A 120-year-old Machiya Becomes a Shop

PASS THE BATON is a recycle shop that sells items with the owner's photo, profile, and a story attached, for things that were "loved and used, but are no longer needed, yet too precious to discard." With its new style of handling items discovered through personal taste and items that convey the "character" of their previous owners, it has stores in Marunouchi Brick Square and Omotesando Hills.

The third store, PASS THE BATON Kyoto Gion, opens in the Gion Shinbashi Traditional Buildings Preservation District, an area designated by the national government under the Law for the Protection of Cultural Properties, which forms an outstanding historical landscape. The interior design of the building, a machiya over 120 years old, was handled by Masamichi Katayama of Wonderwall, as with the Marunouchi and Omotesando stores.

In line with PASS THE BATON's concept of "cherishing what already exists and creating new value," the store, redesigned from a traditional building, features a consignment counter (Pass Counter) for accepting recycled items and, for the first time, a dining space called "Ocha to Sake Tasuki." This is not to be missed.

Original Products Unique to Kyoto Draw Attention

Of particular note are the numerous original products created in collaboration with leading Kyoto-based companies that carry on traditional crafts.

From "Hosoo," founded in Nishijin, Kyoto, in 1688,Hosoothey have produced jacquard corsages using scraps from the production process, and in collaboration with "carnet," they have created one-of-a-kind bags. With "Kanamono Tsuji," a representative of Kyoto's metal網 (netting) history, they have used scraps left over from weaving tofu strainers and tea sieves to create unique jewelry, incorporating antique badges from around the world into chrysanthemum and tortoise-shell patterns.

With "Kaikaido," a long-established Kyoto manufacturer founded in 1879, the oldest in Japan for handmade tea caddies, they have modified tea caddies with minor scratches, dents, or slight height differences, expressing the passage of time. With "Koshosai Kosuga," a long-established bamboo craft manufacturer founded in 1898, they have created chopsticks from bamboo with stains that would normally cause them to be rejected during the production of bamboo baskets, despite being otherwise flawless. These are sold as a set with B-grade chopstick rests from Kyo-yaki (Kyoto pottery) before glazing.

Furthermore, with "Nakagawa Mokkoge | Hira Kobo," they have created a series of cutlery using wood that was rejected for barrel making due to its natural curves, despite being of the highest quality wood, because of imperfections like rough grain or knots.

Take a Break at the Dining Space "Ocha to Sake Tasuki"

This dining space, where one can enjoy tea or cocktails while being soothed by the beautiful sound of Shirakawa stream, is a fusion of interior design born from the beautiful constraints of traditional architecture and collaborations with Kyoto's proud traditional crafts. It is poised to become a new landmark in Kyoto's Gion district.

PASS THE BATON KYOTO GION
Opening Hours | 11:00 AM - 8:00 PM
Address | 77-6 Sueyoshi-cho, Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto City
Opening Date | August 8 (Saturday)

Ocha to Sake Tasuki
Opening Hours | Cafe 11:00 AM - 7:00 PM (Last Order 6:30 PM), Bar 8:00 PM - 4:00 AM (Last Order 3:30 AM)