The largest, and probably the richest machiya in Kyoto

Machiya are traditional Japanese wooden townhouses, usually built with a narrow facade (5 or 6 meters) but with a deep body (about 20 meters). The reason for this elongated shape was the cost of the land, proportional to the plot's frontage, so the width of the facade was an indicator of the owner's wealth.

But Sumiya, the largest machiya in Kyoto, covers an impressive surface area of 50 by 50 meters: located in Shimabara, the Kyoto's "courtesan district" (which was during the Edo Period one of the richest areas in Japan), Sumiya was an ageya, a luxury restaurant specialized in sophisticated parties...