Machiya Monogatari-kan (Former Kawamoto House)
Walk through a preserved three-storey town building whose changing uses expose a less familiar part of castle-town history.
Verified site photographs are being prepared.Discover Machiya Monogatari-kan (Former Kawamoto House)
The Former Kawamoto House is not a generic old merchant's home. Its storehouse and shed date to 1922, the main three-storey timber building and reception wing to 1924. The city records its original use as a pleasure-quarter establishment until 1958 and later use as rented lodging. After restoration, the registered cultural property opened to the public as Machiya Monogatari-kan in 2018. The preserved rooms, carved transoms and small sukiya-style spaces make the building's layered, sometimes uncomfortable social history visible rather than turning it into a romanticised period set.
Read the building's real sequence of uses
The city lists the main building, reception wing, and a storehouse-and-shed group as registered structures. It dates the two service buildings to 1922 and the main rooms to 1924. The unusual three-storey timber form was associated with the former pleasure quarter; after that business closed in 1958, rooms served as boarding accommodation. The structures were registered as Tangible Cultural Properties in 2014 and opened for public viewing in 2018. Do not call the site an Edo-period home or erase its former use.
Look for detail in the rooms and courtyard
The city's description draws attention to decorative transoms and small rooms built with refined sukiya techniques. A walk through the interior shows how formal reception rooms, circulation and a courtyard fit within a town plot. Which upper rooms are open can depend on management and events, so follow the marked visitor route; no claim is made that every registered part is always accessible.
Separate free entry from the small café
The house itself is free to enter. The city lists a separate in-house café, Katarai, as a rest space offering coffee and soft drinks from 10:00–16:00, with last orders at 15:45. Its July 2026 page lists drinks at ¥150. This is a simple beverage stop, not a guaranteed full-service restaurant or meal menu. Confirm café operation and the current menu if it matters to the visit.
Use the 2026 closure calendar
Ordinary house hours are 9:00–17:00, with final entry at 16:30. The city gives Monday closure, holiday substitutions, days after holidays and year-end closure, but warns that February and March can vary. It publishes a separate fiscal-year calendar. Check that calendar for the actual date rather than assuming the same weekly pattern during festivals or the annual doll display.
Approach through the south-eastern town centre
The building stands at 10 Tosenjicho, roughly eight minutes on foot from either Kintetsu Koriyama or JR Koriyama in the city's guide. The prefectural travel listing says there is no dedicated parking. This is close enough to connect with Konya and the traditional shopping streets, but the lanes are narrow; use the official address for navigation and check the actual pedestrian route.
What to look for
1920s three-storey timber building with layered social history
Decorative rooms and registered historic structures
Free admission with a separately priced small café
Photo notes
The municipality's interior and exterior photographs are not licensed for MyNara reuse. No blanket filming permission was found. Ask the house about personal indoor photography, tripods and separately about editorial publication; avoid other visitors and any event displays with separate rights.
Make 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.