Inside Kyoto's Traditional Townhouses: Japan's Disappearing Homes (*WATCH Now*)

Waw, 清水寺 (kiyomizu dera) reconstruction is finally done! During my (first and second) visit of Japan in 2018 & 2019 I visited this beatiful place in Koyto and was really dissapointed that I couldn't enjoy it fully as it was still under reconstruction. Hopefully, soon will be travelling restriction to Japan lifted so I can finally visit it. Thank you Chris for amazing & interesting video.

すごい、ありがとう京都を描写してくれてありがとうございます、よく勉強になれました。🎏⛩✅👍👁🌊

Ryori

Look this will probably sound stupid but I wanted to say it. Like many people this year has been hard - my trip to japan was cancelled, my FIL passed, and I'm having a wee baby boy in a month - the latter especially meaning getting to go back is going to be a long long time off. I have always found that Kyoto brings me a really deep seated feeling of peace when I am there and 2 min in to this video I realised just how much I'd been tightly wound up as I started to relax seeing the sites and traveling down memory lane. I get such a feeling of peace their, I nearly mortgaged a home in arashiyama kamikaidocho. But as I know nothing about the real ins and out of how a Japanese home devalues I talked myself out of it. Anyways I am rambling. I just wanted to say this is why I love your videos, its just amazingly well done escapism - with that sarcastic wit as an added bonus. So...I know, stupid. But thanks for doing what you do. If nothing else, it really destressed me at the end of a hard week.

Francis M. Gallagher

This home looks like an absolute dream! Any info on how to reach someone to rent one, or are they holding off on having visitors until post-pandemic?

Lady Long Limbs

This makes me want to buy a Kyoto townhouse sooooo bad. Ultimate vacation home! Maybe I'll see if I can invest in the company. At the very least promote the renting of them, when the world snaps out of it.

WT

When I was in Kyoto I stayed in a capsule hotel, which was really nice, but after watching this video, now I want to stay in a house like that, next time I go to Kyoto.

I've just imported and installed a hinoki cypress bath in my humble abode and it is absolutely fantastic!! And I wholly agree about not ever wanting to bath in a generic, mass market, plastic bathtub again.

I waited, I waited, I hyped and, Chris, this was fantastic! My dream house, at the other side of the world. That said a couple of questions that I am not sure you talked about in the video; Is it true that Machiyas had to be build using traditional techniques (no nails)? Or that the reason why there are no new Machiyas is because they don't follow the 1950 standards laws concerning earthquakes or fires? Is that something that people like Maeda san have to consider when renovating those old houses? What is left of the original house once they are finished with them? Anyway back to watch it and dream of the house that I will never have ^^; Ps: I preferred the original thumbnail XD

Luciano Arrieta Martins

3-4 videos a month? is this the real life? is this just fantasy?

Alev Akkor

I do intellectually understand why the machiya are disappearing, but emotionally I just can‘t believe that anyone would let something as beautiful as these traditional homes go to waste instead of making it work with smaller renovations. I would kill to live in one! Massive kudos and thanks to Maeda-san for his efforts and dedication! Edit: Forgot to thank the British guy that made the video and shone a light on this issue. Thank you 😊!

Ouranor

Always makes my day when there's a new Chris video out! Chuffed to hear you're aiming for 3-4 videos a month!

Wow, what a great video! I want to stay in a machiya so badly. would the mattresses be good enough for people who prefer rather soft mattresses, or were they fairly hardcore Japanese? (also, the close-up of the nicely decorated roof tiles followed by you in front of some potentially plastic ones was funny. but I still want to stay in any of those machiya!)

Nynke de Haas

Always excited to watch your new videos, especially anything regarding Kyoto! Such a beautiful city and comforting environment.

Can't wait to watch this after work!!!

When Chris mentioned Anago no Nedoko, it reminded me of Onomichi Akiya Saisei Project. A volunteer-run group for akiya restoration in Onomichi. One of them is the owner of Miharashi-tei, an inn/airBnB I frequent whenever I have the chance to stay overnight. They have like a headquarter on this restored guesthouse called Anago no Nedoko which is like a very long establishment with a small characterful front.

Dunno what it is, but this has a classic Abroad in Japan™️ feel to it. Amazing video, as always, makes me really wanna go to Kyoto on my next trip out there!

Bobby

the great work* that is ;)

Great one! Being caught up with the backlog takes me back to my youth where one had to wait (gasp) for new episodes to air each week! At least I have something to look Forward to! Also made me take out my old Japanese textbooks to get back to learning. Keep up the great Burodosan!

Such a great video. The cinematography at the beginning was so good! I'm glad that there are people like Maeda-San who try to keep the old houses of Kyoto alive. This kind of architecture is what drew me to learn more about japan. I hope I can find a more remote town with stunning Machiya like in Kyoto but maybe with less tourists (if I ever get the chance to visist Japan in the first place).

Paddo

Great video Chris. The traditional houses look so cozy, I want to visit one now haha

DinoKōyō