日本語はこちら One day 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. But if you are not interested in tea ceremony, that's ok, Ran Hotei is essentially a cafe, a place to relax, with … [Read more...] about Ran Hotei Cafe – Vintage Taishō Romance & Excellent Cake
町家
Cafe Bibliotic Hello!
日本語はこちら Situated on Nijo/Yanagiyabamba, "Cafe Bibliotic Hello" is a converted old machiya, one of the traditional old wooden townhouses of Kyoto. Bring a book with you or just grab one of the many off the walls. Here you can enjoy coffees, teas, cakes, pastries or grab some dinner if you are really hungry. They do some pretty awesome sandwiches but one night I treated … [Read more...] about Cafe Bibliotic Hello!
Salut Ya
日本語はこちら さるぅ屋 is a cafe/bar/diner in a lovely old renovated machiya on Imadegawa. The food menu concentrates on burgers, sandwiches and curries and is generally pretty meaty. As I don't do the meat thing, I settled for an advocado and cottage cheese sandwich, expecting something bland and was surprised by its sweet deliciosity. And the bread! That was something else. I … [Read more...] about Salut Ya
Quarirengue
日本語はこちら Here's a nice quiet place for coffee and cake. Mewby and I found this cafe one 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 … [Read more...] about Quarirengue
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...] about Shinkamanza Machiya Resort Named “Village Kiramachi”; New Photos from Our Stay
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...] about Shinkamanza: An Innovative Machiya Townhouse Resort in Downtown Kyoto
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...] about Kawai Kanjiro’s House
Ushinohone Anaza
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! Appetizers. Unusually (but happily for me) none of them contained meat! This Crab and tomato tartare was luscious... Potato Salad with Mentaiko (marinated roe of pollack) - a very … [Read more...] about Ushinohone Anaza
京町家の再生 – Machiya Revival in Kyoto
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...] about 京町家の再生 – Machiya Revival in Kyoto
Omuraya
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 colorful 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...] about Omuraya
Hale ~晴~
Hidden away in the heart of the bustling market on Nishiki Dori is a tiny little alleyway that leads to Hale (晴). This is a fully organic and vegan restaurant, specializing in seasonal dishes, yuba tofu and Kyoto's famously distinctive vegetables. For lunch you can have a set meal or the "Special Lunch" which costs a bit more. I settled for the standard set lunch which you can … [Read more...] about Hale ~晴~
