Belmond Charleston Place Hotel Offers Hands-on Master Craft Program to Learn Building Arts

Belmond Charleston Place Hotel is offering a  rare opportunity to experience the traditional building arts that make this city so special. The exclusive “Charleston Building Arts Package” includes a two night’s stay at Belmond Charleston Place with breakfast for two, a hands-on plaster lesson at American College of the Building Arts (ACBA) and admission for two to the Nathaniel-Russell House to see examples of plaster work and other building arts at their finest.

Guests will begin by touring the college, the only liberal arts college in the U.S. teaching traditional building arts. Participants will learn about each of the trades taught –plasterwork, masonry, stone carving, timber framing, ironworking and carpentry ­– and background on the college. Then, guests will join students for a rare opportunity to create plasterwork as it has been done for hundreds of years. World-renowned instructors will lead guests through making castings (pouring plaster into molds to create beautiful designs), creating and shaping intricate crown molding and even building a plaster souvenir.

Participants also get a “master class” by visiting a magnificent example of traditional Charleston architecture featuring numerous building arts at the Nathaniel-Russell House (51 Meeting St.). Here, guests can observe some of the finest examples of plasterwork, ironwork, carpentry and masonry.

The “Charleston Building Arts Package” is offered starting at $380 per night. Package includes a plaster lesson for one, admission to the Nathaniel-Russell House, two nights accommodation and breakfast for two daily. Additional ACBA sessions available.  ACBA plaster lessons are available Tuesday through Thursday from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. until April 17, 2014 (Fall package dates to be announced). To inquire or to book, contact 800-383-2335 or visit charlestonplace.com/build and use the promo code “build.”

The American College of the Building Arts is the only four-year liberal arts college in America educating and training artisans in the traditional building arts to foster exceptional craftsmanship. For more information, visit: buildingartscollege.us.

Belmond Charleston Place Hotel

Consistently ranked among the best hotels in the world by the readers of Condé Nast Traveler and Travel + Leisure magazines, Belmond Charleston Place Hotel evokes the feeling of a grand, 17th century residence, from its lush personal suites to the Italian marble lobby with its signature Georgian Open Arm staircase and 12-foot crystal chandelier. The staff of the hotel is dedicated to indulging its guests with the finest in Southern hospitality, and has become the choice of celebrities, princes and politicians.  Guests can enjoy the hotel’s full service European-style spa and horizon-edge swimming pool with retractable glass roof. Belmond Charleston Place is centrally located, surrounded by historic homes and buildings, and within strolling distance of the city’s delightful shops, galleries and restaurants. To book, please call 800-383-2335, or for more information, visit www.charlestonplace.com.

Owned and operated by Orient-Express Hotels Ltd., Belmond is a global collection of exceptional hotel and luxury travel adventures in some of the world’s most inspiring and enriching destinations.  Established over 30 years ago with the acquisition of Belmond Hotel Cipriani in Venice, its unique and distinctive portfolio now embraces 45 hotel, rail and river cruise experiences in many of the world’s most celebrated destinations.  From city landmarks to intimate resorts, the collection includes Belmond Grand Hotel Europe, St. Petersburg; Belmond Maroma Resort & Spa, Riviera Maya; and Belmond El Encanto, Santa Barbara.  Belmond also encompasses safaris, six luxury tourist trains including the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express and three river cruises. Orient-Express Hotels Ltd. also operates ‘21’, one of New York’s most storied restaurants (belmond.com).

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Mystic Seaport seeks applicants to ‘stowaway’ aboard Charles W Morgan this summer

The Charles W Morgan is looking for an adventurer to be a stowaway on its first sea voyage in 80 years, but visitors will be invited to see the ship while it is in port.

OMG! What an opportunity for an adventurer: to be a stowaway on 1841 whaling ship, the Charles W. Morgan making its first voyage in 80 years! There’s a contest – applications due Feb. 18 – and if you win, you live aboard the ship for 3 months and actually get paid! The rest of us get to visit the ship when it is in port.

To land this once-in-a-lifetime experience, you need to apply to Mystic Seaport, the maritime museum in Connecticut which is home to the Charles W. Morgan and three other landmark vessels, by February 18. To apply, you need to submit a resume, online application including essay, and 60-second YouTube video, by February 18.

The stowaway must be 21 years or older. Prior sailing experience is not required, but curiosity and enthusiasm are a must. It’s probably also a good idea to be should be somewhat well-bodied in being able to move about the ship. The stowaway will receive a stipend.

To apply and submit your video entry, visit www.mysticseaport.org/stowaway.

“This is for someone with a sense of adventure,” said Susan Funk, executive vice president of Mystic Seaport. “The word stowaway brings to mind a romantic image. To take a chance. To not know what you’re getting into until you’re already in it, and to go to places you’ve never been before, or go to places you’ve been, but seeing them in a whole different perspective.”

While on the 38^th Voyage from May to August, the Charles W. Morgan will stop at historic ports of call throughout New England including visits to New London, Conn.; Newport, R.I.; and Vineyard Haven, New Bedford, and Boston, Mass., where she’ll dock next to the USS Constitution. She will also anchor off the coast of Provincetown, Mass. for day sails to the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary, where the Morgan will team up with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to observe whales in their natural environment.

The stowaway will watch, inquire, learn, participate, and use their creative energy to share the voyage experience with the general public through blogging, videos, social media, and activities in the port cities. The stowaway must be 21 years or older. Prior sailing experience is not required, but curiosity and enthusiasm are a must.

The stowaway will be immersed in all aspects of the Charles W. Morgan’s 38^th Voyage while living on board the ship with the crew. The stowaway will learn and take on any jobs associated with living and working on a 19^th-century vessel including handling the sails and lines, steering the ship, and scrubbing the decks. The stowaway will be a key player during events and exhibits at each port of call with an opportunity to explore and meet new and interesting people. The stowaway will receive compensation in the form of a stipend for their work.

“This is a unique opportunity, a moment in time that won’t come around again,” said Funk. “This person will go into record as the stowaway on board this voyage. This is going to be the Morgan’s most documented voyage ever.”

The Stowaway program has been made possible in part by a major grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Mystic Seaport

Mystic Seaport is one of the nation’s leading maritime museums. Founded in 1929, the Museum is home to four National Historic Landmark vessels, including the Charles W. Morgan, America’s oldest commercial ship and the last wooden whaleship in the world. The museum is located one mile south of Exit 90 off I-95 in Mystic, CT. Admission is $24 for adults and $15 for children ages 6-17. Museum members and children 5 and under are admitted free. For more information, visit www.mysticseaport.org.

See more at:

Mystic Seaport seeks ‘stowaway’ for historic Charles W Morgan voyage this summer and slideshow

See our stories on sailing with Capt. Kip on the Maine Windjammer, Victory Chimes and sailing in the Great Schooner Race:

A Maine Windjammer Cruise Aboard ‘Victory Chimes’ and slideshow

Onboard Maine Windjammer ‘Victory Chimes’ for the Great Schooner Race and slideshow

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Historic Hotels of America Announces its Top Six Vacation Packages

Selected from more than 3,000 packages and unique experiences on HistoricHotels.org

 

Admission to novelist Edith Wharton’s The Mount is included in Cranwell Resort’s Culture in the Country Package , in the magnificent Berkshires of Massachusetts, a mecca for culture and nature enthusiasts © 2013 Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com

This summer, Historic Hotels of America offers travelers more than 3,000 packages many including special rates, overnight accommodations, historical tours, Civil War Sesquicentennial packages, and so much more. Six of the travel packages below were handpicked from more than 3,000 offers featured on HistoricHotels.org. Here travelers can discover and explore hotel offers, specials, historical fun facts and much more.

In addition to these special featured packages, Historic Hotels of America is offering travelers summer specials and packages from more than 240 hotels across 46 states on HistoricHotels.org.

Featured packages and promotions from Historic Hotels of America:

Cranwell Resort, Spa & Golf Club (1894) Lenox, Massachusetts

Culture in the Country Package

Celebrate the Berkshires this summer at the Cranwell Resort, Spa & Golf Club. The Cranwell boasts a world-class spa, historic golf course, indoor pool, and three restaurants. The Culture in the Country package includes:

• · Classic resort accommodations
• · $20 dining credit for any of the Cranwell’s restaurants (including the Music Room, The Wyndhurst and Sloane’s Tavern)
• · Full use of the Spa at Cranwell with heated indoor pool, whirlpools, saunas, steam rooms, and fitness center
• · Two tickets per package to your choice of cultural venues, including Herman Melville’s Arrowhead, the Berkshire Botanical Garden, Chesterwood (a National Trust site), Hancock Shaker Village, the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art, Edith Wharton’s The Mount, and the Norman Rockwell Museum
• · Additionally, reserve a Culture in the Country Package midweek in July and August and receive two complimentary lawn tickets per package and a Maplewood parking pass for the Tanglewood performance on that date.*

Rates start from $240 per night midweek with double occupancy, exclusive of room tax. *Tanglewood tickets and parking pass only available with midweek hotel reservations on the following dates: July 7, 11, 14, 17, 18, 21, 24, 25, 28, and 31; August 4, 7, 11, 14, 15, 18, 20, 22, and 25.

1886 Crescent Hotel & Spa (1886) Eureka Springs, Arkansas

Eureka Springs Four-Day Three-Night Historic Vacation
Treat your family or friends to a mini-vacation in the Ozark Mountains this summer. Enjoy overnight accommodations, historic attractions (including a ghost tour of America’s Most Haunted Hotel), massages, and more. This escape includes:

• Four days / three nights in Premium Double / Double Room (based on availability)
• Four tickets to the Eureka Springs Historical Museum per stay
• Four tickets to a ghost tour of “America’s Most Haunted Hotel” per stay
• Two one-hour massages in the hotel’s New Moon Spa & Salon per stay
• Four tickets to Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge per stay
• Self-guided history tour of the hotel, including a souvenir guidebook

Rates start from $654 for a 3-night stay (Reservations must be made at least two weeks in advance of stay. Offer expires December 28, 2013 and is subject to availability.)

Grand Hotel Marriott Resort, Golf Club & Spa (1847) Point Clear, Alabama

Bellingrath Gardens & Home Package

Travel + Leisure, Conde Nast Traveler, and Successful Meetings named the Grand Hotel Marriott Resort, Golf Club & Spa among their best hotels for 2013. Come experience exceptional Southern Hospitality with a modern twist. Book the Bellingrath Gardens & Home package, which includes:

• · Deluxe guestroom accommodations
• · Two one-day tickets to historic Bellingrath Gardens & Home per stay
• · Daily Breakfast buffet for two

Rates start from $278 per night

Mimslyn Inn (1931) Luray, Virginia

Civil War Sesquicentennial Package

Enjoy a self-driving tour, Discover and explore 24 historic sites and battlefields within two hours of the Inn. The Civil War Package includes:

• · A packaged lunch prepared for two (per stay) by the culinary staff at the Mimslyn Inn
• · A bottle of wine made from grapes grown in vineyards near The New Market Battlefield
• · Dinner for two per stay at Circa ‘31 with the menus and recipes created from the same foods that were available during the 1860’s
• · Historic Guestroom for two nights

Rates start from $450 per night

Hacienda del Sol (1929) Tucson, Arizona

Breakfast with a Side of History Package

Explore the Southwest and book the “Breakfast with a side of History” Package at Hacienda del Sol Guest Ranch Resort, which includes:

• Nightly accommodations
• Daily breakfast for two (inclusive of tax and gratuity)
• Guided historic walking tour of Hacienda del Sol

Rates start from $204 per night (Valid April 1 – Dec 31, 2013 Two night minimum stay on weekends. Based on availability.)

French Lick Springs Hotel (1901)French Lick, Indiana

Historic Experience Package

Book the three night Historic Experience package, which includes:

• · Historic guestroom for 3 nights
• · One souvenir DVD highlighting French Lick Resort
• · One Guided Historic Landmarks Walking Tour per person
• · $30 Breakfast Credit per day

Rates start from $183 per night (Rate code is HHA3)

Travelers can select from over 3,000 dynamic hotel packages, extraordinary historic experiences, and hot deals found exclusively on HistoricHotels.org. For more information about Historic Hotels of America’s specials and deals, including summer specials and packages, please visit www.historichotels.org/hotel-deals/.

Historic Hotels of America is committed to providing guests with the lowest published rates online, as a part of the Price Match Guarantee. If a lower rate is found on another website within 24 hours of booking a reservation, simply submit a claim form and the lower rate will be honored. For terms and conditions, please refer to http://www.historichotels.org/price-match-guarantee.php. When booking on HistoricHotels.org, you’ll never pay a booking fee and rates are clearly marked with cancellation policies and few pre-booking or deposits. If you prefer to book your reservation by phone or if you have questions about hotels or an existing reservation, call 800-678-8946.

Special Offer

If you book before August 31, 2013 on HistoricHotels.org, you’ll also receive a complimentary one-year family membership (a $30 value) to the National Trust for Historic Preservation*. In addition to the satisfaction of knowing that you’re helping to protect places that matter, your family will enjoy a savings of up to 50% at participating Historic Hotels of America, a subscription to Preservation magazine, and discounted admission to over 600 historic places worldwide.

Historic Hotels of America  is the official program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation for recognizing and celebrating the finest Historic Hotels. Historic Hotels of America was founded in 1989 by the National Trust for Historic Preservation^® with 32 charter members. In 2007, Preferred Hotel Group partnered with the National Trust for Historic Preservation to grow and enhance Historic Hotels of America. Historic Hotels of America has more than 240 historic hotels. These historic hotels have all faithfully maintained their authenticity, sense of place, and architectural integrity in the United States of America, including the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico, Historic Hotels of America is comprised of mostly independently owned and operated properties. More than 30 of the world’s finest hospitality brands, chains, and collections are represented in Historic Hotels of America. To be nominated and selected for membership into this prestigious program, a hotel must be at least 50 years old, listed in or eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places or recognized as having historic significance. For more information, visit www.HistoricHotels.org, call 800-678-8946.

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Nashville’s Metro Historical Commission Launches Civil War Series April 9

Tennessee launches five-year commemoration of 150th anniversary of Civil War with a color guard of Union and Confederate soldiers at Nashville's Tennessee State Museum © 2011 Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com

Nashville, TN, March 4, 2011—

The commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the Civil War is already underway, as key events are marked. The state of Tennessee, the only state which has been declared a Civil War Heritage Area, has launched the most ambitious and comprehensive program with a Civil War Heritage Trail that encompasses the entire state, with scores of events taking place over the next five years. In its entirety, the depth and breadth provides an unparalleled opportunity to re-connect with the complex and tormenting history and understand it in a way that is eerily, horrifyingly relevant to today.

Nashville’s Metropolitan Historical Commission will commence its Civil War Sesquicentennial program Saturday, April 9, at The Downtown Presbyterian Church in Nashville with a series of presentations called “The War Begins:  Causes of the Secession Crisis in Tennessee.” The church is located at the corner of Church Street and Fifth Avenue, North.

At 8:30 a. m., Mayor Karl Dean will make opening remarks.  He will be followed by Jim Hoobler, chairman of Metro Historical Commission’s Civil War Sesquicentennial Committee, who will give a brief history of The Downtown Presbyterian Church and its use during the Civil War.

Starting at 9 a. m., Dr. Jonathan Atkins, of Berry College in Mt. Berry, Georgia, will speak on “Parties, Politics and Sectional Conflict in Tennessee 1832-1861,” in which he will describe the causes in Tennessee leading to its involvement in the Civil War.

Dr. Kristopher Ray, of Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, Tennessee, and editor of the Tennessee Historical Quarterly, will explain at 10 a. m. how the leaders in both the North and South reinterpreted the precepts of America’s founding fathers to suit their own political, social and economic purposes.

At 11 a. m., The Fisk Jubilee Singers will perform spirituals and other songs appropriate to the Civil War period.  Their performance is partially funded by a grant from the Tennessee Arts Commission.

The program will end at noon.

“The Civil War was a defining event in American history,” Hoobler says.  “The causes of the war defined who we had been as a country, and the outcome of the war determined that we are a country.  Mayor Dean has asked that we as a community commemorate the brave men and women, North and South, who fought and died in this struggle. This event will mark the beginning of a five year activity of commemoration and remembrance.  The citizens of Nashville are encouraged to participate in these events and to remember our shared past.”

The event is free and open to the public.  Free parking is available in the Premier Parking Lot at Fifth and Church to those people who tell the attendant that they are attending the Symposium. For more information, contact Jim Hoobler at Jim.Hoobler@tn.gov.

See our series about Tennessee’s Civil War Trail launching soon at www.examiner.com/eclectic-travel-in-national/karen-rubin

Crystal Cruises Expands Worldwide Jewish Heritage Programming in 2011

With increased participation in Jewish heritage tours, luxury seafarer Crystal Cruises is expanding its Jewish heritage programming in 2011, scheduling over a dozen Crystal Adventures that explore Jewish life, past and present, around the world, including Rome, where there is a centuries-old Jewish Quarter © 2011 Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com

LOS ANGELES, March 14, 2011 –

With increased participation in Jewish heritage tours, luxury seafarer Crystal Cruises is expanding its related programming in 2011.  Scheduled are over a dozen Crystal Adventures that explore Jewish life, past and present, around the world: in/near Mumbai, Miami, Copenhagen, Stockholm, Berlin, Hamburg, St. Petersburg, Rome, Dublin, Jerusalem/Ashdod, and Odessa.

Each tour gives an overview of a culture within a culture, while also providing intimate connection with spaces, exhibits, artifacts, traditions, and people that bring the international Jewish narrative to life.

Among the highlights:

• St. Petersburg: Discover how this resilient Russian Jewish community survived Communist oppression, war, and hardship to flourish today, as demonstrated through its people, community centers, music, and an intimate home visit.
• Mumbai: Visit three synagogues, ranging from Baghdadi to Bene-Israel congregations.
• Copenhagen: Learn how 99% of Denmark’s Jews survived the Holocaust, at the Museum of Danish Resistance.
• Dublin: Take in the social, legal, and political contributions of the Irish-Jewish community; see the first dedicated day school and home of Israeli ex-President Chaim Herzog.
• German Concentration Camps: Explore Neungamme, which housed 100,000 prisoners outside Hamburg, and Berlin’s Sachsenhausen, which became the blueprint for all other camps.
• Rome: Walk through the 2000+ year-old Jewish Quarter of Rome.

While most 2012 excursions are still in development, Crystal is planning a Jewish heritage tour of Shanghai for its 2012 World Cruise.

“These experiences offer meaningful opportunity for education, understanding, and reflection, for Jews and non-Jews alike,” says Vice President, Land and Port Operations John Stoll.

Crystal Cruises’ passion for creating unique and impactful luxury shore-side experiences are cornerstones of its Crystal Adventures program, and have earned the line top ratings from international travelers for two decades.

The excursions, starting at $46 per person, are available as half-day or full-day adventures with the worldwide, value-rich itineraries aboard Crystal Symphony and Crystal Serenity.  Cruise promotions include up to $2,000/couple “All Inclusive—As You Wish” spending credit, up to $8,000/couple Verandah and Penthouse savings, Fall Fare Sale, Crystal’s Family Memories programs, and New-to-Crystal, Bring-a-Friend, and Crystal Society benefits.  All cruises include free air from many North American gateways (or generous air credits).

For more information and Crystal reservations, contact a travel agent, call 888-799-4625 or visit www.crystalcruises.com.

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PortSide New York is Extraordinary Venue for Culture, Education on Brooklyn Waterfront

Union Street Preservation Society performs in the TankerTunes concert series on the deck of the 1938 tanker, Mary K. Whalen, in the Atlantic Basin of Red Hook, Brooklyn © 2010 Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com.

New York City has a myriad of unusual venues for performances – from free Friday evening concerts at the American Folk Museum in Manhattan to concerts under the Westside Highway at the Boat Basin –  but one of the most unusual has just opened: a 1938 oil tanker, the Mary K. Whalen, “parked” at least for now, at PortSide New York, a newly created “bluespace” at Pier 11, Atlantic Basin in Red Hook, Brooklyn.

The tanker is the setting for a summer series of TankerTunes, concerts with a water theme. The first of these, on Friday, July 30, titled “The Songs of Lewis & Clark, and Other American Roots” featured Sara Bouchard who has set portions of the journals of Lewis & Clark to folk music, and the Union Street Preservation Society blue grass string band,  featuring David Leiberman (guitar/vocals), Sara Bouchard (mandolin/vocals), Alex Borsody (dobro/banjo) and Jason Bertone (bass) (www.unionstreetpreservationsociety.com).

The atmosphere is special: you walk the gangplank onto the tanker’s top deck where folding chairs are set up. You are immediately struck by a view of the Statue of Liberty, standing out from the dark of New York harbor, and every now and then, the lighted form of a Staten Island ferry gliding by. To one side are the docks where container ships are loaded, and beyond where we are tied up, is where the Queen Mary, one of the largest ships in the world, takes on passengers.

During the day, this is a bustling container port. But here, on a summer night, it is mostly quiet and peaceful – except for an occasional horn – and the music of the guitar, mandolin, dobro and bass and vocals heralding the water-borne explorations of early adventurers.

The TankerTunes concerts are  just one of the many different kinds of programs that are being offered day and night at PortSide. There are also TankerTalks – readings and talks on the deck, TankerTime, which is a place to hang out on the deck; TankerTours of the historic vessel which is also a ThinkTank venue to contemplate waterfront policy and planning.

PortSide’s founder and director Carolina Salguero has a vision: “The seam between water and land should be a porous membrane with people and things coming and going across it. Not only would that make the most useful waterfront, it would also make the most interesting and fun one.”

Salguero comes to this project having been a photojournalist specializing in the waterfront, and a lifelong sailor and boatsman.

She envisions PortSide New York as a maritime hub and cultural space, providing “out-of-the-box” educational, community-based and cultural programs in various locations, including educational programs to teach marine trades.

With 600 feet of pier plus 6500 indoor space, Portside New York will host visiting historic vessels, charter and excursion boats and provide a rest area for local workboats.

The centerpiece ” is the tanker Mary A. Whalen – 172 ft. long, it was involved in a historic lawsuit which went to the Supreme Court in 1975. The ruling in “United States v. Reliable Transfer Co” established that, in marine accidents, damages should be apportioned according to blame. Before this, damages were split 50/50 regardless, and those at fault could shirk the financial consequences of their actions (something to think about after the BP/Transocean/Halliburton calamity in the Gulf of Mexico). Now, the tanker serves as an “ambassador” for BlueSpace

Salguero envisions future programs: including PortSide BlueSpace Tours, where you take a ferry form Atlantic Basin and hear professional planners and port people describe what’s doing on the BlueSpace.

PortSide New York was launched to engage with and help shape a major movement for the re-planning of New York city’s waterfront (the city’s first-ever City of Water Day was held July 24).

“Our mission is to create better use of the BlueSpace, the water, NYC’s overlooked ‘sixth’ borough. All our programs relate to water in some way.” She adds, “We were designed to be a place, not a ship.”

For more information and schedules, contact PortSide New York, PO Box 19S, Red Hook Station, Brooklyn, NY 11231, 917-414-0565, www.portsidenewyork.org, email portsidenewyork@gmail.com.

–Karen Rubin/Travel Features Syndicate

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Kyoto’s Endangered Historic Townhouses Being Revived to Accommodate Foreign Tourists

Staying in a Machiya historic townhouse gives tourists an opportunity to become immersed in Japanese culture and heritage, such as the Kabuki theater (© 2010 Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com)

Living history takes on new meaning in Kyoto, Japan’s city most famous for its ancient temples. Thousands of Machiya, Japan’s historic townhouses, are being turned into inns to accommodate foreign tourists, affording visitors an incomparable opportunity to be immersed in Japanese culture and heritage.

The historic townhouses were listed under the “2010 Watch List of Cultural Heritage Sites at Risk” by the World Monument Fund, a private organization dedicated to saving the world’s historical heritage, but a company, Machiya Residence Inn Group, has found a way to sustain them, and keep them from the wrecking ball, through a new use as accommodations for tourists.

Serving as both residences and workspaces for merchants and craftsmen, Machiya are Japan’s traditional townhouses that developed after 794 AD predominantly in Kyoto. There are approximately 48,000 Machiya within Kyoto, and most of them are more than 100 years old.

However, much like many other traditional architecture throughout the world, Machiya are rapidly disappearing. Every year, around 1,000 Machiya are demolished and replaced by new buildings due to maintenance being difficult and expensive, and their style considered outdated and old-fashioned in the minds of many. Unfortunately, reconstruction of Machiya is extremely difficult under the current Japanese building regulations, and as a result, the traditional townscape of Kyoto is on an inevitable path to extinction.

Amid mounting concerns in the local communities over the destruction of Kyoto’s traditional townscape, Machiya Residence Inn Group is refurbishing the Machiya that are about to be demolished and reviving them into life as accommodation facilities for foreign tourists.

Kohakuan, their latest accommodation facility, opened July 14, 2010. The facility rents out one entire townhouse for one group, and it is fully equipped with kitchen, washing machine, cloth dryer, computer and Internet, making it suitable for both short and long-term stay. In addition, English-speaking staff will be on hand to attend reservation and customer service inquiries.

The facility plans to organize various cultural activities for the guests such as tea ceremony, pottery class enabling foreign travelers to experience Japanese culture on request.

Machiya Residence Inn Group aims to revive the number of Machiya by developing five of these accommodation facilities each year, ultimately offer them in the real estate market as investment properties and, using refurbished Machiya as a model, promote usage and utilization of Machiya.

For further information on Machiya or reservation, contact via telephone, fax or e-mail: Mahchiya Residence Inn /AJ InterBridge Inc., tel: +81-75-708-5610, fax: +81-75-708-5611, email: info@kyoto-machiya-inn.com, or visit http://www.kyoto-machiya-inn.com.

See also:

TOKYO: TURNING A STOPOVER INTO A SOJOURN
How to Tackle One of the World’s Great Cities With Only Two Full Days
Day One: Hitting Tokyo’s Tourist Highlights

TOKYO: TURNING A STOPOVER INTO A SOJOURN
How to Tackle One of the World’s Great Cities With Only Two Full Days
Day Two: A Day in Tokyo Spanning all the Days of Japan

–Karen Rubin, Travel Features Syndicate

http://www.travelwritersmagazine.com/TravelFeaturesSyndicate