Deep Kyoto

good places - good people

  • About Deep Kyoto
  • About Michael Lambe
    • ARTICLES BY MICHAEL LAMBE
    • ARTICLES FOR INSIDE KYOTO
  • Translation Service
  • Books
  • Deep Kyoto Hotels
  • Flea Market
    • Anime Stall
    • Art Stall
    • Bag Stall
    • Ceramic Utensils Stall
    • Confectionary Stall
    • Furoshiki Stall
    • Kimono Stall
    • Nintendo Playing Cards
    • Pottery Fair
    • Stationery Stall
    • T-Shirt Stall
  • 日本語

Mosaic Machiya KSK (Kamishichiken)

July 3, 2018 By Michael Lambe Leave a Comment

Mosaic Machiya KSK is a great little guesthouse in a quiet area of north west Kyoto. This guesthouse is located in a beautifully renovated machiya, a traditional wooden townhouse, in Kamishichiken, which is the oldest geisha district in Kyoto. Mewby and I were recently invited to their 2nd year anniversary party and we were very impressed with what we saw there. Prior to … [Read more...]

Campton Luxury Lodges: The Future of Kyomachiya

September 20, 2017 By Michael Lambe Leave a Comment

As regular readers know, I am a big fan of Kyoto’s machiya: the traditional wooden townhouses that once formed an integral part of this ancient city’s streetscape. As such I am always keen to support and promote local business that have wised-up to the great potential of these old houses as shops, restaurants, cafes, and hotels. I recently wrote about one such exciting venture; … [Read more...]

Shinkamanza Machiya Resort Named “Village Kiramachi”; New Photos from Our Stay

September 6, 2017 By Michael Lambe 1 Comment

A few months ago I wrote about an innovative machiya townhouse revival project in the Shinkamanza district of central Kyoto. Under the supervision of local architectural company, Good Design Works, not just one traditional townhouse but a whole group of houses has been renovated and reinvented as a single integrated resort hotel. I have now been informed that the resort has … [Read more...]

Shinkamanza: An Innovative Machiya Townhouse Resort in Downtown Kyoto

May 16, 2017 By Michael Lambe

Last year I was invited to view the ongoing work on an exciting machiya revival project in central Kyoto. Overseen by a local architectural company called Good Design Works the plan is to renovate not just one traditional townhouse but an entire unit of houses as a single integrated resort hotel. Machiya are the traditional wooden townhouses of Kyoto. Their dark lattice … [Read more...]

Matcha Tea & Machiya in Kyoto – Two Articles for GuideAdvisor

November 5, 2014 By Michael Lambe Leave a Comment

Whether you are interested in tea ceremony or traditional architecture, two pieces I wrote for GuideAdvisor earlier this year, offer my top tips for for your trip to Kyoto. The first article is on how to find the very best machiya:  the traditional wooden townhouses of Kyoto. After decades of neglect and outright destruction, machiya have been undergoing something of a … [Read more...]

Ran Hotei Cafe – Vintage Taishō Romance & Excellent Cake

October 30, 2014 By Michael Lambe 2 Comments

On Wednesday I took a walk over to the Sanjo-kai Shōtengai shopping arcade and popped into Randy Channell's machiya cafe Ran Hotei. Randy is well known as a master of Japanese tea ceremony, and he does teach a few tea ceremony classes at Ran Hotei. Mainly though he gives classes at a shrine near the Imperial Palace. So if you are not interested in tea ceremony, that's … [Read more...]

Kawai Kanjiro’s House

November 25, 2013 By Michael Lambe Leave a Comment

This is the house of Kawai Kanjiro, a legendary potter and a key figure in the mingei or Japanese folk art movement. His beautiful wooden townhouse has been preserved as a memorial run by his family. The building itself and the garden are wonderful, but you can also see here many of his works: ceramics, sculptures, and woodcarvings. His kilns are preserved at the back of the … [Read more...]

Trattoria Dougetsu by the Ocean

November 13, 2013 By Michael Lambe Leave a Comment

Mewby's birthday was a couple of weeks back and to celebrate I took her to Trattoria 道月 by the Ocean. Though the name is a bit unwieldy, the restaurant itself is very welcoming and friendly, and the food was superb. This is the outside of the building which as you can see is a lovely old (but fully renovated!) machiya townhouse. You can't beat a bit of machiya dining when in … [Read more...]

Machiya Dining at Cameron

February 28, 2013 By Michael Lambe 1 Comment

This restaurant, Cameron is, in a very good way, odd. The graceful decor,  the attentive service, and the exquisite delicacies they serve you, all give the impression of expense. Yet though we ate our fill of fine things and were waited on hand and foot, after bracing ourselves for a very steep bill, we were surprised to find we had spent less than at your average rough and … [Read more...]

Kyoto Machiya Restaurant Guide: Affordable Dining in Traditional Townhouse Spaces

February 27, 2013 By Michael Lambe 2 Comments

I am currently reading this new book by Judith Clancy and at some point will write up a proper review for Kyoto Journal. But for the time being here are some rough notes and impressions. Machiya are the traditional wooden townhouses of Kyoto, sadly under continuing threat from modern developers and their preference for boxy apartment buildings and parking lots. This book … [Read more...]

Ushinohone Anaza

February 21, 2011 By Michael Lambe Leave a Comment

Here's another comfy, little izakaya style restaurant in an old machiya building on Sanjo. There are lots of simple but tasty Japanese dishes to choose from here. Behold the food! Ushinohone Anaza is part of a group of restaurants established in Kyoto in 1985. They specialize in hot charcoal cooked dishes and seasonal obanzai ryori. The … [Read more...]

京町家の再生 – Machiya Revival in Kyoto

March 19, 2010 By Michael Lambe 3 Comments

I've just finished reading this fine little book about the machiya (町家) of Kyoto. Machiya are the traditional narrow wooden townhouses of the old capital. Once, their tiled roofs and wooden lattice fronts typified Kyoto’s urban landscape. However, since the end of WW2 this traditional landscape has in large part been replaced by high rise buildings and parking lots. 13% of … [Read more...]

Quarirengue

January 14, 2010 By 2 Comments

Here's a nice quiet place for coffee and cake. Mewby and I found this cafe last Saturday and spent a pleasant afternoon there enjoying the tasty fare and the cosy mood and burying ourselves in our books. Tucked away down an old residential machiya alleyway it's not a place you'd find by chance. It's word of mouth that gets you there, and Quarirengue has clearly earned its … [Read more...]

Omuraya

February 4, 2009 By dk-admin89 2 Comments

Omuraya is a cheerful izakaya style restaurant in an old wooden machiya house just off Hyakumanben. I love it! Cooks and waiting staff bustle about behind counters piled with colourful seasonal vegetables to the background sound of the Blues. The food is simple, healthy and rustic. I recommend the “nama fu dengaku”: moist, lightly fried strips of gluten in a smoky miso sauce. I … [Read more...]

Next Page »

Search hotels and more...

Destination

Check-in date

Mon 20 Mar 2023

Check-out date

Tue 21 Mar 2023
Booking.com

Kyoto: A Literary Guide #AD

Deep Kyoto’s Best…

BARS
CAFES
DINING
EVENTS
HOTELS

Deep Kyoto Essentials #ad

ADS






Follow Deep Kyoto on Twitter

Tweets by @deepkyoto

Japan Station

Japan Transportation Guide
Japan Transportation Guide
Kyoto Transportation Guide
Kyoto Transportation Guide
Osaka Transportation Guide
Osaka Transportation Guide



Copyright © 2023 · Deep Kyoto.