In the Omuro area of Kyoto, known as home to Ninna-ji Temple, there is a 1930's suburban estate with exemplary architectural and landscape features that are well maintained with their original appearance. The name of this estate registered as a National Tangible Cultural Property is Kyutei Omuro, meaning "the Former Omuro Estate." The estate is mainly rented out as a venue, with the entire garden and buildings together, for various occasions including location shooting, banquets and seminars. Special admission days and the Bishu Rakutei beer garden days have also been hosted, enchanting many visitors with the intangible qualities it holds as a place beyond its architectural marvel. Behind it all, are the people who took action to protect and pass on this heritage to future generations with solid determination. In other words, as Ms. Yamamoto, the director of Kyutei Omuro, said, "It is the people that make a cultural property attractive." This article is based on an interview with Ms. Yamamoto on how people can enhance the value that a cultural heritage site holds.

 "The president's father bought this place because he was very fond of it. We who inherited it wanted to come together to protect this place because we felt that there was a special reason why he left this estate to us. We were inspired by such motivations, and now, it has been five years since we began managing it as Kyutei Omuro. During those years, we have not only been hit by the global pandemic of the Novel Coronavirus, but also the challenges of various legal and technical obstacles concerning the maintenance and management of a registered cultural property."

 "When we have a special admission day, we make a point of hiring a guide even if it costs a lot. It's something we cannot compromise. We especially ask the guides to not only explain the history and origin of this place but also to tell the story about how we, Yamasan Seizaisho Co., Ltd. * which is a company of fewer than ten persons, are trying so hard to keep it the way it is. We may sound haughty to make such a request, but we have actually asked guides who only talk about the building and its history to change their commentaries. I think it's important that the owners of cultural properties show how devoted they are to protecting the heritage."

 "We always tell ourselves that we should never cause any problems for our neighbors. For example, our manager sweeps not only in front of our building but all the way to the nearest train station. We also clean where our neighborhood's trash is collected. We believe this facility's operation is possible only if we maintain a good relationship with our community. Also, we make sure to greet everyone at every year's end as well as before and after we have public openings."

 Until the COVID pandemic, Kyoto was receiving a great number of travelers from overseas, but there were few who visited Kyutei Omuro, which had just recently opened to the public then. Although problems occurring upon receiving international guests in some places and seasons were heard, they say it's their policy to be consistent in their attitude towards the guests, whoever they are or wherever they come from.

 "Before the pandemic, when many inbound visitors came to Japan, some Japanese tourists said that 'Kyoto has become a town of foreigners.' Still, as long as Kyoto continues to have the charm of its people, I don't think domestic tourists will abandon Kyoto. We are a small and little known company, but because of that, I think we can be creative in how we do things. In other words, I think we must be the ones to be bold enough to take action and add new pages to Kyoto's wonders."