There are around 40,000 traditional Japanese townhouses, known as machiya, in Kyoto. However, given the effort and cost needed for the city to maintain them, around 800 are lost each year — a pace that will see them all vanish in 50 years if no action is taken.
But action isn’t cheap.
This is what the city of Kyoto claims on its website, Preserve Kyoto, in an effort to incentivize foreigners, even tourists, to offer a helping hand to the city and participate in the cause to sustain its rich history and beauty.
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