WUZ KAMOGAWA / River View / 10 mins from Kyoto St.

With this quintessential double story historical townhouse that looks out to the Kamo River, the renovation is kept minimal in order to best preserve its authenticity, especially the courtyard where light enters. The wooden structure, partial wall, entryway, and the garden stones are some of the original elements that are conserved while the roofing tiles, wooden windows, and paper doors have since been replaced. The translucence is throughout the house we see and experience now. The space WUZ HOUSE SITS QUIETLY, FACING THE KAMO RIVER STREAM AND A COLONNADE OF TREES, AS IF PULLED FROM A SCENE IN YASUJIRO OZU’S LATE SPRING. Though mere steps away from the grand Minamiza theatre, and a short hop over the river to Gion and Yatsuyanagi district, being in Wuz feels removed from all the bustling sights. When everything quiets down, one will feel transported back to the old days when geishas are hurrying through alleyways, leaving just a whiff of powder and their glamorous silhouettes. Entering Wuz from the Kamo River side, the original entrance can still be found on the left- an antique wooden door embellished with stained glass. On the right, the paper doors reveal the maple tree in the courtyard, as well as the light from the skylight that fills the corridor. Around the garden are the living room and a contemporary kitchen. The bedroom in the back of the ground floor is of Western-style, designed with accessibility in mind; upstairs, there are two rooms in traditional Japanese tatami style. Ascending the stairs, the generous ceiling height gives plenty of natural light, while the blinds reserve a sense of privacy. The bathroom hosts a custom-built, polished hinoki bathtub, in contrast to the adjacent wall preserved from the past. The tub is accompanied by modern dry landscape design stone work, while the other side peeks just above the swinging crown of the maple tree in the garden below. In the Japanese-style bedroom that looks out to the Kamo River, a set of panoramic sliding doors is in place of the typical television set. Come springtime or fall, the sakura and maple foliage are as lively as the powdery snowfalls seen in Kon Ichikawa’s portrayal of The Makioka Sisters. Guest access ALL Registration Details Hotels and Inns Business Act | 京都市指令保医セ | 第３３９号