Walking through Gion-Shinbashi, the tune of time echoes on the cobblestone streets
Walking through Gion-Shinbashi - The tune of time echoing on the cobblestone streets
It's a quiet afternoon in Higashiyama, Kyoto. Listening to the murmuring of the Shirakawa River, I gently step on the cobblestones of Gion-Shinbashi. This is the Gion-Shinbashi Traditional Buildings Preservation District, designated in 1976. A row of townhouses built between the end of the Edo period and the early Meiji period, this area retains the charm of Kyoto.
Memories of Chayamachi - Behind Whom Wears the Benigara Koshiki
The townhouses in this area are two-story buildings with gabled roofs and shingled roofs. The first floor has a red lattice pattern, and the second floor has a tatami room with bamboo blinds hanging from the veranda - a typical example of the "two-story townhouse teahouse style."
Standing at the foot of Tatsumi Bridge at dusk, the lights reflected on the Shirakawa River continue to flicker, and it is as if you can hear the sounds of maiko walking through the ages. Putting your hands together at Tatsumi Daimyojin Shrine, you quietly enter an alleyway where you will come across a narrow path known as a "kiridoshi" - a world of tranquil beauty woven together by cobblestone streets and townhouses.
Preservation and the Future: Protecting Culture
Currently, approximately 70% of the buildings within the preservation district are considered traditional buildings, and their appearance and landscape are protected through repairs and landscaping.
Preservation does not simply mean preserving old things, but also passing on to future generations the memories of the culture and lifestyle that live there.