A Telephone Exchange on the Kamo River
The Former Kyoto Central Telephone Office Kami Branch (旧京都中央電話局上分局, Kyū-Kyōto Chūō Denwakyoku Kami Bunkyoku) stands at Komanochō in Kamigyō Ward, Kyoto City, was completed in 1923, and was entered on the national register of Tangible Cultural Properties in 1997. It occupies the corner south of the western end of Marutamachi Bridge, on the right bank of the Kamo River.
The structure is reinforced concrete, three storeys, with a tiled roof and a building area of 745 square metres. That combination is the first thing to notice. In 1923 a concrete frame was the modern choice for a utility building, but this one wears a tiled roof and a wall treatment that reads as a rural European house. Kamigyō Ward's own account describes the exterior as German vernacular in character, chosen out of regard for the surroundings. The effect is a building that most passers-by take for masonry and most visitors misdate by a decade or two.
Its designer was Yoshida Tetsurō (吉田鉄郎), an engineer with the Ministry of Communications, and construction was by Shimizu-gumi. Yoshida is remembered for the Tokyo Central Post Office and the Osaka Central Post Office, buildings whose stripped, planar surfaces became reference points for Japanese modernism. This exchange comes well before either, and the Agency for Cultural Affairs presents it as one of the works through which Yoshida's shift from Expressionism toward a rationalist architecture can be traced. It also ranks among the oldest surviving concrete telephone exchange buildings in Japan.
What Happened After the Switchboards Left
The Kami branch was decommissioned as a telephone exchange in 1959, by local accounts, and the building was converted to other uses rather than cleared. Structural reinforcement work carried out in the early 1980s was accompanied by restoration bringing the exterior back close to its original appearance. Registration followed in 1997, at the fourth round of listings under a system that had only begun operating a few years earlier; its number, 26-0006, marks it as one of the very first buildings registered in Kyoto Prefecture. It also carries a Kyoto City registration.
Registration under this system is deliberately light-handed. An owner must notify the authorities before major alteration, and in return the building is free to earn its keep. Nippon Telegraph and Telephone West Corporation holds the property, and what occupies it now is a supermarket: the Kawaramachi-Marutamachi branch of Fresco, a Kyoto-based chain. Shoppers pass under the entrance arch to buy vegetables.
For anyone tracking how Japan keeps its early modern buildings, that outcome deserves attention. Among Kyoto's registered buildings of this period, few can be entered on an ordinary weekday without booking or paying. This one can. The reason is not that it was treated more reverently than the others. It is that a use was found for it.
Visiting
The nearest station is Jingū-Marutamachi on the Keihan Line, about three minutes on foot. Come out and head west along Marutamachi-dōri; the building is on the south side before the road reaches the river. Store hours have run from nine in the morning to eleven at night, closing an hour earlier on Sundays and public holidays, with no regular closing day. There is no car park.
Inside, the building is a working supermarket, so the historic fabric is glimpsed around shelving rather than displayed. Look up at the ceiling structure and along the window openings, where the original proportions survive most clearly. Photography of the exterior from the street is unrestricted; inside, shoot with the discretion any shop deserves, and keep other customers out of frame.
The exterior repays a visit at dusk, when interior light comes through the openings and the roof silhouette sits against the river. Kyoto Imperial Palace Park lies a few minutes west, and the riverside path north of Marutamachi Bridge gives a full view of the elevation from across the water. That crossing is the vantage point the Agency for Cultural Affairs implies when it notes the building's part in the character of the riverbank.
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Q&A
- Can I go inside the Former Kyoto Central Telephone Office Kami Branch?
- Yes. The building houses the Kawaramachi-Marutamachi branch of the Fresco supermarket chain, open to anyone during trading hours. There is no admission charge and no booking.
- What are the opening hours at the Former Kyoto Central Telephone Office Kami Branch building?
- The supermarket has traded from 09:00 to 23:00, closing at 22:00 on Sundays and public holidays, with no regular closing day. Hours are set by the store and can change.
- Who designed the Former Kyoto Central Telephone Office Kami Branch?
- Yoshida Tetsurō, an engineer at the Ministry of Communications, later known for the Tokyo and Osaka Central Post Offices. Shimizu-gumi carried out the construction.
- Why does a 1923 concrete building look like a European farmhouse?
- The German vernacular exterior was adopted out of regard for the surrounding riverside setting, according to Kamigyō Ward. The frame beneath is reinforced concrete and the roof is tiled.
- How do I reach the building from Kyoto Station or the city centre?
- Take the Keihan Line to Jingū-Marutamachi Station and walk about three minutes west along Marutamachi-dōri. The building stands on the south side, just short of the Kamo River.
- Is the building still used as a telephone exchange?
- No. The Kami branch was decommissioned in 1959 by local accounts, and the building was later reinforced and restored close to its original appearance before being converted to commercial use.
Basic Information
| Name | Former Kyoto Central Telephone Office Kami Branch (旧京都中央電話局上分局) |
|---|---|
| Location | 561-1 Komanochō, Nakasuji-dōri Marutamachi-sagaru, Kamigyō Ward, Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure); criterion: a model of design. Registration no. 26-0006 |
| Year Designated | Registered 15 July 1997; gazetted 30 July 1997 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Reinforced concrete, three storeys, tiled roof; building area 745 m² |
| Owner | Nippon Telegraph and Telephone West Corporation |
| Public Access | Interior accessible during supermarket trading hours; exterior visible at all times |
References
- National Cultural Properties Database, Agency for Cultural Affairs: Former Kyoto Central Telephone Office Kami Branch
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00000253
- Cultural Heritage Online: Former Kyoto Central Telephone Office Kami Branch
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/180163
- Kamigyō Ward Office, Kyoto City: One Hundred Historic Sites of Kamigyō, Former Kyoto Central Telephone Office Kami Branch
- https://www.city.kyoto.lg.jp/kamigyo/page/0000012334.html
Last verified: 2026.08.07