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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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...]
Shijo Kyo Machiya BBQ Night II
Look at this lovely old machiya! How could you resist a barbecue here? Shijo Kyo Machiya BBQ Night II is on Saturday, June 18th from 5pm-8pm. Here are the details: Shijo Kyo Machiya BBQ Night II will feature a special lecture by architect Geoffrey Moussas. In 1994, he started the all-out research work of Kyo Machiya and, with his company Design 1st, has since become … [Read more...]
