Kyōto Zen House
Shiokōji House (long-term rental)
The Shiokōji House is named after the Shiokōji street that passes in front of Kyoto Station and Kyoto Tower. Shiokōji 塩小路 means "salted small alley", salt being a symbol of purification for shintō rituals, and also a trade currency from the modern times. The house was initially built before WWII, as a one floor house, and was extended with a second floor later on.
The Shiokōji House is centrally located, 10 minutes walk from Kyoto Tower, Kyoto JR station and subway, 5 minutes from Shichijo Keihan station. The house is located on the East bank of the river Kamogawa, well connected to transportation networks. It is rather close to the railway and we worked on the idea of a house for train lovers; the ground floor is very quiet, the second floor has more openings and light and you can see trains, and even hear them when it is all quiet around (they stop running after midnight). The house is inside a local community, hidden in a post-industrial alley (roji 路地).
The Shiokōji House is ideal for a couple, a small group, a family of 4-5 people, with a tatami bedroom on the ground floor, and another bedroom of the second floor, with tatami and a double bed. On the ground floor, the kitchen is open to the living room, and the bathroom is lit by translucent light. Originally a row-house (nagaya 長屋), the former owner had built a second floor. It has been fully restored with a heated concrete floor, new double sash windows and a good insulation. The staircase has also been redesigned for more comfort. It is very comfortable during cold winters and hot summers.
Please contact us by email if you have any questions about this house.
View of the living room, concrete floor with heating system, kitchen and bathroom at the back.
The kitchen (left) and the bathroom (right).
The bathroom has a varnished concrete finishing, a heated floor, and a comfortable shower.
The ground floor bedroom is on tatami, it opens to the living room with tall sliding doors.
In the bedroom, behind a glass we kept the original earthen wall (tsuchi kabe 土壁).
In the bedroom, the original earthen wall (tsuchi kabe).
Details of the newspaper that was used originally to dry the earthen wall, this is from the 1940s.
The staircase has been redesigned for more comfort.
The stairs leading to the second floor.
The second floor bedroom.
In the second floor bedroom there is a double bed and tatami.
In the second floor bedroom there is also a toilet cabinet with a sink.
View from the second floor, over the roofs, from where you can see the trains.
The facade of the house is totally recovered by black wood.
The house is in a local alley, in a post-industrial neighborhood, near the city-center.
