Sangenya Apartments

Sangenya apartments is the name of a collection of shops spanning over three repurposed old residential buildings. In here you will find a vintage dress shop, a ping-pong parlor, a few artists’ studios as well as a bookstore, café, massage salon, and a kimono rental shop.

This old residential complex had stood empty for quite some time, until it was discovered by the people behind the Onomichi Akiya Saisei Project, an NPO working to find new owners for abandoned houses, that started back in 2007. Amid a sluggish start, the Sangenya Apartments became one of their first finished projects, with renovations completed and the first tenants moving in in 2009. Since then however, the project picked up pace, due partly thanks to the support of the local authorities. Up until now, they have completed 16 different projects including several guesthouses and a few other shops and art spaces. However, it’s believed that 20 percent, or around 500 houses in Onomichi still remain empty, so there’s plenty of work left for the Akiya Saisei Project.

Sangenya Apartments

The Sangenya Apartments complex consists of 10 apartments in total, located a mere three minutes’ walk from Onomichi station. We talked to one of the shop owners, a woman running a small shop called “Otome-ya”, specializing in renting out kimonos and hats from the Showa and Meiji periods. The fact that the rest of Onomichi has an atmosphere reminiscent of old Japan, made her feel that there was also an opportunity for her to start a business like this. She tells us that the fact that she was able to rent a shop space for cheap at a place like this was a contributing factor to her moving to this town. A full day rental of a retro kimono costs 3500 yen, and a shorter two-hour rental will set you back 1000 yen.

Sangenya Apartments

Her experience is echoed by many similar young entrepreneurs we bump into in Onomichi -- the combination of affordable rents and the fact that Onomichi is something of a tourist destination (thanks in large to the Shimanami Kaido Cycling route) have proved effective in attracting young people to a place that otherwise would have suffered due to depopulation, closing businesses and sluggish economic prospects.

Sangenya Apartments

Another demographic group somewhat overrepresented in Onomichi are young artists. This explains why some of the space on the second floor of Sangenya Apartments has been turned into artist studios and galleries.

Sangenya Apartments

Sangenya Apartments

三軒家アパートメント東館

広島県尾道市三軒家町

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