In the last few decades, the traditional cityscape and machiya townhouses of Kyoto have been disappearing at an alarming rate. Meanwhile, rural villages throughout the country suffer from depopulation and a lack of sustainable means of livelihood. The preservation of Japan's natural beauty and cultural heritage for future generations will require substantial investment, the devoted efforts of many supporters, and a sustainable business model to serve this end. Our founding was based on the initial development of such a business model in Kyoto.
In January 2004, Alex Kerr, Hideki Kajiura, and Yoshiko Negishi founded Iori, a company with a new concept for Kyoto: to acquire old machiya, restore them beautifully, and offer them to visitors to stay and experience traditional Kyoto living. In this way Iori is able to preserve old houses that might have been destroyed or irrevocably altered, and in the process give visitors a chance to experience Kyoto in a way they otherwise never could.
Alex Kerr, Chairman of Iori Co
Born in Bethesda, Maryland, 1952. Moved to Yokohama with his family in 1964, and while taking a Japanese Language Degree at Keio University in 1973, found and purchased the thatched house, Chiiori, in Shikoku’s Iya Valley.
In 1974 Alex graduated with a BA from Yale University and completed a BA and MA in Chinese Studies at Oxford University in 1977.
In 2004, he co-founded Iori Co, and was named to the Prime Minister’s Tourism Committee in 2007.
In 2007, Alex also launched The Chiiori Trust NPO in Iya Valley, Shikoku, and was named as a Yokoso Japan! Ambassador.
At present Iori has nine restored machiya under management in central Kyoto. We are in the process of adding more machiya restorations in the city, while offering a rich range of cultural programming to our guests via the Origin traditional Japanese arts programs. Iori is also consulting with villages throughout the country on how to translate our Kyoto model of sustainable restoration and cultural preservation to a rural context.
