what happens when you cross a reading obsessed owner with the renovation of a traditional Japanese townhouse?
let's find out on today's episode of WAORYU! Only in Japan
hey guys welcome to another video
so i'm excited whenever i get a tour a traditional japanese home in kyoto
known as machiya
and that's what we're doing today
with lovely Yee
and she can point out something very specifically cool about these that we're exploring
so the owner of these properties loves Murakami Haruki
which is a famous Japanese author
and while we're doing a tour you will see the connection between the properties and that author
Murakami Haruki
to give a little background on Haruki Murakami-san he was born january 12, 1949
had his books translated into 50 languages
sold millions of copies
and writes with a kind of surrealistic style
the first time i heard about him was in high school
when a friend had told me he really enjoyed reading "Hard-boiled Wonderland"
and "the End of the world"
it's so interesting to see that in the renovation of a home you could have the crossroads with an author
welcome to the first room of the house guys
this is the meeting room
now some interesting details with naming
there's a compound of three houses here
and they're called 1891
and that refers back to when they were first registered
they were built before this
but first registered in the Meiji restoration
so that's the collective name but they actually have individual names as well
yes so the house we're in right now is called SANAGI,
and there are two properties at the back
one is called two moons
another is called AOMAME.
if you notice these are three elements from the book "1q84" which is written by Murakami Haruki
let's move on from the meeting room
so cost of the building
The compound is going for 288 million yen which converts to roughly 2.6 million us dollars
so if you got that under your mattress come get this place
it's amazing
in through this way is the dining room
and it has some really really nice features in here
so the first thing that you would notice making it unique as to a western experience is the tatami floor
which gives off a really really unique fragrance
which i quite like
we have an antique cabinet ,we have some art on the walls
and a little mini kitchen in the corner
now for me, possibly my favorite room in a house like this
behind the sliding shoji doors
is a reading room
and it has some really really cool features in here
one of the details that YEE shared with me is that this owner really really likes art
and he particularly likes art from Denmark
so you can come into the reading room enjoy a book
be surrounded by art from Denmark
and also enjoy a pleasant view of the adjacent garden
that is with this huge rectangular window next to us
easily viewable
so this is bathroom
where you have the bath
you can enjoy the peak from the garden
and what i like a lot is this rain shower
it's kind of rare in MACHIYA
and that's because the owner loves it
the cocoon room
that is where we're going to take you to next
and avoid bumping my head so
we have retained the original structure here
this is a KYO-MACHIYA that not much has been altered to make overly modern
but this room is a complete departure from that
and also where we're seeing that illusion again to the author that we mentioned
so this cocoon bedroom which features the beautiful wallpaper
also has the characteristic of curved surfaces all over the place
mimicking a cocoon
you come in here it's cozy. It feels nice
that is not traditional in any way whatsoever
that is where, while retaining the original structure of the building
the designers have come in and really tried to make it its own unique space
and one that i would feel really cozy sleeping in
much like if you had gone to a bath house in japan
in the second floor bathroom, if you sit down there are water jets which provide you with a back massage
how cool is that?
once again we find ourselves sitting in a wonderful comfy reading chair
The owner really does love to read, thus the connection with the book and so on, so you can chill here next to the cocoon bed
and enjoy a nice book while you're reading
and then over in the other direction there is some of this art from Denmark
a cool suspension and the the colors are really neat
i like the fact that it actually like changes where you two sit here
It's kind of slowly moving around
but definitely a peaceful room whether you're wrapped up in the cocoon or enjoying a book
this is the master bedroom
we have two single baths comfortably sitting here
and that's another reading chair
and you can see beautiful garden from the window
and here is what i like the most
the wall
don't make a mistake this is not sculpture
these pieces are actually from a roof
which is repurposed into the art feature
stunning property today
i will never get tired of seeing the inside of these
they're always so varied
and interesting and unique
but before we sign off
there's an interesting fact which you may not actually know about Machiya
Machiya can no longer be built again
if they're torn down they're torn down forever
therefore if you stay in one or purchase one
you actually directly contribute to retaining this beautiful Japanese culture
and it's actually something i would like to do one day
if i could purchase and renovate one that would be a dream come true
i wonder after you've watched, would you live in a MACHIYA?
or would you rent one?
why don't you let us know in the comments down below
thanks again for watching really appreciate you guys
that is going to be all for now
take care out there and we'll catch you in the next video
you