Former Kometani Residence
Walk into the former Komechu shop through a broad earthen-floor passage, then trace how later rooms and a storehouse changed the house.
Verified site photographs are being prepared.Discover Former Kometani Residence
The former Kometani Residence makes the business life of Imaicho visible in the layout of a merchant home. The Kometani family traded as Komechu; Kashihara City's register dates the Important Cultural Property to the mid-eighteenth century, while the city's building page marks the construction date with a question, so an exact year is not established. At the entrance, the long earthen-floor passage leads through the working side of the house. A small shop corner, smoke-return feature and unusually compact five-room plan show how trade and family life shared a narrow urban site. The rear storehouse gained a tea-room-style reception space, and the house was expanded in the nineteenth century as the business prospered. Today Kashihara City manages the property and lists ordinary visits as free, without advance booking, during split daytime hours; it closes at midday and over New Year.
Read the façade as a working merchant house
The residence faces the north side of Nakamachi Street, with a low eave, tiled gable roof and a long-side entrance. Kashihara City describes it as a modest, flat-fronted machiya rather than a tall showpiece. Visit Nara says the Kometani family ran Komechu, dealing in fertilizer and metal goods; the municipal building account identifies it as a hardware shop. As you approach, notice how the doorway takes you straight into the service passage rather than a formal front hall.
Follow the earth-floor passage
The city plan places the through-going earthen floor along the east side and a small shop corner at its edge. A smoke-return board above the kitchen area helped direct smoke away from the rooms. The raised living area is divided into five rooms, an unusual plan for this type of house. The arrangement puts work, cooking and domestic life within one narrow footprint; look for the threshold between the dirt passage and raised floor, but follow staff guidance before stepping into rooms.
Look for the additions that mark changing fortunes
The city's history associates prosperity with the fifth generation of the Kometani business. It records a reception-room addition at the north-west side and the addition of an inner storehouse and storehouse-front sitting room in 1849 (Kaei 2). The storehouse stands in the rear garden; Visit Nara describes it as a place where retired elders spent time drinking tea and managing stored valuables. The storehouse-front reception space is tea-room influenced. These layers explain later household use and should not be read as the construction date of the whole house.
Plan around the public opening
Kashihara City's March 2026 visitor table lists free admission without an ordinary reservation, 9:00–12:00 and 13:00–17:00, with closure from 25 December through 5 January. The city warns that these details can change and asks visitors to check before travel. The tourism association estimates ten minutes on foot from Kintetsu Yagi-Nishiguchi or fifteen from JR Unebi. There is no parking at the house; use Imaicho Machinami Hiroba and keep the narrow residential lanes clear.
Separate visitor photography from commercial filming
Kashihara City's dedicated permit guide says commercial publication of images of the house or its exhibits, including online and company websites, requires permission. Indoor shoots are limited to weekdays, 9:00–11:30 and 13:00–16:30, excluding the year-end closure; the application and project outline are due at least seven business days beforehand. The guide prohibits tripods, flash and sitting-room photography, and visitors may not be excluded during filming. Ordinary entry does not grant MyNara a publication licence. Do not reuse municipal or tourism-association images without permission.
What to look for
Important Cultural Property with a mid-eighteenth-century date in the city register
Wide earthen passage, shop corner and five-room domestic plan
Rear storehouse and reception additions recorded in the nineteenth century
Photo notes
Kashihara City's specific permit guide says commercial publication of photographs of the building or exhibits (including websites) requires city permission. Indoor shooting is by advance application, limited to weekdays 9:00–11:30 and 13:00–16:30, and the application package is due at least seven business days beforehand. Tripods, flash and photographing from inside the raised sitting rooms are prohibited; visitors cannot be excluded. Do not reuse city or tourism-association photographs without permission. Personal snapshot rules were not confirmed separately.
SEASONAL CALENDAR
Events connected with Former Kometani Residence
These records are shared with MyNara’s event calendar, so dates and notices have one source. Recurring patterns are not confirmed dated editions; check the organizer’s latest guidance.
Imaicho Townscape Walk
Kashihara City describes this town-wide May festival as a chance to experience Imaicho's history and culture in its nationally designated historic district. The programme can include a period-costume tea procession, a recreated Rokusai market, tea service, street art, performances and openings at selected historic houses. The Agency for Cultural Affairs' profile of the district reports more than 10,000 visitors annually. The usual window is the second Saturday through the third Sunday in May, with the main events on the third Sunday; check the current city or preservation-society notice for the next dates, open buildings, fees and traffic arrangements. The district is the venue; nearby shops and residences are not automatically participating venues.
Check organizer informationMake a day of it
Explore guides close to this map point, then check the actual route before travelling. Distances below are straight lines, not walking distances or travel times; map points may not be entrances.
Sources & editorial status
Original MyNara draft based on the linked sources. Sources reviewed 20 October 2026. Opening arrangements, prices and offers may change; use the operator's current information before travelling.
- Official Nara Travel Guide
- Kashihara City — house structure, merchant history and 1849 additions
- Kashihara City — Important Cultural Property register and designation date
- Kashihara City — March 2026 visit table
- Kashihara Tourism Association — access, address and visitor hours
- Official Nara Travel Guide — A00993, merchant goods and occasional English guide
- Kashihara City — commercial photography permission and conditions