Japanese man builds treehouse in Korea to realize childhood dream

Mizuno Masayuki poses outside of a treehouse he built in front of his home in Gimje, North Jeolla Province, Monday. Korea Times photo by Kim Kang-min

By Kwak Yeon-soo

GIMJE, North Jeolla Province ― A Japanese man is living his childhood dream in Gimje, a city located about 200 kilometers south of Seoul. In 2009, Mizuno Masayuki, 53, transformed a run-of-the-mill house in the city to resemble one straight out of a fairytale and built a treehouse in his front yard.

With his skillful hands and creativity, Masayuki constructed a beautiful treehouse that takes us away from the real world. The small haven he created reflects the owner's youthful imagination and evokes peaceful childhood memories of summer.

"I think everyone has nostalgia for a treehouse. People of my age grew up reading 'The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn' and 'The Adventures of Tom Sawyer' while the younger generation enjoy animations like 'My Neighbor Totoro,'" he said during an interview with The Korea Times, Monday. "Regardless of age, anyone can possess the innocence of childhood when they climb up into a treehouse."

Masayuki revealed that as a child, he was somewhat different from other children. He was eccentric and peculiar, and realized from an early age that he did not fit into society.

"In kindergarten, there was a bully who pretended to be nice only in front of our teacher. But the teacher, whom I adored, liked him anyway. That came as a shock to me, which made me lose faith in humanity and turn my attention to nature," he said.

Mizuno Masayuki's treehouse in Gimje, North Jeolla Province / Korea Times photo by Kim Kang-min

Unlike other children who would play baseball or engage in other physical activities after school, he would grab his butterfly net and go out in the woods to study insects and animals.

Growing up as a sensitive person with a deep fondness for nature and serenity, Masayuki dreamed of becoming an entomologist. But his parents were against that idea, so he chose a different path. He graduated with a bachelor's degree in agriculture and landed multiple desk jobs.

So, how did Masayuki fall in love with Korea and end up settling in Gimje?

He first came to Korea in 1992 to marry his wife, whom he had never met until two days before the wedding. Their marriage had been arranged by the Unification Church, a controversial religion famous for hosting mass wedding ceremonies under the belief that marriage can help achieve world peace.

"We were among 30,000 couples who got married in the Olympic Stadium in Seoul. At that time, there were marriages between white-Black, German-Jewish and Japanese-Korean people. The religion taught me that there is no one I couldn't love if I could love my enemy," he said.

Masayuki couldn't understand Korean when he first settled here. But luckily, his wife knew Japanese. "We initially spoke in Japanese, but now we only speak in Korean," he laughed.

Mizuno Masayuki's home built in the traditional hanok style, with a carved roof and inner courtyard / Korea Times photo by Kim Kang-min

Five years later, his family moved to Japan in search of a new beginning.

"Korea was hit by the 1997-98 financial crisis and Japan also suffered a prolonged economic recession back then. So, it was not easy for a man in his 30s without any special certifications or professional skills to get a job," he said.

So he obtained certification in computer-aided design (CAD) and finally landed a stable job. His life was smooth sailing until his health deteriorated. "I'd been ill for months, but I couldn't go to the hospital because our team was working on a big project. I just thought it was a bad cold," he said.

However, Masayuki was diagnosed with tuberculosis and his company pressured him to quit because of stigma against the illness at that time.

"I felt so helpless because I didn't see that coming. I never thought I could be let go from my workplace so easily. To make things worse, my wife suffered from depression. She had a hard time adjusting to life in Japan. She was in a worse situation that I was. It was the lowest point of my life," he said.

Elongated hallway in Mizuno Masayuki's hanok home / Korea Times photo by Kim Kang-min

So in 2002, they returned to Korea to start over. Juggling part-time jobs, he developed a desire to live a different lifestyle. He didn't want to spend the rest of his life going to the same place every day and doing the same job.

"I always wanted to live in a place where I can craft things and raise my five children freely. I wanted to move to the rural countryside where my children can engage in outdoor activities to stimulate their five senses," he said.

By then, the couple had already left the Unification Church because they lost faith in it.

"My wife and I 'graduated' from the religious community about 20 years ago. I grew to become skeptical about the religion after seeing religious groups come into conflict. I figured it would be better to find internal peace instead of seeking world peace that seemed barely reachable," he said.

The family initially moved into his mother-in-law's house in Gimje in 2004 and then bought a deserted house nearby in 2009. It was 65 years old, but he loved two things about the house.

"I always wanted to live in a hanok and near an old tree. The tree in our front yard is 300 years old," he said.

Mizuno Masayuki poses in his kitchen, where he hand-drips coffee and makes onigiri rice balls, inside his cafe in Gimje, North Jeolla Province, Monday. Korea Times photo by Kim Kang-min

Masayuki has aspired to build a treehouse ever since he lived in Japan.

"One day, I went to a bookstore and saw a magazine with a treehouse on the front page. Since then, that image had been sitting in my mind," he said.

When he declared he wanted to build a treehouse, his family supported his choice.

"It's extremely risky for a guy with a wife and five kids to fulfill his childhood dream that makes no money. However, my wife encouraged me to do as I wish, telling me she'd be my No.1 fan," he said.

Making a tree house is not as difficult as one might imagine, according to Masayuki. Without deep knowledge or experience in architecture, he successfully built a treehouse and continues to fix it whenever he comes across a construction problem.

"Many people ask me how I built it, but it was easy. I've always loved making things with my hands and I know the basic principles of how to make a strong and durable house," he said.

Onigiri rice balls served at Mizuno's treehouse cafe / Korea Times photo by Kim Kang-min

Masayuki recalled that the most challenging part was collecting fallen wood and construction waste, because he worried other people might perceive him as being a weirdo or a garbage collector. But living in the countryside enabled him to gradually become less self-conscious.

"Because the treehouse has become a major tourist attraction, many realize why I need those materials. Now, construction workers call me and tell me to take what I need. They finally understand that I'm an artist," he said.

His family runs a cafe inside the house. Besides serving customers with food and beverages, his daily routine includes refurbishing and fixing the treehouse. Rather than considering it as a burden, the ceaseless hammering and sawing is a labor of love for Masayuki.

"Our family motto is 'Today as other days, our house is under construction. So is our life, and so is our happiness.' Our lives have no completion," he said.

An inside view Mizuno's treehouse cafe / Korea Times photo by Kim Kang-min

Masayuki's dream is to run a family business. In fact, his eldest daughter studied video and photography in college for a while. His second daughter studies design, and sells several products using her illustrations. His third daughter is aspiring to become a barista.

He noted that the most rewarding moment is when he sees people's faces light up with smiles when they enter the treehouse.

"Regardless of their age, I can see their youthful smiles. That signifies that we all have a place in our heart where we carry memories. We're just caught up in doing day-to-day works that we cannot spare time to reminisce about childhood," he said.

Masayuki also shared his insights with those who are hesitant to follow their dreams, stuck in the middle of pursuing their passion as they cling to the perceived limitations of reality.

"Look at me. I have four qualities that make me the least successful person in Korea ― I have a multicultural background and multiple kids. I'm from the countryside and am an irregular worker. But I'm happy and satisfied with my life," he said. "Do what you love because life is too short to do things that you don't love doing. There definitely will be people who sympathize and support your choice."