Kyoto Support » Tag: machiya

Kyoto Support » Tag: machiya - Recent Posts http://openkyoto.com/kyoto-support/tags/machiya Sad to say, but this lovely old town requires some support. en-US Thu, 09 Feb 2012 13:43:56 +0000 http://bbpress.org/?v=1.0.2 <![CDATA[Search]]> q http://openkyoto.com/kyoto-support/search.php peko on "Kyoto Machiya Links and Resources" http://openkyoto.com/kyoto-support/topic/kyoto-machiya-links-and-resources#post-235 Sat, 12 Dec 2009 08:08:20 +0000 peko 235@http://openkyoto.com/kyoto-support/ Kyoto Preservation (Machiya) <a href="http://kyoto-preservation.info" rel="nofollow">http://kyoto-preservation.info</a> Machiya Spirit <a href="http://machiyaspirit.com" rel="nofollow">http://machiyaspirit.com</a> ChrisLehrer on "Iori: Staying in a Kyoto Machiya (Traditional Townhouse)" http://openkyoto.com/kyoto-support/topic/iori-staying-in-a-kyoto-machiya-traditional-townhouse#post-79 Thu, 29 Jan 2009 16:39:13 +0000 ChrisLehrer 79@http://openkyoto.com/kyoto-support/ I don't know this company, but my family is in a machiya rented in precisely this way. It's lovely, but... it needs some support, like Kyoto. Some tips based on our experience: 1. Our kitchen came with 1 bad knife, 1 fridge/freezer, 1 toaster/microwave oven, 1 rice cooker, 1 water-boiler, 1 nonstick skillet, 1 small nonstick saucepan, 1 truly bad plastic cutting board. We had various and sufficient dishes for anything not excessively elaborate, though if you want beautiful dishes buy them here: this is a great place to buy beautiful ceramics. If you need more pots and pans than this, ask in advance or plan to buy el-cheapo ones at Kawabata Nikku or something, which is a pain if you're only staying a few days. I'd ask the rental company if there is something you need, but you'll have to do it in advance. 2. In summer, find out in advance how much of the house can be air-conditioned. In winter, find out how much can be heated. Radiant floors are excellent and not all that common in machiya. In short, in summer these houses are hot and in winter they're cold, and if you're not prepared for this you may have an unpleasant surprise. You will however experience machiya the traditional way! 3. Check on bath and laundry facilities in advance. Machiya have very small land-plots, and these things are commonly added to the back as extensions. This means that they may be extremely small, but not necessarily so: check in advance! 4. If you are vegan or have other important dietary restrictions not usual in Japan, find out in advance where the nearest decent grocery store is. You don't want to waste hours and hours trying to find one when you'd rather be going to temples! 5. Check on the towel situation in advance. Most machiya and furnished apartments do not come with towels. If you like big fluffy bath towels, BRING them: they are very hard to find here, and expensive. 6. Remember: do not put any kind of shoes, slippers, or anything like that on tatami mats. 7. Don't expect to get your deposit back on a longish rental. Machiya are rather delicate, so a rental company can always find things you've damaged and chalk this up against your deposit. A few days' rental should be OK on this score if you're careful. peko on "Kyoto Machiya Links and Resources" http://openkyoto.com/kyoto-support/topic/kyoto-machiya-links-and-resources#post-18 Sat, 15 Nov 2008 15:07:13 +0000 peko 18@http://openkyoto.com/kyoto-support/ Kyoto machiya The city of Kyoto was originally laid out in a gridlike pattern, modeled after the Chinese Tang dynasty capital Chang'an. The typical Kyoto machiya within that grid was 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. The front of the building served as the retail or shop space, generally having sliding or folding shutters that opened to facilitate the display of goods and wares. Internally the machiya would be split between the kyoshitsubu, divided rooms with raised timber floors and tatami mats, and the doma or toriniwa, an unfloored service space that contained the kitchen and also served as the passage to the rear of the plot, where storehouses known as kura would be found. The plot width was an index of wealth, and typical machiya plots were only 5.4 to 6 meters wide, but about 20 meters deep, leading to the nickname unagi no nedoko, or eel's beds. -Wikipedia Kyoto Machiya Resource Nick Coutts an undergraduate student in Kyoto made this English language website that summarizes the history of Kyoto machiya, current challenges to their preservation and has some photos of some of Kyoto's most well known and well preserved machiya. Also, there is a dictionary of machiya related terms that is quite useful. <a href="http://www.kyotomachiya.com/" rel="nofollow">http://www.kyotomachiya.com/</a> Sugimoto Residence Kyoto Machiya This gigantic and elegant Kyoto machiya is a popular sightseeing destination in the central Kyoto. If you can only see one machiya during your visit to Kyoto, this would be my recommendation. Check out <a href="http://www.gyoutai.com/eng/kyoto/sugimoto/madori.htm">this floor plan</a>! <a href="http://www.gyoutai.com/eng/kyoto/sugimoto/" rel="nofollow">http://www.gyoutai.com/eng/kyoto/sugimoto/</a> Microbrewery in Kyoto Machiya: Hiroino Kinenkan and Kyoto Machiya Beer Beer, or bi-ru in Japanese is a very popular drink. It is far more common than Japanese sake now. Kyoto Machiya Beer (京都町家麦酒) was started by a sake brewery with about 250 years of history and makes very good craft beer. Craft beer is not so common in Japan and Kyoto Machiya Beer is the only brewery that brews beer in the city. Kyoto Machiya Beer is located in a beautiful Kyoto machiya in center of the city. The building is called Hiroino Kinenkan (堀野記念館), or Horino Memorial Museum and commemorates the history of the sake brewery. website (Japanese language) <a href="http://www.kinshimasamune.com/beer.html" rel="nofollow">http://www.kinshimasamune.com/beer.html</a> tel and fax: 075-223-2072 Iori: Stay in a Beautifully Restored Kyoto Machiya Check out <a href="http://openkyoto.com/kyoto-support/topic/iori-staying-in-a-kyoto-machiya-traditional-townhouse">this forum for more</a>. <a href="http://www.kyoto-machiya.com" rel="nofollow">http://www.kyoto-machiya.com</a> Wikipedia article <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Machiya" rel="nofollow">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Machiya</a> peko on "Iori: Staying in a Kyoto Machiya (Traditional Townhouse)" http://openkyoto.com/kyoto-support/topic/iori-staying-in-a-kyoto-machiya-traditional-townhouse#post-17 Sat, 15 Nov 2008 14:45:43 +0000 peko 17@http://openkyoto.com/kyoto-support/ Staying in a Kyoto Machiya Staying in a Kyoto Machiya (traditional Kyoto townhouse) when you visit Kyoto is a very attractive option. Alex Kerr, a longtime expat resident of Kyoto and has restored 9 Kyoto machiya and rents them out to visitors to Kyoto. Mr Kerr's company Iori is popular with both Japanese and foreign visitors to Kyoto. Iori's rates are quite reasonable, you have your own machiya house all to yourself! Some are small and some are large, sleeping 2 to 14 people. A modern kitchen is included so you can cook at home. This may be desirable for a <a href="http://openkyoto.com/kyoto-support/topic/vegetarian-vegan-and-visiting-japan-at-new-years">vegan</a>. These traditional machiya include Western furnishings such as sofas and chairs, so you won't have to content with the <a href="http://openkyoto.com/kyoto-support/topic/beware-staying-at-a-japanese-ryokan-and-stiff-joints">stiff legs and joints</a> problem that you might face at a ryokan. While it is DIY, this is a very special experience and a reasonably priced way to experience an important aspect of Kyoto's traditional culture. Iori Weekly Machiya <a href="http://www.kyoto-machiya.com/www_english/" rel="nofollow">http://www.kyoto-machiya.com/www_english/</a> Iori Machiya List <a href="http://www.kyoto-machiya.com/www_english/weekly/machiya/index.html" rel="nofollow">http://www.kyoto-machiya.com/www_english/weekly/machiya/index.html</a> Iori Q & A <a href="http://www.kyoto-machiya.com/www_english/weekly/faq.html" rel="nofollow">http://www.kyoto-machiya.com/www_english/weekly/faq.html</a> tel: 075-352-0211 fax: 075-352-0213 <a href="http://www.kyoto-machiya.com/www_english/"><img src="http://www.kyoto-machiya.com/www_english/banner.gif" alt="Kyoto-Machiya IORI" /></a> Iori Weekly Machiya's Founder Alex Kerr's Personal Website <a href="http://www.alex-kerr.com/" rel="nofollow">http://www.alex-kerr.com/</a>