The Search is Over
空き家
There’s an abandoned house right next to my new office, how did I miss this… it’s a good question, sometimes the thing that you’re looking for is right under your nose and in this case right in front of my nose, like literally.
This house is located on the old shōtengai (商店街; shopping street, arcade). There’s about four other abandoned house in the vicinity. This was the only one that was situated on the west side of the street which also faces the rive on the other end which sits on a cliff about 30 meters tall.
The property comes with two different dwelling units with a indoor/outdoor intermediate space in between.
The Storefront that face out to the main street used to be a local grocers that also sold seafood. Above that was a modern style Japanese resident. The dwelling behind the storefront was a larger residence.
In my previous post I mentioned that we were wary of getting a house that needed too much work. Well this house needed fit that and more. Roof damage, structural damage, the amount of trash left in the house and so on. Not to mention three full size industrial fridge. Have I bitten off more that I can chew, most likely. But the thing worth fighting for are the more rewarding. This house captured everything that I wanted, my architectural imagination went wild as I walk through the house.
These picture are from the living quarters above the storefront, this was a blessing after walking through the rest of the house. It have three Japanese style room with tatimi mats and sliding doors. This space didn’t have any visual damage but you can tell that time has took a toll on the material and the texture. Leaving them dusty and fragile. Even though things weren’t badly damage everything had to be replaced.
