Gojo Machiya is an old Japanese traditional townhouse built before 1897 (last known record). It has just been fully renovated and features luxurious modern facilities. With its convenient location, it’s the perfect place to experience the traditional lifestyle of the people of Kyoto and enjoy a unique cultural experience, with all the modern comfort you can wish for.

 

Our concept was “Old Traditional Kyoto Machiya with Modern Comfort”.  This has implied extensive remodeling of the space and the volume of the house.  Instead of the original small rooms of the ground floor, we now have one large living space, while keeping the option of a private room using paper doors (shôji).  We find this design, together with the new fully equipped open kitchen, more suitable for today lifestyle.

A brand new bathroom has been added and the Tsubo Niwa (courtyard garden) was rearranged.

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 a radiator in the above Western style bedroom.  All the rooms have been equipped with air conditioning.  The lighting of the house has also been completely redesigned (traditional Machiya are often quite dark).

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.

The newly renovated townhouse features a large living / dining area with table and chairs next to an open kitchen, two traditional Japanese tatami mat rooms (sleeping on futon) and one Western-style bedroom with two single beds. There are two toilets (one per floor), sliding wooden doors (some are old original ones), “Shoji and Fusuma” paper doors, modern cypress bathroom, “tsubo niwa” (courtyard garden).  The house is equipped with a fully automatic washing machine/dryer.  And of course, hi-speed wi-fi internet is available anywhere in the house.

The house is very conveniently located in the Higashiyama area, near train stations, subway stations and bus stops, for easy access to all sightseeing sites of Kyoto, and with a surface over 70 m2, it is adequate for a complete family or a larger group (spacious enough for 6 people).

For more information and a more detailed description of the Gojo Machiya, click HERE.
Gojo Machiya  Presentation   –   Detailed Description  –  Location   –   Guest Reviews

Please feel free to contact us with any questions you may have.  We may be reached at “steve @ mykyotomachiya.com”

Interested in the way Gojo Machiya was renovated? Check out this page: History of Gojo Machiya