JTinTokyo (2026)

28/03/2022

This Kyo Machiya building is Osugi Shoten, a seller of antique kitchenware, calligraphy, and furniture located in the Ebiyacho district of Kyoto’s Nakagyo Ward. The website intojapanwaraku.com/travel/1151/ discusses the items sold in the gallery and the owners approach to selling their products. The shop sounds very traditional, and very patient, in its approach to selling. The photos suggest a shop bursting with product.

#日本建築
#昭和レトロ
#古い建物
#レトロ建築
#古民屋

#古い建物が好き

#京町家

26/03/2022

This is Estate Shin, a real estate agent that deals exclusively in Kyo Machiya buildings. This building is located in the Naoiecho district of Kyoto’s Kamigyo Ward. The extremely high second floor ceilings are unusual and I haven’t yet seen another Kyo Machiya building with such a high second floor. Google Street View shows that a beauty salon called Roman (ロマン) occupied this building in 2009. The appearance of the first floor was radically different at that time; the first floor was then completely unrecognizable as a Kyo Machiya building. The firm was in business well before taking over this building. Its website was established in 2000 and the firm is likely older. Their website address is: 京町家.jp which may be difficult for many readers to locate. Googling “Kyo-Machiya Specialist Estate-Shin” will produce the firm’s website as the top entry.

#日本建築
#昭和レトロ
#古い建物
#レトロ建築
#古民屋

#古い建物が好き

#京町家

25/03/2022

This is Kojima Shoten, a wholesale kimono fabric firm located in the Miyamoto-cho district of Kyoto’s Nakagyo Ward. According to the firm’s website, they dye and maintain kimonos, the latter including stain removal, washing, and general repairs. The firm was established in Showa Year 7 (1931). I suspect that the building may date from this period.

#日本建築
#昭和レトロ
#古い建物
#レトロ建築
#古民屋

#古い建物が好き

#京町家

24/03/2022

This Kyo Machiya building is one of the “Kyo no Ondokoro” (京の温所) buildings renovated by Wacoal Corporation for use as boutique hotels. Wacoal is well known maker of women’s lingerie and other clothing founded in Kyoto in 1946. Wacoal began the Kyo no Ondokoro project in 2017 for the purpose of restoring neglected, unoccupied Kyo Machiya buildings. The renovation is designed to keep the restored building’s outer appearance and inner structure as intact as possible. According to the Kyo-Ondokoro.Kyoto/en/ website, Wacoal rents the restored building from its owner for a 10 year to 15 year period before returning the building to its owner in its renovated state. I find this a fascinating way to restore and preserve historical buildings.
This particular building appears to have been restored in 2019; the building was definitely in a deteriorating condition prior to the restoration. For those interested in seeing the condition of this building prior to its renovation on Google Street View, the address is: Kyo no Ondokoro Gosho Nishi #6 Kamigyo-ku, Monyo Atomachi 291 (京の温所　御所６京都市上京区門世跡町291).

#日本建築
#昭和レトロ
#古い建物
#レトロ建築
#古民屋

#古い建物が好き

#京町家
#京の温所

23/03/2022

Life on display. Futon or bed covers hanging out the window getting fresh air. A family’s bicycles. Helmets, umbrellas, soccer balls. And a Kyo Machiya row home with a wooden facade. Located in the Kitamachi district of Kyoto’s Kamigyo Ward.

#日本建築
#昭和レトロ
#古い建物
#レトロ建築
#古民屋

#古い建物が好き

#京町家

21/03/2022

It’s uncommon in general to see kura (traditional storage buildings) when walking around Kyoto and rarer still to be able to see them easily visible along a city street. This kura, located in the Hoteiya-cho district of Kyoto’s Nakagyo Ward along Fuyacho Dori, appears to be part of a complex of buildings on a single property used as a residence or series of residences. A second kura (not pictured here) is located in the same complex just a few meters away. Both kura and the other buildings in the complex have seen little change in their appearance over the past decade.

#日本建築
#昭和レトロ
#古い建物
#レトロ建築
#古民屋

#古い建物が好き
#倉

#蔵

20/03/2022

This Kyo Machiya building, located along Aburanokoji Dori in the Yamada-cho district of Kyoto’s Nakagyo Ward, was until recently the location of a kimono wholesaler called Mantoku (万徳). I say recently because this building had a (fairly elegant) sign with the company name until about 2018 while the most recent (2020) Google Street View has a for-rent sign on the front of the building, a sign not visible in these very recent photos. My guess is that the building is currently used as a residence. The building has seen little change in its appearance since at least 2008 except that some lovely wood siding visible in 2008 has long-since been covered up with metal siding. The immediate vicinity has seen the demolition of four or five Kyo Machiya buildings in recent years, two of which have created a parking lot across the street.

#日本建築
#昭和レトロ
#古い建物
#レトロ建築
#古民屋

#古い建物が好き

#京町家

19/03/2022

This home, located along Oike Dori in the Shinsen-encho district of Kyoto’s Nakagyo Ward, is an excellent example of how a relatively simple renovation can do wonders for a Kyo Machiya building. Google Street View shows that this building was in a somewhat rundown condition in early 2018 and was transformed into its current condition between early 2018 and May of 2019. The renovation included the removal of a small garage/storage area on the ground floor’s right side and the widening of the entrance door.

#日本建築
#昭和レトロ
#古い建物
#レトロ建築
#古民屋

#古い建物が好き

#京町家

18/03/2022

This is one of a number of gorgeous Kyo Machiya buildings located along Gojo Dori just west of Gojozaka hill in the Gojobashi Higashi district of Kyoto’s Higashiyama Ward. Gojo Dori is a broad and very busy, noisy street and walking along this street is not very pleasant. Passers by here are usually interested in getting up the hill to more glamorous locations so these buildings get less attention than they deserve. This building appears to be a private home although I am not able to verify this at present. Google Street View photos show only minor changes in its facade over the past 13 years.

#日本建築
#昭和レトロ
#古い建物
#レトロ建築
#古民屋

#古い建物が好き

#京町家

17/03/2022

This Kyo Machiya building is located in the Kyogoku-cho district of Kyoto’s Shimogyo Ward. The first floor area was used as a general store until at least 2009 and continued to be used as a takkyubin pickup and delivery center by Yamato until about 2013. The building has been used as an upper floor residence and lower floor storage room ever since. A similar style Kyo Machiya building nearby was demolished around 2014. This neighborhood is a good quality commercial area and the building will be at risk of demolition unless it can be converted into a restaurant or similar use.

#日本建築
#昭和レトロ
#古い建物
#レトロ建築
#古民屋

#古い建物が好き
#看板建築

#京町家

15/03/2022

This Kyo Machiya building, located in the Ebisuno-cho district of Kyoto’s Shimogyo Ward, has a brand new business called Biyo Shinkyu Salon Green. The business name literally means Beauty Acupuncture Salon Green and the firm offers facial acupuncture. The previous business here was a fusion Japanese-Italian style restaurant called Kamon (花門) that appears to have closed sometime in the past year. Interestingly, the wooden signage you see here has nothing to do with either business and in fact was the signage for a previous business here selling tea-related utensils. Google Street View shows that this firm was still in business in 2009. The next Street View photo for the location is in 2013 and Kamon was already in business then. I wonder if the owners are requiring tenants to keep this traditional signage.

#日本建築
#昭和レトロ
#古い建物
#レトロ建築
#古民屋

#古い建物が好き
#看板建築

#京町家

14/03/2022

Japanese people love their pets and this Kyo Machiya building, which was once a handcraft supply store, seems to have become a shrine dedicated to the love of people’s pets. First, some information about the store. The store’s name was Rakudaya (らくだや) and, from Google Street View photos, the business appears to have been in operation as recently as 2018. Information suggests that the business was selling its product online as late as 2017. Photo three shows a close up of the window which features adorable photos of dogs and cats pictured as saying their names. Also included are Pet Saver Emergency Rescue Technician and First Responder certificates for someone who likely lives in the building. I’ve covered up this person’s name to respect their privacy. Note the cat visible in the second floor window in photos one and two. The location is Hinokuchi-cho district of Kyoto’s Kamigyo Ward.

#日本建築
#昭和レトロ
#古い建物
#レトロ建築
#下町
#古民屋

#古い建物が好き

#京町家

JTinTokyo