Traditional Machiya Converted into Shops and Restaurants
Cycling through rural residential areas and past fields while traveling between temples can be one of the most enjoyable parts of a visit to Arashiyama. There is also an attractive preserved town area near the Adashino Nenbutsuji Temple. For its preservation of traditional townscape, the immediate area surrounding the Torii gate (Saga-Toriimoto) has been designated as one of the four Traditional Structure Conservation Districts with the City of Kyoto, which places it on the same level of cultural and aesthetic importance as the famous Gion and Sanneizaka. Considering the 1200-year-old history of Kyoto, this is no small recognition.
The Saga-Toriimoto Preserved Street, as you would guess from the name, is a preserved street – from the Meiji period. The modern village still retains a mixture of wooden latticed, tile roofed townhouses, and the simpler, thatched roofed farmhouses. Lined with traditional machiya (town houses), which are now converted into shops and restaurants, the street offers a historic glimpse of a merchant town in the Meiji period. A well-preserved traditional Japanese street along the way to the Adashino Nenbutsuji Temple in the style of the late 1800's. Many of the buildings are traditional machiya ("town houses") that served as private residences, but have since been converted into shops and restaurants. These are also a few other photogenic spots away from the majority of the crowds.
The Saga-Toriimoto Preserved Street, as you would guess from the name, is a preserved street – from the Meiji period. The modern village still retains a mixture of wooden latticed, tile roofed townhouses, and the simpler, thatched roofed farmhouses. Lined with traditional machiya (town houses), which are now converted into shops and restaurants, the street offers a historic glimpse of a merchant town in the Meiji period. A well-preserved traditional Japanese street along the way to the Adashino Nenbutsuji Temple in the style of the late 1800's. Many of the buildings are traditional machiya ("town houses") that served as private residences, but have since been converted into shops and restaurants. These are also a few other photogenic spots away from the majority of the crowds.
