Kiyomizu Machiya is an old Japanese traditional townhouse built in January 1902. We gave it this name because of its proximity to the famous Kiyomizu Temple, one of Kyoto icons. It has just been fully renovated and features luxurious modern facilities. With its convenient location, it’s another perfect place to spend some time in Kyoto, visiting the city while experiencing the traditional lifestyle of the people of Kyoto and enjoying a unique cultural experience, with all the modern comfort one can wish for.
Our concept is the same “Old Traditional Kyoto Machiya with Luxurious Modern Comfort”. This has implied extensive remodeling of the space and the volume of the house. Instead of the original small dark rooms and narrow passages of the old house, we now have one large living space englobing the dining room and the living room, with the new fully equipped open kitchen located on the side. We find this design more in line for today lifestyle.
Traditional machiya didn’t have any bathroom or laundry room. They barely had a toilet placed in the garden. People used to go to the public bath, the “Sentô”. We changed that and have added a brand new modern bathroom with traditional features (you’ll appreciate the feel of the wooden room) and the convenience of a laundry room with an All-In-One automatic Washer / Dryer (an important detail travelers will really appreciate).
Because traditional Machiya are actually very cold in winter and quite hot during the summer, special attention was paid to the insulation of walls and ceiling. We installed modern floor heating around the entire ground floor and radiators in the upstairs rooms and in the laundry room. All the rooms are, of course, equipped with air conditioning. The lighting of the house has also been completely redesigned (traditional Machiya are often quite dark).
As with our other machiya, the whole house has been decorated with various old traditional Japanese art-crafts such as an old authentic Samurai armor, traditional wedding Kimono, Japanese dolls, Noh mask, protective Gods against fire (Hotei-san), old furnitures, etc., for a more refined atmosphere.
With almost 70 m2, the house is spacious and adequate for groups of up to five people. (Even though we’re in Japan, we refuse the idea of packing 8 persons in 40 m2!)
The newly renovated wooden townhouse features a large living / dining area with table and chairs next to a modern kitchen. A large flat screen HD TV has been placed on the wall for our guests enjoyment. The wooden bathroom and the laundry room are located on the ground floor.
Upstairs, we have one traditional Japanese tatami mat room (sleeping on futon) and one Western-style bedroom with two single beds. A convenient office with a desk is located next to it and separated by old sliding wooden doors. The two bedrooms are separated by “Fusuma” paper doors. And of course, hi-speed wi-fi internet (optical fiber) is available anywhere in the house.
The house is very conveniently located in the Higashiyama area, 1 min away from bus stops, and about 10 min away from train stations and subway stations, for easy access to all sightseeing sites of Kyoto.
For more information and a more detailed description of the Kiyomizu Machiya, click HERE.
Kiyomizu Machiya Presentation – Detailed Description – Location – Guest Reviews
Please feel free to contact us with any questions you may have. We may be reached at “harry@mykyotomachiya.com”
