A Former Restaurant Inn in Toyota
The Kirakutei (喜楽亭) is a former restaurant inn of the early Showa era (1926 to 1945) in Kozakahonmachi, Toyota City, Aichi Prefecture, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) on December 24, 2013 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
The Agency records a two-storey timber building with a tiled roof and a building area of 150 square metres; registration number 23-0384.
A Restaurant Inn in a Garden
Kirakutei is a two-storey timber building facing east within a garden, entered at the gable end under a hip-and-gable pantiled roof, with a pent roof round all sides (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
According to Toyota City, it was a restaurant inn elsewhere in the city that had operated since the Meiji era; after it closed in 1967 it was rebuilt on its present site in 1982. The Agency gives the year of the move as 1983.
Why It Was Registered
The Agency notes the elegant exterior, with the entrance in the middle of the front, a projecting lattice to the south, railed verandas outside the upstairs windows and gently swelling bargeboards, together with a refined interior that keeps the air of an old restaurant; it was registered as a model of design.
What to Look For
Look for the projecting lattice, the railed upstairs verandas and the swelling bargeboards of the gable (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Visiting
It is owned by Toyota City (Agency for Cultural Affairs). The city says visitors can see the interior and garden when the building is not booked for use.
Q&A
- When was Kirakutei built?
- In the early Showa era, according to the Agency, and later moved to its present site.
- What was it originally?
- A restaurant inn that had operated since the Meiji era (Toyota City).
- Can I visit Kirakutei?
- Yes, the interior and garden can be seen when the building is not booked (Toyota City).
- What should I look for?
- The projecting lattice, the railed upstairs verandas and the swelling bargeboards.
- When was the Kirakutei registered?
- On December 24, 2013 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Basic Information
| Name | Kirakutei (喜楽亭) |
|---|---|
| Location | 1-25 Kozakahonmachi, Toyota City, Aichi Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2013/12/24 (Heisei 25) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Two-storey timber, tiled roof, 150 m² |
| Owner | Toyota City |
| Public Access | Open to view when not booked |
References
- Kirakutei (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00009763
- Kirakutei (Toyota City, Japanese)
- https://www.city.toyota.aichi.jp/shisei/shisetsu/bunka/bunkasonohoka/1006120.html
Last verified: 2026.10.19