Kyu Asakura House (The former residence of the Asakura family) was built in 1919 (Taisho 8) by Mr. Torajiro Asakura who had held the posts of Tokyo prefectural council chairperson then Shibuya city council chairperson.

The timber for construction was chosen by Mr. Asakura himself who had experience working as a timber dealer.

From 1964 it was used as the cabinet office for the Economic Planning Agency until recently.

This one of the few Taisho-era Japanese style houses remaining in the city center, It was designated as a significant cultural property of Japan in 2004 and is a valuable building that can give an idea of the architectural style and lifestyle of that period, it is now open to the public.

The exterior of the main building

This is the attractively designed ‘Taisho Roman’ wing which is a must-see at Kyu Asakura House.

First, let’s look at the majestic exterior of the main building with the style of 100 years ago.

The structure and decoration of the rooms

While almost all rooms have tatami mats each room is unique in terms of design, so you can see the differences between them. Also you should not miss the well-designed window sills, the Fusuma-painting and Sugito-painting, and the decoration details the individual rooms.  

The corridor and stairs

You can feel 100 years of history in the corridor and stairs which creak at every step.

The view through the window

The view of the garden through the window is like a framed picture of nature.

When you sit on the tatami mat near the window, you can forget time.

The scene through the window changes depending on the time of day, the weather and the season.

The garden

The house has a circuit style garden with many stone lanterns and ornamental stones.

You can see thickly growing plants, roots of trees that twist around the ground and moss growing everywhere on your walk around the garden.

Recommended season

It is amazing all year around, but is especially beautiful in May when azaleas are in bloom and November when you can see the changing autumn leaves.  

Facilities and spots around the house

It is located in Daikanyama which is perfect for shopping as there are many fashionable cafes, restaurant and shops, including the ‘Daikanyama TSUTAYA book store’ and ‘Hillside Terrace’. ‘Saigouyama Park’ is about 10 minutes walk from the house, which is a famous Tokyo spot for cherry blossom viewing.