New owner for long-abandoned temple in Kyoto
On December 7, 2018, the Shinshu Otani-ha Buddhist movement announced that they were acquiring the former Ryotoku-ji temple in Kyoto City free of charge, and looking to find a new use for the property with the cooperation of Kyoto Prefecture.
Owner ignores heritage listing, plans to demolish significant Kyoto machiya
On February 1, Kyoto City issued a warning to the owner of a city-designed historic home after learning about plans for its sale and demolition or relocation. This is the first time the city has had to issue a warning to a property owner.
Keihan Real Estate to develop machiya guesthouses in Kyoto
On December 6, Keihan Real Estate announced plans to enter the machiya guesthouse business in Kyoto City. The company, along with Tokyo-based real estate flipper Intellex, plans to invest 2 billion Yen (approx. 18 million USD) in restoring 10 guesthouses over the next year.
15th century home in Kyoto demolished
A traditional townhouse dating back to the 1400s in Kyoto was demolished at the end of August. The Kawai Residence, located alongside the Tenjin River in Nakagyo Ward, was the oldest surviving townhouse in the city.
Historic home in Bunkyo-ku to be demolished next month
An 81-year old house in Tokyo’s Bunkyo ward will be demolished next month. A farewell open-house event was held on November 16 and 17 by a Bunkyo historical preservation society, with over 280 visitors lining up to visit the home for the last time.
140-yr old house to be relocated to Tokyo
The 140+ year old former home of Viscount Shibusawa Eiichi in Aomori Prefecture is begin relocated back to Tokyo. Shibusawa Eiichi (1840-1931) was considered the father of Japanese capitalism and founded or supported over five hundred companies over his lifetime, including The First National Bank (now Mizuho Bank).Read more
Kanazawa City finds success matching machiya with new residents
On August 9th, Kanazawa City announced a record number of contracts between Kanazawa-style machiya townhouse owners and buyers and tenants in 2017. A total of 12 contracts were signed in 2017.
The program is run by the city through their Kanazawa Machiya Information Center, which connects owners and agents with people looking to utilize the historic homes. The city’s service, which started operations in 2011, typically finds anywhere from 1 ~ 7 matches per year, but the opening of the Center in late 2016 has made it easier for interested owners and users to connect. The system operates similarly to many of the vacant home banks operated by local municipalities across the country. With the cooperation of the Ichikawa Prefecture Society of Architects and Engineers, machiya-style homes are registered online, with transaction support provided by the Ishikawa Takken Association.