Travel back in time 100 years at the stayable Kyoto machiya "Nazuna Kyoto Tsubaki St."

I love the atmosphere of Kyoto's machiya townhouses♪

Recently, there has been an increase in cafes and restaurants renovated from machiya, and it's wonderful that good old things are being preserved and can be experienced!

What's more, there are "stayable Kyoto machiya"!

That is "Nazuna Kyoto Tsubaki St."

Opened in April 2020 near Shijo-Omiya, this is a ryokan where an entire alleyway of machiya built in the Meiji era—over 110 years old—has been renovated, with every room featuring a semi-open-air bath.

Actually, this group of machiya was on the verge of being demolished.

It had a lovely atmosphere reminiscent of the old flower districts, and I really enjoyed it.

⭐A perfect balance of age and practicality!

"Nazuna" is a small luxury ryokan brand with locations in Kyoto and Miyazaki, offering two different styles of accommodation.

The "Nazuna Kyoto Tsubaki St." where I stayed this time is the ryokan style.
There are others scattered throughout central Kyoto, such as "Nazuna Kyoto Nijo-jo" and "Nazuna Kyoto Gosho."

I want to savor the old-fashioned feel that lets me sense history.
But when it comes to staying over, I want the plumbing and such to be clean.

Exactly!
At Nazuna, while the traditional texture and charm remain, the bathrooms, vanity areas, and toilets are state-of-the-art.
The beds have crisp white sheets.
The WiFi is also fast.

I had a very comfortable stay.

⭐Time travel to 100 years ago

The entrance to "Nazuna Kyoto Tsubaki St." has a modest gate.

Actually, my parents' house has a gate just like this.
It feels like there's a gate door right here.
When I was a child, I hated this so much.

My friends' houses had white fences with flower planters hanging on them, and modern white doors, and I was so envious.

I used to wonder why my house was so old-fashioned, but now I realize how precious it is, and I love it very much.

When you enter the entrance, there is a small front desk and a wooden fence that gives a sense of depth.

Spanning approximately 1,400 square meters, Tsubaki St. features 23 buildings and guest rooms arranged in an L-shape, connected to the restaurant and reception building by a cobblestone street.

Once you turn this corner, it's like you've traveled back in time 100 years in an instant!
I took so many photos because you can enjoy different atmospheres during the day, at dusk, and at night.

It's even more wonderful when the lanterns are lit along the cobblestone street.
I think I like the nighttime atmosphere the best☆

While I nodded in agreement at the "streetscape reminiscent of the old entertainment districts" mentioned on the website, I realized I didn't actually remember what an entertainment district was.

It's a district with establishments where you can enjoy performances like geisha dances at banquets.
I see, I see.

The 23 rooms are each individual buildings themed after the natural beauty of Kyoto, such as "Rock," "Bamboo," "Leaf," "Flower," and "Water."

The shoji screens next to the entrances feature patterns representing each theme.

⭐ The "Rock" room

We stayed in the "Rock" room.

When you slide open the door, there's a raised entryway.
The first floor has a bedroom, a bathroom, and a semi-open-air bath.

The wall decorations are indeed "rock"-themed.
As is typical of old houses, there are many steps, so watch your feet when filming videos!
It's super lovely!

The bathroom is just like this, just like a city business hotel.

The second floor has chairs and a table, and futons on a raised tatami platform, accommodating up to three people.

If two people are staying, this second floor would likely be the living room.
I assume there would normally be a low table and floor cushions placed facing each other on this raised tatami area, but since there were three of us that day, the futons were already laid out.

The contents of the refrigerator are free, except for items with tags, and the amenities are well-stocked.
The bath salts had a slightly strong scent, so I didn't use them.
Pajamas are provided!

What I liked was the view from the second-floor window.
Isn't this nice?

I'm calling my friend who's on the first floor!
"Look, look!"

⭐ The meddlesome lounge is great, really great

The lounge here was also great!

The "Nazuna Kyoto Tsubaki St." website says they value people through the kind of "meddlesomeness" that used to be common in Japan.

There was a row of coffee, tea, and juice.
What was that welcome juice in the wooden box again?
Was it koji juice?
And sugar candies.

I was happy to see Yatsuhashi, rice crackers, and nuts too!
I welcome this kind of "meddlesomeness".

Furthermore, I went to check out the service where they blend tea to match your mood in the evening.

Hot water being poured from high up into a cute teapot.
They say this is how they cool the water to the right temperature.

I hadn't eaten lunch that day and only went to a warabi-mochi shop, so I was hungry and ended up munching away!
They were also selling the pajamas that were in the room.

⭐ A Wagyu festival at "Wagyu Ryotei Bungo"

Dinner was a Wagyu course at "Wagyu Ryotei Bungo".

This restaurant is open to non-guests as well.
In other words, you can enjoy that cobblestone Hanamachi atmosphere just by coming for a meal.

"Wagyu Ryotei Bungo" is a new business format developed by International Support Co., Ltd., which operates the Bungo beef specialty store "Yakiniku Hormone Bungo" and the meat bar "Charcoal and Wine".

Speaking of "Yakiniku Hormone Bungo," the "New Bungo" where I went to eat hamburger steak at the Osaka Fukushima main store the other day is also part of that chain.

The interior is also lovely!
We were shown to counter seats.

【Oita Wagyu Course】

Simple characters written on the menu.

🔶 Marbled meat
🔶 Lean meat

The staff grills it for you on the iron plate right in front of you.
Wow!
Delicious!

🔶 Oxtail soup
The container is tilted.
What I thought was a lid was actually winter melon, which I pushed down with a spoon to eat with the soup.
🔶 Truffle Yukhoe

🔶 Seared Wagyu tongue with salt
This might be the thinnest beef tongue I've ever seen!
You can see the plate through it.
Seared with a torch and served with vegetables.

🔶 Meat shabu-shabu
Pouring broth over the beautiful rose-shaped meat to shabu-shabu it.

🔶 Today's grilled dish (Sukiyaki)
Oh my!
The meat looks so delicious!
And the egg!

I stared intently as they carefully grilled each piece!
The egg was rich, and this was delicious!

🔶 Today's grilled dish (Miso sauce)
🔶 Meat ochazuke
Freshly cooked rice from the pot.
There's meat in the final ochazuke too~♪

🔶 Milk pudding
🔶 Today's fruit

🔶 Late-night snack
Surprisingly, an egg sandwich was delivered to our room around 9 PM as a late-night snack.
It was so thick!
I was full, but it was so delicious that I polished it off!

Breakfast was also luxurious!
It was on the second floor of the same building where we had dinner.

The menu is amazing!
And it's realistic and detailed.

Everything on the menu appeared!
I savored each item while carefully checking it against the menu.

The ochazuke was also excellent!

I'm curious about the other themed rooms like "Bamboo" and "Flower," and all the other "Nazuna" locations seem great too.

This inn is recommended for both foreigners who want to experience the essence of Japan and Japanese people who want to touch upon the good old days of Japan.

⭐ Supporting "Tsukihi no Ie" through crowdfunding

In 2018, a friend asked me, "An acquaintance of mine is looking for supporters for a renovation project of an old folk house through crowdfunding, so I want you to support it!"

As a reward for my support, I received a one-night stay voucher.
This was my first experience staying in an old folk house or machiya.

First floor, mezzanine, second floor.
The earthen floor, the living room facing the garden, and the semi-basement that was originally an air-raid shelter were all full of charm.

It was a detached house and very spacious.
Since there were few photos left, I borrowed some from their website.

At that time, in addition to the stay, the crowdfunding reward included:
"Yuba (tofu skin) making experience."

We went to a yuba shop called "Hansho."
Yuba is the film that forms on top of hot soy milk.
The craftsmen who are unfazed by this heat are amazing!

We were able to take home the yuba we made, and it was delicious.
It was a valuable experience.

A long time ago, I made soba noodles myself during a soba-making experience in Fukui Prefecture and brought them home.

I just remembered that they were dry and crumbly, and when I tried to pick them up with chopsticks, they broke into macaroni-sized pieces and didn't taste good at all (lol).

⭐ Starbucks x a Japanese house over 100 years old

The most impactful old folk house or machiya renovation cafe must be this one!

"Starbucks Coffee Kyoto Ninenzaka Yasaka Chaya Store"

Even my English conversation teacher gave it high marks, saying they knew about it, had been there, or absolutely wanted to go!

Speaking of Ninenzaka, it is a place that is always crowded with people, but I went during the COVID-19 pandemic.

I was able to take perfect photos with no one around.

There were various rooms and spaces inside, so I wandered around.
I really like this round window area.

⭐ Touring "stayable" this and that

I have been to the Fujiya Hotel in Hakone, known as a "stayable museum," and Hotel Gajoen Tokyo, and last year I stayed at "The Tower Hotel Nagoya," a "stayable TV tower."

This time, it's a 'stayable Kyoto townhouse'.

Like this, my journey visiting 'stayable such-and-such' continues.

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