Traditional merchant residence in Gifu to be converted into boutique hotel
Work is well underway on the conversion of a historic and traditional residence in Gifu into a boutique hotel. The former Matsuhisa Residence was built 100 years ago by the operator of a successful wholesaler of Japanese paper materials. The residence was designed to accommodate guests and customers during the Meiji and Taisho eras. The two-story sukiya-style wooden house with tiled roof has a total of 12 tatami rooms, a tea room, and four warehouses. The buildings sit on 2400 sqm of land.Read more
90-year old town hall to be demolished
The 90-year old former Kano Town Hall in Gifu City will be demolished this year as repairs have become too costly and the building is at risk of collapse.
The 2-storey, reinforced concrete building was built in 1926 as the town hall for Kano Town (now part of Gifu City). The modernist building was designed by architect Goichi Takeda (1872-1938). It managed to survive the Gifu Air Raid of July 9, 1945, which destroyed 5 square kilometres of the city and killed 800 residents. For a brief time after the war it was used by the occupying forces. Read more