Machiya deep plan.

A narrow frontage. A long sequence of rooms.

DioramaIllustratedClayLinework

Preparing your Kyoto machiya…

PerspectiveIsometricPlanElevation

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Drag to orbit · Scroll to zoomDrag to orbit · Pinch to zoom5.4 × 24.0 m · 4.4:1 depth to width

MAKE IT YOURS

Explore the long house

The narrow plot

Plot frontagemm

Plot depthmm

Tōri-niwa widthmm

The tōri-niwa is a continuous earthen passage beside raised rooms. It connects street, cooking area and rear garden.

Light within the depth

Courtyard depthmm

Rear garden depthmm

Sliding screens open%

Show roofSeparate roof volumes leave the gardens open to the sky

Cut away side wallsLower walls expose the room sequence when the roof is hidden

Garden plantingSmall trees, moss, stones and a water basin

Timber finish

Dark timberCedarWeathered

Furnish the roomsLow tables, cushions and a passage-side cooking hearth

Read the pattern

Bring light into the middle. Break the depth with an open courtyard, then let the reception room face a rear garden. Sliding partitions connect or separate the rooms.

Mise · shop5.2 m deep
Daidoko · living5.9 m deep
Tsuboniwa · courtyard2.4 m deep
Zashiki · reception6.8 m deep
Rear garden3.6 m deep

The front shop is nearest the street; the reception room sits deeper in the house. This simplified arrangement illustrates one possible machiya sequence, with room proportions that adapt to your plot.

Kyoto machiya renovation guide ↗

Explore the shopping street

Pattern 17 · Kyoto machiya

Concept study. Dimensions are indicative, not construction drawings.

Explore related patterns

Machiya shopping streetSee how the narrow home contributes to its street.
Japanese engawaLook more closely at the edge between room and garden.
Riad courtyardCompare small courtyard gardens with a central riad.

View all patterns