Japanese Traditional Machiya: A second home for foreigners?!
Machiya(Kyo Machiya) are traditional japanese wooden houses.
by IGNITION Staff
Hachise Co. Ltd specializes in restoring and selling traditional Kyo Machiya * in the Kyoto area. Recently, they launched a new homepage showcasing Kyo Machiya to prospective overseas buyers looking for a second home.
*Kyo Machiya: Kyo Machiya are traditional Japanese wooden houses built during the Edo period. Designed to encourage social interaction, these dwellings are often tightly packed together and feature adjoining roofs. Although various iterations of Kyo Machiya exist today, traditional styles feature the iconic latticed window bays as well as inner court yards.
Despite being a form of traditional Japanese housing, demand for Kyo Machiya has been on the decline, largely due to many Japanese adopting a western lifestyle. As a result, there are an increasing number of unoccupied Kyo Machiya and many are simply being demolished. However, Hachise Co. Ltd. hopes to change this by rebranding and popularizing Kyo Machiya.
Tourists and visitors from overseas are often drawn to Kyoto’s picturesque streets and for many the Kyo Machiya are an iconic symbol. However, Building Standards Regulations passed in 1950 have made it difficult for new Kyo Machiya to be built and in turn changed the community around it. Currently, around 48,000 Kyo Machiya still remain standing although this figure continues to fall by around 2% every year as dilapidations and an ageing population cause many to be demolished.
However, Hachise Co. Ltd. believes that rebranding Kyo Machiya as characterful homes and targeting a new market (overseas buyers looking for a second home) is one way to overcome this trend.
To help achieve this, their new homepage features not only property listings but information for overseas buyers regarding the costs and processes involved in purchasing a property in Japan. The firm also has plans to add Kyoto-spcecific information providing valuable knowledge for those wanting an insight into life in Japan and in particular, Kyoto. Hachise Co. Ltd. believes that reaching out to overseas buyers will also help revitalize the city itself.
From enquiry to purchase to maintenance, the firm hopes to create an ongoing relationship and provide long term support for its clients and/or occupants.
(translation: Atsushi Fujii)
Originally published at ignition.co.
