Inns in Kyoto

August 13, 2005

by Kie Yokochi; Kumiko Watanabe; Naomi Watanabe

Do you want to travel at a reasonable price? Usually traveling abroad is costly, and we spend a lot of money especially for transportation. Though the expense of airplane, train and bus travel is something that we cannot always save on, we don’t necessarily have to spend lots of money on accommodation if we really want to enjoy our trip. We would like to introduce some guest houses and hotels for those visitors who wish to spend their precious time more usefully during their visit.

Researcher, Naomi Watanabe
At Gojo Guest House, about 70 to 80 % of the guests are from foreign countries. It has easy access to downtown and Kyoto station, and Kiyomizu temple is the closest main attraction to it. If you enjoy your nightlife and think you might get home late, don’t worry, you can get back anytime to Gojo Guest House, even midnight or early morning.

Facilities

Check-in: 3:00pm-10:00pm
Check-out: up to 11:00am
Front desk: 8:00am-10:00pm (Except for Tuesday), 11:00am-3:00pm (Tuesday)

Check-in: 3:00pm-10:00pm
Check-out: up to 11:00am
Front desk: 8:00am-10:00pm (Except for Tuesday), 11:00am-3:00pm (Tuesday)

Services

• There is a café on the first floor, and breakfast is available for \\380.
• A drink ticket is also available from the third day of your stay.
• Credit cards are not accepted.
• A guest can rent a bicycle from 8:00am to 10:00pm for \\500 a day.

Rates (per night)

Dormitory (for men and women) \\2,500 per person
Private room (small) \\5,500 for two people, \\7,500 for three people
Private room (large) \\7,000 for two people, \\9,000 for three people
\\11,000 for four people, \\12,500 for five people

Comments

Most of the guests here are traveling alone or in small groups and the number of beds they have is just 20. The owner hopes that guests communicate with each other or exchange information during their stay even if they don’t know each other. There is a lounge on the second floor for guests and they can watch TV, hang out and have a chat with other visitors.

Information

Address: 3-396-2 Gojobashihigashi, Higashiyama-Ku, Kyoto, JAPAN
Zip Code　605-0876
Access: three minutes walk from the bus stop”Gojo-Zaka” and Keihan Gojo station
Tel/Fax: (075)525-2299
Email: [email protected]
HP: http://www.gojo-guest-house.com

Researcher, Kie Yokochi
Tomato is ideal for women who are traveling alone, and people who want to try out many Japanese sento (public bath). The location is very nice and convenient, and you can easily get downtown to the Kawaramachi area and famous places like Kiyomizu-temple. More than half of the guests are women, and 30% of the guests are foreigners from all over the world.

Rates:

Shared room \\2200 per night, \42000 per month
Private room\\2500-\\3500 per night

Comment

Tomato is run by a couple, and the woman is very kind. The rooms are simple, with tatami mat floors, a pair of futons and a toilet. Although you can’t smoke and eat anything in the bedroom, you can do so in the common room. Facilities like TV are located in the common room. At night, guests gather there and enjoy talking together. In the summer, the guests along with the owners, often go down to the Kamo-river to let off fireworks and to cool themselves in the cool evening river breeze.Tomato has a shower room but Ms. Sato, the owner recommends a sento. Five Japanese public baths “sento” are within a five minutes walk from Tomato. They have large bathtubs for soaking away the day’s exertions and a spacious floor area for washing the body. One of them is a Super Sento, which has many types of bath, for example, a hot herbal bath, and a hot water free-fall massage stream. Foreigners often make use of the super sento facilities.

Message from Ms. Sato

I am happy to help you to fold origami, so let’s make difficult shapes of origami together. I’m looking forward to you coming to our Tomato Guest House to enjoy talking, playing, and eating in the common room together.

Information

Address: 108 Yoshino Higashiyama, Kyoto, JAPAN 605-0878
Phone (AM8:30-PM9:00): 075-531-8823
URL: http://pascon.gozaru.jp
E-mail:[email protected]
Two other guest houses which have websites written in English.
✵Guest House Costa del Sol Kyoto
Rate: \\2000 ～ / per person
URL: http://primuss.com/cds/
E-mail: [email protected]
✵Kyoto Cheapest inn
Credit cards are accepted.
Rate: \\1700 ～ (if you bring a sleeping bag, you can stay for only \900 per person)
URL: http://www.kyotofashion.com/kyoto-inn/index.html
E-mail: [email protected]

Ryokan:

A ryokan is a type of traditional Japanese inn. Catering to travelers, they typically feature tatami rooms, a communal bath, and other shared areas where visitors can wear yukata and talk with the owner. Sleeping arrangements are a futon on a tatami mat floor.

Researcher, Kumiko Watanabe
The main characteristic of this inn is that about 80% of the visitors are foreigners, with most of them coming from the USA, Europe and Australia. If you are worried about your Japanese, it’s not a big problem, because the employees can speak simple English. This inn offers only breakfast, so you can chose to eat dinner somewhere outside. Near this inn there are many kind of restaurants, and if you ask, the owner can tell you some restaurants which have English menus.

Facilities

Important points

This inn does not accept credit cards. Please pay in cash.
As the smell clings to the room, please abstain from using too heavy a perfume.

Comment

It is really possible to relax in a calm atmosphere and enjoy the traditional type of Japanese inn here. Another bonus is that the owner is very friendly and kind.
There are two URL for this ryokan. Both of them have an English translation, and there is more information to be found there. Please check these sites if you are interested in this inn.

Owner’s comment

Kyoto is a town which has a traditional culture, so please experience it for yourself. If you have any questions, please send us an e-mail, without reservation, and I will answer in English.

Information

Address: 644 Kagiyatyo Wakamiya Agaru Shichijo Shimogyo-ku Kyoto, 600-8317
Phone:075-371-5538
Fax:075-371-5539
e-mail: [email protected]
URL:http://www5.ocn.ne.jp/~yado432/
http://www.kyoto-shimizu.net/ (English and French)