『愛媛大学社会共創学部紀要』第６巻第１号

論

2022年

p.57－63

説Interviews Regarding Measures to Promote the Use of Seiyo City Timber
and Characteristics and Preferences of Solid Timber Users Amid Growing
Interest in Environmental Architecture and Health
Noriko IRIE（Environmental Design）
Naoko KAWAHARA（Kindai University）
入
川

江
原

賀
尚

子（環境デザイン学科）子（近畿大学経営学部）

Keyword：environmental architecture, natural materials usage, promotion of wood utilisation, consumer
preferences
キーワード：環境建築、自然素材の利用、木の利用促進、消費者選好【原稿受付︰2022 年 1 月 17 日

受理・採録決定︰2022 年 1 月 31 日】

Abstract
We conducted semi-structured interviews of the individuals involved in the housing and timber industries,
regarding preferences of consumers who use natural materials, such as solid wood for their houses, andstrategies for dealing with the challenges facing Seiyo City timber. We then summarise their views, identifying
the individuals（and their characteristics）most likely to utilize wood in their homes. Additionally, we consider
a measure to promote the sale and use of Seiyo City timber.
要旨
本研究では、無垢材などの自然素材を住宅に使う消費者の選好と、木材の売り先が認識する西予市産材の課題への対処戦略について、木材産業の関係者に対して半構造化インタビューを行い、その意見をまとめた。また、
西予市産材の販売や利用を促進するために必要な方策に関する考察を行った。
1．Introduction
Approximately 75% of Seiyo City is covered byforests. The city’s forestry area is the second largest
in all of Ehime Prefecture. The southwestern regionof Shikoku, including Seiyo City, is known for its
hinoki cypress production. The city has 12 sawmills
and two timber markets, creating a relatively
favourable condition for the timber industry toachieve economic efficiency Despite such favourable
conditions, the city’s forest resources remain
underutilised. Thus, to revitalise the timber industry,
it is essential to improve its economic efficiency.
The supply of imported timber has become unstablebecause of a recent sticker shock on lumber, making
way for domestic timber at a time when interestin environmental architecture is growing. For thisreason, the development of strategies regarding theuse of wood may now help revitalise the forestry

industry.
   It is important to use timber in such a way thatthe characteristics of each part are utilised toappropriately assess prices and improve yield. For
example, parts with good colours and gloss withfew knots could be used for interior decorative
materials; parts with knots, roundness, and splits
can be used as design materials for wooden houses.
The recent increase in demand for environmental
construction has led to the development of numerous
techniques for the effective use of wood in Europe.
These include the Massive-Holz-Mauer wherein
uneven and low-quality pieces are joined together
with screws and Brettstapel where boards are nailed
together and stacked. In Europe, the use of woodhas contributed to the revitalisation of rural districts（Amino, 2019; Sukegawa, 2019 ）.
In addition to environmental consideration,－ 57 －

『愛媛大学社会共創学部紀要』第６巻第１号

increasing awareness regarding the direct benefitsof wood for home dwellers in terms of health andcomfort may lead to demand for environmentalarchitecture going forward. For example, a spacewith wood interior may create a healthy andpleasant environment for the human body, thanks
to the thermal insulation, moisture absorption anddesorption, and stress reduction effects of wood.
Particularly, the use of solid wood is reported tohave positive effects on health and well-being, suchas imparting a relaxing environment （YasunariCo., Ltd., 2021; Shinnihon Corporation, 2021; Japan
Housing and Wood Technology Center, 2021 ）.
These benefits of wood, especially solid wood, areexpected to influence the demand for wooden houses
and the price premium.
Hence, as a survey of Seiyo City projects regarding
the use of Seiyo City wood resources, the authors
gathered opinions from inside and outside Ehime
Prefecture concerning the preferences of consumers
who use natural materials, such as solid wood andthe strategies for addressing challenges facing
Seiyo City timber as perceived by the housing andtimber industries. This way, the authors collected
information useful for creating the city’s timberindustry policies. The authors also conducted asurvey regarding the demand among people inwestern Japan for houses with interiors made withtimber. The authors have quantitatively analysedfactors, such as how much people were willing to
pay for wooden interior materials compared to resinmaterials （premium analysis） and which target
segments were more likely to purchase such houses
or renovate their houses using such materials.
We summarised the results of the interviews withrespect to the first point, that is, the preferencesof consumers who use natural materials, such as
solid wood in their houses, and the strategies foraddressing the challenges for Seiyo City timber asperceived by the housing and timber industries. We
then discuss these issues in subsequent sections.
This study may provide important insights into thecity’s future forestry strategy.

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people working for homebuilders, design offices,sawmills, industry associations, and government
agencies in Ehime, other prefectures in Shikoku, andprefectures in Kansai and Kanto（Table 1 ）. Semi-

２．Method
Between June and December of 2021, in total, 19interviews（ 18 participants; 1,265 minutes）were
conducted face-to-face, online, and by telephone with－ 58 －

Interviews Regarding Measures to Promote the Use of Seiyo City Timber and Characteristics and Preferences of Solid Timber Users Amid Growing Interest in Environmental Architecture and Healthstructured interviews were conducted to obtain theirviews regarding the preferences of consumers who
use natural materials, such as solid wood for houses,
and the strategies for addressing the challenges
facing Seiyo City timber, as perceived by therelevant parties.
３．Results
The interviews with the relevant parties showed
the following:（1 ）Characteristics and preferences of people who
use natural materials for their houses.
People who use natural materials, such as solid
wood for newly-built houses are both young and old,
ranging from people in their 30s to retirees. The
characteristics of such people include:
・Love the use of wood・Health-conscious; have allergies
・Women, rather than men; have small children;
three-generations living in the same house・Live in urban areas, such as Osaka and Tokyo・School teachers, government employees（many of whom are eager to contribute to
local communities and appreciative of local
communities）, medical doctors
・Have empathy towards the local community
・Particular about what they purchase（expressiveof their preferences）
・Particular about food ingredients and homemade
products（Homemade miso, vegetable garden,etc.）
・Sensitive to trends
・Sensitive; enjoy nostalgia and the passage oftime
・Thoroughly study what interests them・Interested in energy（Enjoy life using a woodburning heater, etc.）
・Originally, born in a city
・Have lived overseas（People who have lived
abroad tend to be more concerned about theirlocal community）
・Build a tea room because they practice tea
ceremony as a hobby; live in a house with aJapanese-style room
・Interested in long-lasting houses
・It is not necessarily the case that rich people are
more interested in wood than those who are lesswealthy; wealthy people emphasise on a lifestyleof convenience and luxury; timber-producing
region is a niche interest
Preferences of consumers regarding the use ofsolid wood are as follows:
・The space would feel claustrophobic if solid
wood is used everywhere. Thus, in many cases,
solid wood is used only for the floor. （Thefloor determines the perceived quality of thebuilding.） Wood is sometimes used for theceiling. However, too much wood would create
an oppressive atmosphere. The use of the thick
and white outer part of cedar for the ceilingmakes the room feel lighter. For walls, the useof wood should be limited to one side for the
purpose of creating an accent. The visually
appropriate amount of wood would be 30–40% of
the entire house.
・After moving into a new house, people may
make scratches on soft materials, such as
cedar flooring. Some people may not like such
scratches. For others, these scratches bringback fond memories.
・Some people enjoy the vintage look of solid woodwhen its colour changes along with the passageof time.
・Some people do not tolerate knots; they are
fastidious regarding this matter. They requestthat the floor be free of any knots. There might
be some people who do not mind having manyknots, but that is not normally the case. Veryfew people are tolerant regarding this point.
（Solid wood is not being widely used because
handling too many customer complaints would
hamper business efficiency.）
・Some people use solid wood for interiormaterials because it is a fashion statement.
They make decisions based on photos, the lookand feel of the material, and the impression they
have.
・People from Kansai tend to prefer Kansai wood.
Some people are very particular about thismatter.
・People sometimes replace their condominium
flooring, and they use cedar in many cases.
・People who work from home amid the COVID-19
countermeasures have increased opportunities
to watch internet videos. They study various
topics by watching many videos regarding home

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『愛媛大学社会共創学部紀要』第６巻第１号

construction, such as those on the functionality
and insulation of a house, and make various
requests.
・Consumers sometimes feel reassured if theyknow where the product comes from. However,there are not many consumers who insist on
locally produced timber.
・There are not many people who use solid woodout of environmental concerns.
（ 2 ） Strategies for addressing the challenges
facing Seiyo City timber.
Before the sticker shock on lumber, Japanesetimber was perceived by homebuilders to be atleast 10% more expensive than foreign timber, anddomestic hinoki was generally perceived to be evenmore expensive than domestic cedar. The perceptionthat domestic timber was more expensive had waned
because of the sticker shock on the timber. However,it was still believed that the use of domestic solid
wood would raise the cost of interiors by 10-30% inpart because of the shortage of carpenters who could
handle solid timber.
There was recognition for the necessity toestablish a distribution and cooperation system fromupstream to downstream, transform awareness,
conduct sales promotion by creating a sales strategy,
educate the public regarding wood use, foster
carpenters, and provide policy support, to sell solid
Japanese timber, which is relatively expensive. The
following is a summary of the proposed strategies.
Building distribution and cooperation system fromupstream to downstream, transforming awareness
There are currently not many forestry workers.
Thus, it is necessary to foster successors in orderto strengthen the timber supply system. There isalso a need for a system that functions in a way
similar to wholesalers and trading houses（suchas Yamacho Co., Ltd. in Wakayama Prefecture
and NOJI WOOD PROCESSING INDUSTRY CO.,LTD. in Mie Prefecture） to gather timber in acertain centralised location. It is also necessary toestablish an integrated system of cooperation anddistribution among mountain owners, foresters,
forestry cooperatives, timber markets, sawmills,
homebuilders, and consumers. In addition to ensuring
economic efficiency, ideas must be generated for2022

solving regional problems, and various stakeholders
must share the same objective and cooperate with
one another. The awareness of managers, such as
those of homebuilders, must be transformed.
Creating sales strategies and conducting promotion
It is necessary to adopt a‘market-in’approach,rather than a ‘product out’ approach in which
the supplier has no knowledge of, or interest in,where the timber is shipped and sold. There is alsoa need for the upstream side of the supply chain
to understand the demand of the downstream side
and cooperate in product development. The local
government must support the dissemination of
information on Seiyo City timber and publish suchinformation on its website. Creative sales methods
must be devised. An example would be to establish
a showroom where customers can experience theproducts and where workshops are held regarding
the use of timber produced in the prefecture. It isalso important to get to know consumers, either
through homebuilders or directly.
To sell Seiyo City timber, an ingenious marketing
method must be devised. For example, easy-touse products, such as flooring wood, could bemarketed prior to selling fixture materials. Anotherapproach would be to sell building materials toother companies and let them sell these materials
to consumers under their own label, or to sell suchproducts to overseas customers through an online
channel. At the same time, a more personalised sales
method could be adopted, and customers could be
invited to the sawmill in order for them to observe
the situation from the supplier’s viewpoint. Various
sales methods, such as these must be considered,and consumers must be targeted appropriately.
（NOJI WOOD PROCESSING INDUSTRY CO., LTD.,a company mentioned earlier, regularly organises
tours for homebuilders and potential customers,
taking them to the timber market and the sawmill
and having them observe the sawing, processing, andfinishing. Some homebuilders have adopted a more
personalised approach, taking potential customers tomountains to have them choose trees for their own
houses.）
It would be ideal to establish a brand; however, itis necessary for consumers to develop an affection
for the production site for the creation of a brand.

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Interviews Regarding Measures to Promote the Use of Seiyo City Timber and Characteristics and Preferences of Solid Timber Users Amid Growing Interest in Environmental Architecture and Health

It was suggested that, if creating a brand for Seiyo
City timber would be difficult, establishing a joint
brand with other regions might be a possibility.
For example, a brand could be created for Shikoku
timber, or the city’s timber could be taken to
Shimanto City to be sold as Shimanto timber. It wasalso suggested that houses be marketed together
with a homebuilding story since consumers want tojustify their consumption behaviour.
Forestry associations and government entities must
promote the benefits of wooden houses and the conceptof‘local production for local consumption’ to create
demand for timber. Many companies in the timberindustry are small- and medium-sized enterprises.
Thus, they find it difficult to engage in advertising or
publicity campaigns individually. Therefore, it wassuggested that nationwide timber industry unions andforest owners’ cooperatives work together to raise
funds on a national scale to advertise nationally on
television, rather than engage in individual activities
on their own to raise people’s awareness of timber. It
was suggested that, when advertising, an appeal should
be made by explaining that building a house would
help solve environmental problems because woodstores CO2, even after being cut, and does not emit
it. Advertising slogans, such as‘glocal supported by
local’and‘trees grow in the same environment as we
do’were also proposed.
Educating the public regarding wood use, fostering
carpenters
Consumers who have purchased timberhouses tend to complain about the ageing andthe maintenance of wood. They complain about
scratches, stains, discolouration, and movement,
for instance. Consumers treat houses as though
they were industrial products, such as automobiles.
It is necessary to provide them with‘mokuiku’（education regarding wood use）so that they canlearn more about wood. For example, some people
may not prefer wood flooring because they believethat it gets scratched easily; however, it is a matterof lifestyle. They need to understand that wood
becomes ‘vintage’, rather than simply ‘old’.
Additionally, the fact that solid wood changes colour
should be shown to potential customers with thecooperation of existing homeowners. In this way,consumers can observe and understand the actual

condition of the house, including how it changes andgets scratched over time. There are not many people
who understand the characteristics of wood, choose
solid wood, or prefer architectural styles that makewood stand out. Thus, it is necessary to provide
consumers（the public）with education regarding
the use of wood. This could be accomplished, forexample, by establishing a‘model house’or‘modelroom’, or by providing them with an experience ofstaying in a wooden house.
It is important to create fans of local woodmaterials and mountains. Children could be given theopportunity to play with wooden toys and experience
woodworking from an early age. Adults could begiven the opportunity to have a meal using wooden
tableware and furniture, or participate in events held
in local mountains to familiarise themselves withthese mountains and learn about their attractive
features.
It is also necessary to change the mindset ofJapanese consumers, who rebuild their houses
frequently, and promote the idea of home
maintenance. At the same time, there is a need tofoster carpenters who can handle solid wood. Thereare currently not many class hours dedicated towoodworking at trade schools. Thus, the curriculum
should be enhanced. The industry must consider
the introduction of flexible working arrangements
to enable skilled workers to pass on their skills toyounger workers, or the enhancement of welfare
and social security benefits for carpenters, who are
currently sole proprietors.
Policy support
It is important to use wood in public buildings at
the prefectural level.（For example, a governmentbuilding in Yakushima Town was constructed witha large amount of wood. It was envisaged that thebuilding would use lots of wood even before it was
designed.）Additionally, forest roads need to bebuilt in order to strengthen the timber suppliers.
It is necessary for the government to consider asystem of forest road maintenance and make workeasier for forest-road users and sawmill operators
upon the consent of the holders of mountain rights.
（This requires that these rights be sorted out.）（For
example, in Germany’s Black Forest, there is a forest
officer who coordinates such rights to build forest－ 61 －

『愛媛大学社会共創学部紀要』第６巻第１号

roads. This is one of the approaches that could be
adopted.）Seiyo City timber comes with subsidies. However,it was suggested that it would be more effective if
the content of the subsidies were changed or if thesubsidies were packaged differently. Instead of cash,
the aid could take the form of, for example, 70 pillars.
4．Discussion
Those in the housing and timber industries were
aware that the following medium- to long-term
measures must be implemented with government
support to promote the sale and use of Seiyo City
timber: Creation of strategies for timber sales;
activities to transform and raise awareness of boththe supply side and the user side; the care of forestsand maintenance of forest roads to enable the supplyof high quality, value-added timber; transformationof the awareness of homebuilder managers; thefostering of, and welfare benefits for, carpenters;
facilitating dialogue and awareness-sharing between
the upstream and downstream sides of the supply
chain. People’s awareness of the use of domestic
timber may have changed recently because ofincreasing interest in environmental architectureand health consideration. However, such needs andpreferences of the public do not seem to be wellrecognised by timber suppliers.
Going forward, it will be necessary to analyse
the needs of the public and develop businesses andhuman resources capable of responding to suchneeds. It will also be necessary to carry out activities
to raise public awareness, including the disseminationof information, led by industry associations and thegovernment.

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use of Seiyo City timber: creation of strategies
for timber sales; activities to transform and raiseawareness of both the supply side and the userside; the care of forests and maintenance of forest
roads to enable the supply of high quality, valueadded timber; transformation of the awareness ofhomebuilder managers; the fostering of, and welfare
benefits for, carpenters; and facilitating dialogue
and awareness-sharing between the upstream anddownstream sides of the supply chain. In future, toconsider the forestry strategy of Seiyo City, it will
be necessary to analyse the needs of the public anddevelop businesses and human resources capableof responding to such needs. Furthermore, future
activities that raise public awareness, including
the dissemination of information, should be led byindustry associations and the government.
Authors’contributions
Irie contributed to the conceptual design andmethodology. Irie and Kawahara conducted all the
literature reviews and the interviews. Irie obtained thefunding and managed the research project. Irie and
Kawahara wrote the paper, made important changes tothe paper, and read and approved the final draft.
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to express their sincere
thanks to all those involved in the house and timberindustris in Ehime and other prefectures who cooperated
in the interviews for this study. This study received
funding from Seiyo City in Ehime Prefecture and Ehime
University.
References
Amino, Yoshiaki（talk）（ 2019 ）Tokushu: Nihonjin ga

5．Conclusion
To revitalise the timber industry in Seiyo City, it
is essential to raise the economic efficiency of timber.
For this reason, this study conducted semi-structured
interviews with people involved in the house andtimber industries regarding the preferences ofconsumers who use natural materials, such as solid
wood for their houses and the strategies for dealing
with the challenges facing Seiyo City timber. Thosein the housing and timber industries were awarethat the following measures, along with government
support, were necessary to promote the sale andmori ni manabu koto: Yama ga yorokobu kenchiku
mokuzo kenchiku no tayosei to kanosei （Special
feature: What Japanese people can learn from theforest: Mountain-friendly architecture;
diversity and possibility of wooden architecture）inHimorogi, issue 60, Nishigaku Lumber Inc.
https://www.nishigaki-lumber.co.jp/site/wp-content/up
loads/2019/10/2ce30a520ecaee005ef833792386d429.pdf  
（Accessed 2021.12.9 ）.
Japan Housing and Wood Technology Center（ 2021 ）    Naiso mokushitsuka shita tatemono jirei to sono koka

－ 62 －

tatemono no naiso mokushitsukano susume（Examples

Interviews Regarding Measures to Promote the Use of Seiyo City Timber and Characteristics and Preferences of Solid Timber Users Amid Growing Interest in Environmental Architecture and Healthof buildings with wood interiors and their effects:
Recommendation of wood interiors）
https://www.rinya.maff.go.jp/j/riyou/kidukai/
zirei_sankou/attach/pdf/wcn_wg_seika-11.pdf"
https://www.rinya.maff.go.jp/j/riyou/kidukai/zirei_
sankou/attach/pdf/wcn_wg_seika-11.pdf（Accessed
2021.12.9 ）.
NOJI WOOD PROCESSING INDUSTRY CO., LTD.
（ 2021 ） website

https://www.nozimoku.co.jp/（Accessed 2021.12.9 ）.
Shinnihon Corporation（ 2021 ）website
https://www.shinnihon.ehime.jp/standard1"
https://www.shinnihon.ehime.jp/standard1（Accessed
2021.12.7 ）Sukegawa, Aki （ 2019 ） Yama to kankyo mokuzo
kenchiku o kangaeru （Thinking about mountains,the environment, and wood architecture）in Nikkei
XTECH, January 30, 2019https://xtech.nikkei.com/atcl/nxt/
column/18/00461/122800012/?P=2 （Accessed
2021.12.9 ）.
Yasunari Co., Ltd.（ 2021 ）website
https://www.yasunari.co.jp/（Accessed 2021.12.7 ）.

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