Buildings

Machiya: A Traditional Japanese House at Work

in Buildings, Homes
The historical city of Kyoto might be the location that is most associated with Machiya, which is a style of traditional Japanese house. The traditional wooden townhouses that Japan is known for are one of the two categories of minka folk dwellings. The other design is called no-ka, and this category constitutes a certain type of farm dwelling.

The first Machiya reportedly grew out of architecture in the Heian period, but they continued to see developments through the Edo period. There were even developments in Machiya craft during the Meiji era. Regular cho-nin, or townspeople, lived in these homes and made up a class of craftsmen and merchants. The word itself is written with the kanji for town (machi). The kanji used for ya can mean either shop or house, and this bit of a spelling lesson is an easy way to illustrate just how integral these buildings were to Japanese villages.

Dogo Onsen, ca. 1894, Showcasing Traditional Japanese Architecture

Many traditional structures in Kyoto were designed to stand up as a long wooden house with a narrow frontage. This could stretch into the city block for quite a was, and might have a courtyard garden or something similar. They could be up to three stories high, and usually featured walls made of earth and tile roofs. While most people might think of residential and commercial space as something different, many of the inhabitants these homes actually used the space in the front of their buildings as a place of business. There were often folding shutters that helped to display whatever goods their owners were selling.

The remainder of the structure would be divided into a kyoshitsubu, which was a living space. The kyoshitsubu might have several rooms that have raised timber floors along with tatami mats. The doma, also called a toriniwa, was a less glamorous room that had no floor. It usually worked as a service space that featured a kitchen. The hibukuro made up the chimney to carry away smoke from cooking. Interestingly enough, a hibukuro in a traditional Japanese home can also be used like a skylight.

Since many of these traditional Japanese homes stood on a plot that was narrow but very long, people called them unagi no nedoko. That translates to eel bed. Interestingly enough, the use of these plots was actually quite efficient, and even the courtyards and gardens could help with air circulation. They also served to bring natural lighting into the homes.

Washitsu Japanese Style Rooms: Relax on the Tatami Mats

in Buildings, Homes
Washitsu rooms are places where Japanese traditional architecture still survives in today's modern world. The name itself is an antonym for the phrase yoshitsu, which refers to a western style room. Washitsu can also be referred to as nihonma, and astute students of the Japanese language might notice that 'Nihon', which can be read as Japan, is present in the word. The word yoma is sometimes used in place for yoshitsu.
One of the things that make a washitsu a Japanese style room is the presence of tatami mat flooring. Tatami mats are a real staple of traditional Japanese architecture, and they're associated with Japanese architecture in general. They might also have fusuma, or sliding doors, instead of the usual hinged doors seen in some types of other rooms. If the room in question is designed to receive guests, it might have a tokonoma alcove intended to hold decorative items.

Traditional Manner of Making Tatami Mats, ca. 19th Century

Technically, most Japanese rooms in the past could be considered washitsu and people slept on futons laid out over the tatami mats. They often sat directly down on the tatami mats, or on specially designed zabuton furniture. However, most Japanese homes today really only have one of these rooms, and quite a few new apartments don't have them at all. Instead of tatami mats, these new apartments have hardwood or vinyl flooring. This gives them a much different feel than one that uses classical floor coverings.

Japanese style houses and rooms are measured in the number of tatami mats used to cover the floor. There are generally six to eight of these mats in a private residence, though there are also half sizes used in some situations. When speaking in Japanese, the counting word jo is used by to define how many mats there are in a room.

There might be a low table in these rooms to eat dinner at or invite guests for a meal. The kotatsu is a particularly important type of table in these rooms. This low table might have a blanket and a heating element, though in the past kotatsu tables might have had live fires in them. These tables are really quite important, because many Japanese homes do not have central heating, despite the fact that the winter can be very cold in many parts of Japan. Sitting at a kotatsu table is a comfortable way to keep out the cold when spending time in a traditional Japanese room.

Traditional Japanese Household Arrangements: a Unique Style of Architecture

in Buildings, Homes
The term Minka might be read as house of the people, and this makes sense from a historical context in Japanese society. The non-samurai classes of merchants, artisans and farmers were put up in these traditional Japanese houses. Since these sorts of class distinctions no longer exist, the term Minka can generally refer to any traditional Japanese home that has a bit of history behind it.

No-ka are technically farm houses. That being said, fishing has always been an important industry in Japan, and Gyoka homes are a variant of No-ka that were built for fishermen. As man farmers could not afford to import expensive materials, no-ka are often made from wood and clay. Grass, straw and bamboo are also common materials. Internal walls were generally made up sliding wooden doors or fusuma screens. Tatami mats covered the floors, and the roofs were made out of either thatch or baked clay tiles. Stone wasn't usually used for the construction, but it was used to strengthen foundations.

Traditional Japanese architecture is built around the use of wooden columns, and therefore the internal structure is usually not a load bearing design. This is why the interiors of these homes cold be made up of entryways, windows, paper screens and walls that were not fixed in place. There was another interior fixture that fans of Japanese architecture will surely be familiar with, at least in passing.

Gokayama Minka Houses

The irori was a built-in hearth that would be placed somewhere within the raised floor. However, irori hearths don't actually have a chimney in the way that most fireplaces usually do. Instead, a small smoke vent up in the roof helped to funnel out heat and smoke, so that the inhabitants didn't have to breath it in. Unfortunately, using this system can cause the thatch to start to go black. Thatch often needed to be replaced because of it. Since oil lamps could be expensive in the days before electric lighting, the hearth was often the sole artificial light source in these homes.

Interestingly, sharing a meal in a traditional Japanese household was a strictly stratified process. The family gathered around the hearth like they would anywhere, but they did so in a particular order. The head of the family sat on one side, and another side was reserved for the lady of the household and female members of the family. The third side was reserved for male members of the household and their guests. The remaining fourth side was used to store firewood.

Matsumae and Masaki: The Battle of the Kanji

in Buildings, Language, Travel
While using various kanji spellings can sometimes help travelers in Japan differentiate the numerous words that share identical romanized names, it won't do anyone a lot of good with Masaki. Fortunately, though, the romanji is different in this case. Masaki is in Ehime Prefecture, but the town of Matsumae is in Hokkaido. Travelers certainly wouldn't want to end up in the wrong prefecture because of a miswritten name!

Of course, Matsumae can be a dynamic place to visit in its own right. However, Masaki boasts a dynamic point of interest that many vacationers should certainly enjoy. The Kubota Palm Garden is not something that should be at all missed. While Japan might have a number of famous botanical gardens, this one is unique because of the heavy focus on Arecaceae. Naturally, as the name suggests, this means that palm trees are a heavy focus. Even if this doesn't sound interesting, one should give it a try because the enthusiasm of those that work in the facility could easily change that.

Of course, despite the similar kanji, one shouldn't suggest that Masaki is in competition with Matsumae. However, if they were fighting, the Hokkaido location would have some of its own ammunition. The town shares its name with the Matsumae clan, who was given the area around the town in 1590. Toyotomi Hideyoshi granted the fiefdom, and the modern order came around much later during the Meiji Era. This has left the town with a great deal of history for visitors to explore. Considering that this history includes warlords and foreign expeditions, there is practically nothing about it that could be thought of as boring.

 

Unsurprisingly, it would be very difficult to say as to which town would make a better vacation. Therefore, the only real way to judge is to see both of them in person.

Gusuku: Spend Some Time Touring Castles in Okinawa

in Buildings, Outdoors
The majestic Shuri Castle stands in Naha, Okinawa. Though it was wrecked during the Battle of Okinawa in 1945, the historical site was laboriously reconstructed in 1992. Developing plans that would be authentic and faithful to the original structure took a massive amount of information. Individual memories were studied just as much as photographs and records to build it once again. Nevertheless, the new Shuri Castle site welcomes visitors to this unique part of Japan. The area around the castle has been named Shuri Castle Park, and it was welcomed to the UNESCO World Heritage Site list in 2000. No travel package to Okinawa should pass up this attraction.

There was a period of almost five centuries when this site was the very heart of the historical Ryukyuan Kingdom. In 1879, when Okinawa became part of the burgeoning Japanese state, the castle passed into Japanese hands. Having been the center of political and cultural life in the previous period, it has a remarkable architectural flavor. Okinawan strongholds have a distinctive look that is quite remarkable, and referred to as gusuku. For those who enjoy their time at Shuri, an excursion can be planned to a number of other similar sites. Castle touring can be an excellent way to explore the cultural experience of an area in Japan that is very different form the rest of the nation.
Even if one doesn't have enough time to spend a full day at the Shuri site, they can at least pause and reflect for a few moments at the Sonohyan-utaki Ishimon if they are in the Naha-shi area. Though it may not be as majestic as the former, it shares UNESCO recognition with Shuri and marks the point of an important grove. This utaki area is sacred, and comprises the trees and plants that are within the area.

A Few Things in Kyoto that some Vacation Planners Might Miss

November 23, 2011

There are those that have the idea that Kyoto’s position as a cultural center has made it a stuffy and dull place. For some people, history will always be boring. However, it really doesn’t need to be. For those that enjoy history, a visit to any of the 17 titled Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto [...]

Read the full article →

The Many Amazing Landmark Buildings of Japan

August 19, 2008

As all visitors and residents of Japan will tell you, it is almost impossible to narrow down the landmarks to those you must see in a short period of time. But if you divide your activities into regions, themes, or historical periods, you will have a better shot at covering all of the basis. One [...]

Read the full article →