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A three-storey Kyoto machiya for sale in Higuchichō
A three-storey wooden machiya in Higuchichō, Shimogyō-ku, is for sale at ¥105 million: 287.36㎡ of floor area on 159.47㎡ of land in a commercial zone. The planning numbers, two points to check before you sign, and getting around from Gojō Station.
By Icy, Founder & CEO of The081
Licensed Real Estate Broker (License No. 15131) | Registered Accommodation Manager (MLIT No. F03122) | Operating in Kyoto since 2019
In short
The machiya is in Higuchichō, Shimogyō-ku, Kyoto, south of Aburanokōji and Matsubara, and is for sale at ¥105,000,000.
It is a three-storey wooden house with a tiled roof, built as a home with a shop: 287.36㎡ of floor area on 159.47㎡ of freehold land (registered area, about 48.23 tsubo).
No construction date is recorded; the sales sheet says it was built before Meiji 20 (1887).
The land is in a commercial zone with an 80% building coverage ratio and a 400% floor area ratio, limited to 312% by the width of the road.
The building exceeds the coverage ratio, part of the third floor is an unregistered extension, and the house is sold as is.
Gojō Station on the Karasuma subway line is a 9-minute walk; Kyoto Station is one stop and 2 minutes from there.
The house in Higuchichō opens onto a public road on its west side, about 5.2 m wide, with about 4.7 m of frontage. Inside the three wooden storeys there is a courtyard, and there is parking for one car.
It is for sale through moogo, The081's property brokerage, at ¥105,000,000. Below: the house itself, the planning numbers, two points to check before you sign, and getting around.
Three storeys, 287㎡, before 1887
Higuchichō is in Shimogyō-ku, just south of where Aburanokōji-dōri crosses Matsubara-dōri. The house is wooden with a tiled roof, three storeys, built as a home with a shop. It has 287.36㎡ of floor area on 159.47㎡ of land (registered area, about 48.23 tsubo); the land is freehold, registered as residential and flat.
No construction date is on record. The sales sheet says "before Meiji 20", which means before 1887.
Water, sewer, city gas and electricity are connected. The water pipe and meter are 25 mm, the sewer connection 150 mm and the gas line 25 mm. The floor plan follows the house as it stands, and the handover date is negotiable.
The planning numbers
The land is in a commercial zone, inside the urbanisation area, with an 80% building coverage ratio and a 400% floor area ratio. Where the front road is under 12 m wide, the Building Standards Act also caps the floor area ratio in a commercial zone at the road width times 0.6. 5.2 times 0.6 is 3.12, so the ratio that applies here is 312%.
The site is in Height Control District 4 and a quasi-fire prevention district, and Kyoto's machiya preservation ordinance applies. Before demolition or major alteration, check with the city what the ordinance requires.
There is no private-road burden and no setback. Many Kyoto machiya stand on narrow lanes, and road access is often the first condition to fail. The rest of the list is in buying a Kyoto machiya for a B&B: what to check before you sign.
Two points to check before you sign
The building exceeds the 80% coverage ratio. Part of the third floor is an extension that was never registered. Both are noted on the sales sheet, and the house is sold as is.
Either point can affect a bank's lending review, and later any rebuilding or change of use. If you plan to buy with a loan, show the sales sheet to your bank first.
At 287.36㎡ the house is over 200㎡. Under the Building Standards Act, converting a building over 200㎡ to a use such as an inn requires a building confirmation for the change of use, and the coverage excess and the unregistered extension would be reviewed at that step. Whether the house can take guests should be confirmed with the city, drawings in hand, before you sign; that is the work of The081's licensing and compliance support.
Getting around from Gojō Station
Gojō Station on the Karasuma subway line is a 9-minute walk. From Gojō, Kyoto Station is one stop and 2 minutes away for ¥220 by IC card; Karasuma Oike is two stops north, about 4 minutes, also ¥220 (checked November 2026).
Karasuma Station on the Hankyū Kyoto line is a 14-minute walk. The limited express from Karasuma reaches Ōsaka-umeda in 41 minutes for ¥410 by IC card.
By road, Nishi Hongan-ji is about 1.2 km away and Kyoto Station about 2.1 km. Listed on moogo the same day was a two-storey machiya in Nishinokyō Funazukachō, Nakagyō-ku: 92㎡ for ¥55 million. Photographs and the floor plan are on the Higuchichō machiya listing.
Questions
Are there machiya for sale in Shimogyō-ku, Kyoto? This three-storey wooden machiya in Higuchichō is for sale at ¥105,000,000, with 287.36㎡ of floor area on 159.47㎡ of land.
When was the house built? The date is not recorded; the sales sheet says before Meiji 20 (1887).
Are there non-conforming or unregistered parts? The building exceeds its coverage ratio and part of the third floor is an unregistered extension. It is sold as is.
How far is the nearest station? Gojō Station on the Karasuma subway line is a 9-minute walk; Hankyū Karasuma Station is 14 minutes.
Is there parking? One space.
The Higuchichō machiya is for sale on moogo, with the handover date open to negotiation.