Co-working spaces to open in two historic merchant houses

The Kojima Residence before (left) and after (right) a 2017 restoration.

Kawagoe City in Saitama has converted two historic merchant houses into co-working spaces under a trial run. It is hoped that the recent telework trend might have the positive effect of utilizing long-empty buildings as well as preserving the traditional townscape.

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Saitama's "Johnson Town" resembles US suburb

 While Hokkaido has its own version of a Swedish village, Saitama has 'Johnson Town' a small neighbourhood of American-style homes built to house the US forces during the Korean War in the early 1950s. 

Although much of Johnson Town's atmosphere can be attributed to it's re-development in the 1950s, the history of this enclave dates back even further.Read more