It was a fictional story first written in 1908. Anne of Green Gables is the tale of a young orphan girl adopted by an aging farm couple on Prince Edward Island, and her subsequent adventures.
The story, popular at time, was expanded into an entire series of books, and has continued to grow with spin-offs into a TV series, animated cartoons, theatre productions and more.
Popular world wide, it has become especially attractive to Japanese since its first publication in Japanese translation in 1952, becoming an instant bestseller there. So much so, that many Japanese are now having houses built in Japan in the Green Gables style. Although built by a Japanese construction company, interestingly called “Maple Homes”, the wide plank wood flooring typical in many Canadian farmhouses of the 19th and earlier 20th centuries, is being supplied by Royalty Hardwoods, a company from the maritime province.
“There’s a long term connection with the Japanese, especially the younger ladies and Anne of Green Gables,” said company owner Martinus Rose.
He added that the houses are very authentic looking inside and out. “They have the green shutters, the gable roofs, white-picket fences a lot of the times,” he said. The company will apparently also “distress” the flooring planks to give them an aged and worn look as if they were from the last century.
Since 2000, Royalty Hardwoods ships enough of the wide floor planks to Maple Homes for about 50 homes a year.
(with files from CBC)
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