Written by Chris Kirkland
Old Asakura house (or Kyu-Asakura House) is a rare and beautifully preserved old wooden house in the centre of ultra-modern Tokyo.
Built in 1919, it was the residence of the Torajiro Asakura, the chairman of the Tokyo Prefectural Assembly, and then a member of the local Shibuya City Assembly.
The house has been designated as an Important Cultural Property by the Japanese Government due to its architecture, history and because it is a rare example of a large wooden house that survived the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923.
Most rooms of the house have floors of tatami. The Suginoma (cedar rooms) on the west side of the ground floor offer a particularly beautiful view of the garden.
Admission is free for visitors over 60 years of age and for those with disabilities.
Children: ¥50
- 216 m from Daikanyama Station Tōkyū Tōyoko Line (TY2)
- 395 m from Naka-meguro Station Hibiya Line (H1)Tōkyū Tōyoko Line (TY3)
- 0.8 km from Ebisu Station Hibiya Line (H2)Yamanote Line (JY21)
