Machiya Renovation

We found this old Machiya house in front of a small park near Kitano-Tenmangu Shrine in January 2009.  Although it was not in the best condition, we really liked both the house and the location.

In mid-March, my ex-husband started to renovate by recycling the existing materials.  Then Nishiwaki-san brought all the great Meisters to do the front section, and an NPO took care of the toilet and the shower/storage rooms.  We painted using traditional Japanese materials like Bengara, Kakishibu and Sumi with the great help of so many wonderful volunteer helpers (Thank you!).

Early in the morning of May 1st, 2009, we finished applying the last layer of floor coating material so we could open the front area of the café at 11 am.

On the 23rd of June, we finally managed to open the entire café!

Here are some photos of how it looked before and after the renovation:

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THANK YOU so much to everyone who helped us!!!

by Kayo