Staying in a 100 year old Japanese house

During my time in Japan, I stayed at two hostels, which were over 100 years old. And I have to say this was one of my highlights.

These traditional house are called machiya. Which are wooden townhouses made with the same techniques as with shrines and temples. I stayed at the Haruya Umekouji in Kyoto, Japan and Haruya Naramachi in Nara, Japan. When I booked these places I had no idea that they are actually one company with a total of three properties. When I arrived at each haruya I was greeted with a welcome tea and a couple little hard candies.

I thought this was really special, and I really can’t tell you how welcoming the staff were at each location. They were super helpful, recommending the top places to see and places to eat, both traditional, local Japanese food and western food at reasonable prices! I decided to give a local Japanese breakfast a try, and for $5 I got a bowl of rice, two chicken balls (chicken meatballs) some pickled veggies miso soup and lastly a raw egg. Typically you wisk up your egg with a little soy sauce and pour it raw over your rice. I wasn’t brave enough to try it.

Ok back to Haruya, these traditional houses are characterized by the tatami mat flooring (traditionally made with rice straw) and sliding doors. The Haruya in Kyoto had a common room area, with this tatami mat, a little table with a heated blanket, which was super nice, since the temperature in early April was around 55 degrees Fahrenheit.

The other Haruya I stayed at, I believe is their “flagship” property. It was larger with a larger little outdoor garden, and the top level had a these large windows and little balcony overlooking the neighborhood.

Overall I can’t tell you enough to consider staying here if you find yourself in Japan. They have dorm/capsule style rooms as well as private rooms. It is one of my favorite places I stayed here, and it transported back to an early maybe simple life in Japan.