The Machiya townhouse - Kyoto's atmosphere for centuries
Live as the merchants and craftsmen in Kyoto did: Many old Machiya 町屋/町家 townhouses in Kyoto have been preserved and turned into rentals for guests. These traditional wooden houses originated as early as during the Heian period and continued to develop through to the Edo period and even into the Meiji period. They defined the architectural atmosphere of downtown Kyoto for centuries. The typical Kyoto machiya is a long wooden home with narrow street frontage, stretching deep into the city block and often containing one or more small courtyard gardens or tsuboniwa. Machiya incorporate earthen walls and baked tile roofs, and could be one, one and a half, two, or occasionally even three stories high. The Machiya Townhouses have some special features:
Mise-no-ma (Shop Space): This room faces the street and provides storefront space for commerce.
Zashiki (Reception Room): This room, to which only valued guests are invited, is at the rearmost of the house. The room is decorated to suit each season, for example with flowers in an alcove. The floors are covered tatami mats, so visitors have to remove their shoes before entering.
Engawa (Veranda): This is a place like a hallway built jutting out from rooms facing the garden. Kyoto summers are hot and humid, therefore the veranda is a good place to enjoy a cool breeze.
Mise-niwa (Shop Garden): This is the public space in which business matters with customers or neighborhood matters could be concluded.
Hashiri-niwa (Hallway Garden): This is a private area located near the kitchen normally used by the family and its servants. A high ceiling contains a high window and a skylight to allow smoke to escape and also to provide light.
Shoki-san, the guardian: A decorative figure mounted on the roof of machiya houses. He is said to originate from China and is worshipped as a god who is a good luck charm against evil spirits.
Holidays in a Machiya townhouse
Aoshida あおしだ: See hotels.com.
Akane-an Machiya Residence Inn あかね庵 : See booking.com
Amber House Gion: The house directly adjoins the complex of Kennin-ji Temple. See VRBO. Very good reviews on tripadvisor.com.
Anzu-an Machiya あんず庵: See hotels.com
Azuki-an あずき庵: See hotels.com
Ayaginu あやぎぬ :
Choya Chawanzaka 長や 茶わん坂:
Choya Gosho Minami 長や御所南: See hotels.com.
Fushizome-an ふしぞめ庵: See booking.com
Gallery Of The Youth 青春画廊:
Tsukubai, the stone wash basin
Garaku-an 雅樂庵: On a quiet lane alongside Takasegawa canal.
Gion Koyu-an 祇園 幸遊庵:
Gion-Minami Banka 祇園南 万花: See agoda.com and Facebook.
Hotei-an 布袋庵:
Jam Jar Lounge Inn:
Fascinated by Kyoto’s machiya townhouses, Danny (originally from Melbourne, Australia) is now living and running Jam Jar Lounge & Inn located in the historic weaving district of Nishijin. Housed in a 110-year-old traditional machiya townhouse, he offers both boutiquestyle accommodation and a café lounge combining a modern design without compromising the integrity of its original Japanese ambience. On offer is Melbourne-style coffee, toasted “Jaffl es” and imported wines.
Gosho-Minami-Ebisu 御所南ゑびす:
Gosho Minami Hotei 御所南ほてい:
Hatoba-An Machiya はとば庵: See booking.com.
Indigo House Gion: A former geisha house that has been converted into two sublime vacation rental properties, Indigo House Gion Upper and Indigo House Gion Lower.
Kakishibu-an Machiya かきしぶ庵:
Kazariya Guesthouse 錺屋:
Double room. See more pictures on instagram
Kakushi-kaidan, the hidden staircase at Kazariya guesthouse. To secure space in the narrow kyomachiya townhouse, many used closet space for stairs. Therefore, since they are hidden in the back of the closet, they are called "hidden staircases".
Kazenoya Sara 風のや 咲楽: Machiya style guesthouse, originally built in late 19th Ccentury and renovated in 2016. See Facebook and agoda.com
Kohaku-an こはく庵: Situated on a street with a lot of traffic, but also many bus stops. See booking.com
Kumashu-an 熊秀庵: Walk down a narrow alleyway and find yourself greeted by a row of traditional machiya houses. The lattice wooden frames, which surround the windows of Kumashu-an allow for natural light to brighten the interior.
Kyoka-an 京花庵: See booking.com
Kyuraku Gion:
Kyoyado Usagi 京宿 うさぎ: From 40000 JPY per room/night. See booking.com
Machiya Maya Gion Guesthouse:< New York native and architect Geoffrey Moussas lives in Kyoto and is fascinated by kyomachiya townhouse architecture. He worked at Nakamura Sotoji Komuten, a Kyoto carpentry firm that engages in the sukiya-zukuri architectural style used in the creation of tea houses and other buildings. Then he was offered an opportunity to fix up and live in an unused 90-year-old kyomachiya townhouse. Subsequently, Geoffrey became active as an architect who knows kyomachiya townhouse architecture. “The appeal of the kyomachiya townhouse is that it has a lot of undefined spaces. For example, the engawa, or veranda does not have walls, so it is not an interior space, but it does have a roof, so it is not strictly speaking an exterior space either. It is precisely because of this interstitial space, that mediates between the interior & exterior that inhabitants can live connected with nature. I believe that this concept is uniquely Japanese,” Geoffrey continues.
Masari-gusa 優り草:
My Kyoto Machiya: They offer six different houses. Five of them are located in the Higashiyama District and one south of the Kyoto main train station.
Gojo Samurai Machiya:
Sanjusan Samurai Machiya:
Kiyomizu Samurai Machiya:
Toji Samurai Machiya:
Gojozaka Samurai Machiya:
Tofukuji Samurai Machiya:
Nadeshiko Shirakawa なでしこ白川: See tripadvisor.com.
Naokonoza Machiya nao炬乃座:span></ This small chain has five Machiya townhouses in Kyoto:
Naokonoza Omiya Gojo nao炬乃座 大宮五条邸: See booking.com
Bettei Umekoji 京町家 ｎａｏ炬乃座 別邸 梅小路: See booking.com
Bettei Fuyacho 京町家 小宿 ｎａｏ炬乃座 別邸麩屋町: See hotels.com
Bettei Kyoto Station Naokonoza: See booking.com
Bettei Aburanokoji nao炬乃座 別邸油小路: See travelocity
Bathtub at Naokonoza Kyoto station
Natsume-an Machiya Residence Inn 棗庵: See agoda.com.
Nishijin Itsutsuji 五辻の昆布 本店: Booking: hotels.com
Nishijin Arima 西陣 有馬: Booking: hotels.com
Nishi-no-Toin 西洞院:
Nijo Sumire-an 二条すみれ庵: See booking.com.
Oku Zaimochu-cho Machiya See agoda.com
Otabisho-an Machiya Residence Inn おたびしょ庵: See hotels.com.
Rikyu-an Machiya 清水りきゅう庵: See hotels.com.
Senraku House: See booking.com. Very good reviews on tripadvisor.com
Shikoku-an しこく庵 Very good reviews on tripadvisor.com.
Sumitsugu 墨継ぐ:
Tachibana-an Machiya 滋野たちばな庵 West of the Imperial Palace, in one of Kyoto’s most historical neighborhoods.
Tsukikusa-an つき草庵:
Umenoki-an Machiya House 梅の木庵: A five-minute-walk from Higashiyama station.
Shimabara Kaiden 懐傳 : In a former Hanamachi District — an area in which geiko and maiko girls lived and perfected traditional song, dance, and entertainment for customers. Meanwhile Shimabara has transformed into a neighborhood with hidden treasures and historical gems. See booking.com.
Shobu-an しょうぶ庵: Very good according to reviews on tripadvisor.com.
Suo-an すおう庵: See booking.com.
Tokiwa-an ときわ庵:
Ushitora 艮: Booking: hotels.com
Yoshimigura Machiya House 吉御座:
Zanmai-an 三昧庵: See agoda.com
Read more:
http://www.kyoto-machiya.com/eng/
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