Hidden Garden Townhouse Near Nijo Castle (Under Offer)

In the Edo period, this neighborhood is said to have gotten its name because rice merchants and wholesalers who traded in rice gathered here, living close together, side by side. Nearby stood the Kyoto Imperial Palace as well as the residences of court nobles and samurai, making this an area where demand for rice as a staple food was especially high. Just unraveling a little of how the place name came to be is enough to bring to mind the bustle of the town and the daily lives of the people who once lived here—it's a strangely fascinating thing to imagine.

As time passed and modernization advanced, Horikawa-dori to the west was greatly widened, becoming a key traffic artery, while Karasuma-dori to the east gained a subway line, transforming it into a main street that now supports Kyoto's economy. And yet, the moment you step into this town nestled between these two major avenues, a surprising stillness opens up around you. It's a location with a rare quality all its own—urban convenience within easy reach, paired with a kind of sheltered calm.

The building stands quietly tucked away down a narrow lane, in an area where the traditional layout of Kyoto's streets still remains.

Gently open the door and step inside, and you'll find a small luxury unique to this house that's sure to lift your spirits: two gardens, a front one and a back one, set up so as to embrace the building between them.

Even as a single-story home, the space would already be comfortably compact—but with these two gardens, an indescribable sense of depth and openness emerges. And best of all, this house actually has a second floor.

Picture, for instance, the first floor as an open LDK space and bathing area through which a pleasant breeze flows, and the second floor as a bright bedroom gently lit by the morning sun. Divide the space this way, and a single day spent in this house begins to unfold vividly, like a beautiful short story. Waking on the second floor in the morning, coming downstairs, brewing your favorite cup of coffee while gazing out at the garden—such quiet, unremarkable moments of daily life come into sharp, lovely focus here.

The pleasures of a stroll are endless here too. The World Heritage site of Nijo Castle is just a stone's throw away. Take a leisurely walk around the old main building of the former Kyoto Prefectural Government Office, with its classical beauty, then pause for a cup of coffee at the historic "Maeda Coffee." Being able to live out this kind of quintessentially Kyoto experience as part of everyday life is, I think, the true charm of this location and building.

This is the perfect property for a second home or special retreat where you can step away from the noise and cherish time that belongs entirely to you. Every time you open the door at the end of that narrow lane, I hope you'll feel this town—and this way of living—becoming more and more your own, in the most wonderful way.