Kyoto looking for tenant for historic restaurant/ryokan in Gion
Kyoto City is looking for a tenant for a traditional-style residence/restaurant in the Gion-shinbashi neighbourhood. The 2-storey wooden house was during the Meiji period and is estimated to be around 120 years old.
Until recently it was used as a tempura restaurant. The owner of the property and former operator of the restaurant left the property to the city in June 2013 with the hope that the city could continue to conserve and protect the historical building.Read more
Historic lodging house "Hongokan" to be demolished in August
Built in 1905, Hongokan is Japan's oldest 3-storey wooden lodging house. The L-shaped building has approximately 70 rooms and a total floorspace of 1500 sqm which is very large in scale for a wooden structure.
It was built by an aristocratic family from Gifu Prefecture and was initially used as a boarding house for the Tokyo Girl's Highschool (now known as Ochanomizu Women's College), but soon became a high-grade lodging house that provided luxury accommodation.Read more