Nara-machi Koshi-no-ie — Preserved Edo Merchant House

Naramachi Koshi-no-ie (奈良町格子の家) is a preserved Edo Period machiya (merchant townhouse) opened as a free museum showing traditional urban living spaces from the 18th–19th centuries. The house exemplifies narrow machiya architecture — only 5 meters wide but extending 30 meters deep, designed to minimize street frontage (which was taxed) while maximizing interior space. The layout includes shop front (mise-no-ma), central earthen corridor (doma), living quarters, kitchen, storage, and inner courtyard garden.

The house's distinctive feature is the koshi lattice (格子) — wooden slats covering the facade that allow interior residents to see out while obscuring view inward, providing privacy while monitoring street activity. The interior demonstrates traditional construction: exposed beam ceilings, clay walls, tatami rooms, and sliding fusuma doors. Volunteers (elderly Nara residents) staff the house and demonstrate traditional crafts like spinning, weaving, and seasonal decorations. The museum provides tangible understanding of Edo urban life — how merchant families lived, worked, and used limited space efficiently.