Spacious Japanese-Style Home with Zen Garden and Vegetable Plot in Iwate's Tōno City
This distinctive Japanese-style residence is located in the tranquil settlement of Kamigō-chō, approximately 500 meters from the nostalgic, unmanned Iwate-Kamigō Station. The property stands out with its impressive traditional features, including a solid wooden gate with a heavy door at the main entrance and a board fence along the southern roadside. A magnificent five-needle pine tree, nurtured to an impressive size, greets visitors at the genkan.
The home itself is robustly constructed with thick zelkova timber. The interior showcases exquisite traditional craftsmanship with elements such as a shoin (study alcove), yukimi shoji (snow-viewing paper screens), and delicate ranma (transom carvings). While there are several level changes between rooms, the spaciousness of each area makes this a minor consideration. No major repairs are currently required.
The property's standout features are its luxurious gardens. The front boasts a diverse array of plantings and a meticulously crafted karesansui (dry landscape Zen garden) using stones. To the rear (north side), a large vegetable plot or菜園用地 (saien yōchi) offers ample space for gardening. A useful doma (earthen-floored space) on the west side can serve as a garage.
Equipment and utilities include electricity, public water supply, a simple flush/pit toilet system (簡易水洗（汲み取り）), and parking. The land is flat, designated as residential and farmland, with road frontage to both the southwest and northeast on approximately 4-meter wide paved public roads, and to the south on an unpaved public road of similar width.
The area is part of Tōno City, famous for its rich folklore and legends of creatures like the kappa. A notable nearby landmark is the Tōno Furusato Village, an open-air museum that preserves traditional thatched-roof houses (Minka) and offers deep insights into the local culture and the tales collected by folklorist Kunio Yanagita.
