Daimaru Villa Kyoto Karasuma Dori
- Published on : 14/02/2017
- by : Japan Experience
- Youtube
Daimaru Villa Kyoto 大丸ヴィラ
The Daimaru Villa on Karasuma Dori in Kyoto is adjacent to Marutamachi subway station and just south of Sugawarain Tenmangu Shrine opposite the south west corner of Kyoto Imperial Palace (Gosho).
Exterior of the buildingHistory
The ferro-concrete, Western-style, 3-story, Tudor-style mansion was built in 1932 for the 11th chairman of the Daimaru department store group, Shimamura Shotaro, by the American architect William Merrell Vories (1880-1964).
Vories first came to Japan as an English teacher and Christian missionary and settled in Omihachiman in Shiga Prefecture. He became a naturalized Japanese citizen in 1941 with the name Hitotsuyanagi Mereru. Though he had little formal training as an architect, Vories left a legacy of elegant homes and buildings in Kyoto and its surroundings including the original Kyoto YMCA building of 1908.
Exterior of the villaThe building is closed to the public but is still used for Daimaru group functions. It can be glimpsed over the wall.
Access - Getting There
Daimaru Villa Karasuma Dori Marutamachi agaru nishigawa Kamigyo-ku, Kyoto 602-8025 The building is next door to Marutamachi Station on the north - south Karasuma Line of the Kyoto subway. Also nearby in this area of Kyoto are Sugawarain Tenmangu Shrine, Go’o Shrine and St. Agnes Church.
Hotels Nearby
The Kyoto Heian Hotel, Kyoto Garden Palace Hotel and The Palace Side Hotel are all excellent places to stay in Kyoto to the north on Karasuma Dori. Just round the corner on Marutamachi is the new Bird Hostel for budget travelers and back-packers in Kyoto.
Nameplate 大丸ヴィラDaimaru Villa Kyoto on Karasuma Dori in Kyoto is adjacent to Marutamachi subway station and just south of Sugawarain Tenmangu Shrine.
