank you very much for your visit to Lapland!

先週の金曜日から週末にかけて、ラップランドスプリングミーティングを開催しました。お天気はあまりよくなかったのですが、嬉しいことに５カ国からの参加者がありました。ミーティングは三日間に渡るプログラムだったのですが、ここで簡単に紹介したいと思います。

４月９日の一日目は工場見学の日。ロバニエミから１３０キロ北上したところにあるソダンキュラにあるアルティックハウスの工場を訪問しました。ちょうどこの日は無垢の角ログを加工中でした。見学者のお一人から「非常に効率的な工場ですね」とコメントをいただきました。工場見学の後は、昼食をとり、セールスディレクターのＨＭのプレゼンテーションがありました。そして、ロバニエミへ戻る途中でサンタクロース村に立ち寄ってサンタさんに会ってから帰りました。

４月１０日の二日目は遊んで楽しむ日。朝から雨が降っていて、予定していたスノーモービルサファリに行けるかどうかあやしいところだったのですが、出発の１０時、ラッキーなことに雨はあがっていて曇り空の中出発することに。防寒着を着こんでいざ出発。森の中を走ったのですが、道は溶けて柔らかい雪におおわれていました。でも、スノーモービルは快適に進み、２時間後には目的地のヴィカヤルヴィに到着。ランチのスナックを食べながら一休み。もちろんソーセージも！ソーセージを食べずしてフィンランドを離れることはできません。昼食後、帰路についたのですが、みなさんスノーモービルに慣れたせいか、速い速い。行きと比べるとあっという間にロバニエミに着きました。

４月１１日の三日目はツールドバレンツの日。このクロカンレースのメインスポンサーだったアルティックハウス。競技が行われていたオーナスバーラ・スキースタジアムには専用テントが設置され、ちょっとしたエキシビションブースになっていました。アスリート達は写真にあるようにアルティックハウスのロゴの入ったゼッケンをつけています。レースはエキサイティングで、そのスピードには驚きました。そして、午後にはプロフィン気球チームが到着。準備に少し時間がかかりましたが、そこは気球のプロ、プロフィンのＭＨさんがいるから大丈夫。気球はすごく大きくて圧巻でした。気球はアルティックハウスのお客様一人（くじ引き当選者）を乗せてゆっくりと空に上がって行きました。

三日間のプログラムはあっという間に終わりました。

参加していただいた方が”来てよかった”と思えるなにかを見つけていただけたなら嬉しいです。

ご参加本当にありがとうございました！

by ST

Grenoble exhibition

2010-03-30T14:19:00.007+03:00

Artichouse has been getting about in exihibitions lately.
After the moscow exhibition, we were in Grenoble, France.

The exhibition ”Salon Européen bois & de l'habitat durable” was held in Grenoble for 4 days, 25.-28.03.2010. Grenoble is a town in south-eastern France situated at the foot of the French Alps. Expo was very succesfull with many potential interested visitors.

Thank you for your visit!

アルティックハウスは色々なところで展示会に参加しています。

今回参加したのは、フランス、グルノーブルで３月２５日から２８日の４日間開催された”Salon Européen bois & de l'habitat durable”。グルノーブルはフランスの南東部、フランスアルプスの麓に位置する町です。展示会はたくさんの来場者で成功に終わりました。

ご来場ありがとうございました。

By ST

☆☆☆THE STRONGEST 2010

2010-03-25T12:30:00.011+02:00

I am happy to annouce that...
Suomen Lomakoti Oy, Artichouse, has received a certificate
"THE STRONGEST IN FINLAND 2010".

We have been rated as the "STRONGEST" for three years in a row.
The certificate says: "Suomen Lomakoti Oy is a company which creates power for the economic future. The company has achieved a high Rating Alfa classificaton by Suomen Asiakastieto, which is only achieved by every tenth company in Finland."

嬉しいお知らせです。。。
アルティックハウスは信用格付調査で、今回も最良の「ＳＴＲＯＮＧＥＳＴ」を受けることができました。これで３年連続のベストランキングとなります。
証書には、こんな風に書かれています。
”スオメンロマコティ社は将来の経済パワーを生み出す会社である。この会社は、ＳｕｏｍｅｎＡｓｉａｋａｓｔｉｅｔｏによる等級分けで高いランクを達成し、このランクを達成できたのはフィンランドの１０社に１社の割合である”

by ST

from Moscow with...

2010-03-11T10:54:00.003+02:00

Artichouse is now in Moscow!
There is an exhibition "Деревянный дом 2010 - Wooden House 2010" in Moscow at Crocus Expo for 4 days, 10-13.03.2010.
We have a booth at Pavilion 1, Hall 4, Stand D18-4.

Just received a photo from the exhibition site.
It looks good, doesn't it?

To tell you the truth, HM at the booth right now has met a small accident...When he flew from Helsinki for Moscow two days ago, the box contained all the exhibiting materials was checked into the air plane also...but but...the box didn't follow him and it was lost somewhere!! Yesterday, the first day of the exhibition, our booth was quite simple.
Then, enlightning news delivered to HM's ear this morning that the box was found. Oh ho...it was a big relief for us. Now the booth looks as it should be. How nice !

アルティックハウスがモスクワに！
3月10日～13日までの四日間、モスクワで「木造住宅2010」という展示会が開かれています。
アルティックハウスも参加して展示ブースを出しています。いまさっき、会場から写真が送られてきました。中々良いブースですよね？
実は、ちょっとしたアクシデントがありました。HMがモスクワに向けて飛んだのは2日前。展示に必要なものを全部入れた箱も一緒にチェックインしたはずが。。。届かず。。。紛失してしまったのです。昨日の初日の私たちのブースはちょっと寂しい感じが。
今朝、HMの耳に嬉しいニュースが届きました。箱が見つかったのです。よかったよかった。
これで、私たちのブースも形が整いました。ほっ。

by ST

there will be Tour de Barents!

2010-03-03T10:27:00.014+02:00

Vancouver Olympic is over. There is 10 hours time difference between Canada and Finland. I suppose that it wasn’t easy for us to follow the competitions because of time gap, those games and races started in the late night and continued until morning...some people woke up very early to watch, for example, ice hockey game, though, not for me because I am not morning person at all. I don't think I can go to work afterwards. Well…Finland has won 5 medals. It seems that the expectation was much higher and I heard some voice of disappointment. Anyhow I would like to give a big applause for the athletes took part in the Olympics.

Olympics is over and it is time for Artichouse to prepare for the next event, Tour de Barents. Tour de Barents is a new and exciting happening of cross-country skiing. The world’s best skiers are invited to take part in this happening and you may be able to see some of the medalists and athletes from the Olympics compete.
The winner of the overall competition will be determined in Rovaniemi, on the weekend of 10-11th of April. How exciting! As you can see it on our website, Artichouse is one of the major sponsors of Rovaniemi race and we will have an exhibition booth at the Ounasvaara Skiing Stadium. The beginning of April in Lapland is nice, you can enjoy the last moment of winter beauty. If you are visiting Rovaniemi on this weekend, please come and visit our booth and share the excitement of the competition and the moment of beautiful Lapland in spring!

The official web site of Tour de Barents: www.tour-de-barents.com/

Oh…ho…

This winter is cold and lots of snow...

バンクーバーオリンピックも終わりましたね。カナダとフィンランドの時差は１０時間で、競技を見るにしても夜遅くから朝までになってしまうので、あまり見られずに終わってしましました。中には朝早起きしてアイスホッケーの試合を見ている人もいたようですが、朝が苦手な私にとっては無理。。。仕事に行けなくなってしまいます。フィンランドのメダル獲得数は５個。予想・期待されていた数よりずーっとすくなくて、ガッカリした声も聞こえてきましたが、参加された選手のみなさんに大きな拍手を送りたいと思います。オリンピックが終わったら、アルティックハウスは「ツール・ド・バレンツ」の準備です。これは、クロスカントリースキーの新しいイベントで、世界のベストスキーヤーが招待されています。オリンピックのメダリストやアスリート達の戦いも見られるかと。このレースの勝者を決めるレースが４月１０-１１日の週末にロバニエミで行われます。ウェブサイトでも紹介していますが、アルティックハウスはこのロバニエミ大会のスポンサーになっています。オーナスバーラ・スキースタジアムでは展示ブースも用意する予定です。４月初めは冬の美しさが残っているいい季節です。もし、この週末にロバニエミにいらっしゃっているようなことがあれば、ぜひ、アルティックハウスのブースに来て、レースの興奮とラップランドの春を一緒に満喫しましょう。ツール・ド・バレンツのオフィシャルサイトはこちら：www.tour-de-barents.com/

（写真：今年の冬は大雪で寒いです）

by ST

Spring has come to Lapland

2010-02-15T10:42:00.004+02:00

Recently sun is rising around 0830 in Rovaniemi region.

It is so nice to have some light in the morning when driving to office. The darkness in winter time is something difficult to cope with.
Last Friday morning, it was cold and the temperature went down below -20 but the scenery was just beautiful. Air was clear and the moisture in the air got frozen and gleamed in sun light. This was the phenomenon called "diamond dust". Felt pain in my cheek and fingers and toes were almost frozen, though, I like the beauty of this early spring Lapland offers.

Yesterday was "Laskiaissunnuntai", it is "Shrove Sunday" in English.
It seems that there are differences in habits and manners between countries, in Finland we go out for sleigh sliding to have outdoor fun.
In Santa Claus Village, Santa Claus himself joined in!!

ロバニエミ周辺の日の出は朝8時半ごろ。
出勤する時に明るいっていうのはなんとも嬉しい。。。気持ちが軽くなります。ラップランドの真冬の暗さは少しツライところもありますので。先週金曜日は冷え込んで－20度を超えました。冷え込む朝は空気が澄んで、景色がとても綺麗。空気中の水分が凍りダイアモンドダストがキラキラ。寒さで頬は痛み、手袋をつけていても指先はかじかみますが、この季節のラップランドがみせる景色が私は好きです。

さて、昨日、日曜日は”ラスキアイス・スンヌンタイ”。日本語にすると告解日曜日。キリスト教に関係する日です。この日に何をするかは、国や文化によって色々違いがあるようですが、フィンランドでは「そりすべり」をします。サンタクロース村では、サンタクロースが外に出てきて子供たちと、氷でできた滑り台で楽しみました。

by ST

Welcome !

2010-02-05T13:01:00.005+02:00

Thank you for your interest and welcome to Artichouse blog!!

This is the first article...oh ho, I am a bit nervous.
Well... as you may know, Artichouse is a log home producer from Finland.
We have head office in Vantaa, near Helsinki Airport, sales office and factory are at the latitudes of the Arctic Circle and then we have also another sales office in France, Alps.
I am writing this in Rovaniemi office, in the future our articles will be posted from Rovaniemi, but sometimes you are going to hear from us from Helsinki or Annecy.

I hope YOU will visit us time to time and get familiar with us.

We have much more snow in Finland this year than usually during last decades.I was wondering this morning that I may have to do snow work soon, otherwise my balcony would collapse because of the weight of the snow...what a nice work to do on Friday evening!

Today's RVN office. 今日のロバニエミオフィス　

アルティックハウスのブログにお越しいただきありがとうございます。初めての投稿・・・緊張しますね。（ご存知かと思いますが）アルティックハウスはフィンランドのログハウスメーカーです。本社がヘルシンキ空港近くのヴァンターに、セールスオフィスと工場が北極圏にあります。それと、フランスのアルプスにもセールスオフィスがあります。今、ロバニエミオフィスでこの投稿を書いています。記事はメインにロバニエミオフィスから、時折ヘルシンキやフランスからも投稿しますので、ときどき見に来てくだされば嬉しく思います。宜しくお願いいたします。

今年のフィンランドは雪がとても多いんです。バルコニーにこんもり積もった雪を見て、バルコニーが落ちる前に除雪しなきゃなぁ。。。と今朝ぼんやりと考えていました。今日は金曜日・・・仕事の後ではあまりやる気がしないですね。では。