We were hoping that this was in the historical Gion district. We got that. It was only a 5-8 minute walk to the massive Hōkan-ji Temple (Yasaka Pagoda). We even got to see it at sunset. Diner and buses super close by. Got to walk to the touristy Gion area and felt safe enough to leave our teenager back at the ryokan. Was some nearby building construction going, but we never heard it inside. There seemed to be another group there, and quite enough we never heard them either. Im a hobby woodworker and neat to see some Kimiko windows in the entry.

Wish the access to the bathroom was though our room wall, not in the common area. It was our private bath. Just a thing, not really a bad thing.

This lovely ryokan stay gave you a traditional experience and convenient access to many attractions. Train stations and bus stops are in short walking distances. Basically, it is a shared house. You share the bathroom with another room on the same floor and share other facilities with other guests. If you travel in a large group, this could be a place for you. Luckily I was the only guest during the two nights so I had the quiet house all for myself and had no privacy issues. There are lots of necessary instructions provided. In my case I met the housekeeper who let me in on the first day. The room and the facilities were comfortable and in good conditions. I had no problem sleeping on the traditional mattress for a couple of days. So in general, it was a pleasant stay.

There was no actual staff on site. You got to communicate with an english speaking staff through booking.com message or email. So do not expect the super flexible time for check-in, check-out or luggage deposit like many standard hotels. If you have large luggages you might find the stairs quite steep and narrow though. Please also note that the shown price exclude JPY 5,000 cleaning fee. Check-out time is 10:00 which you can ask for free luggage deposit until 11:00. After that there are extra charges per hour for storages. (I would recommend luggage lockers at Gion-Shijo station or Kyoto station.)

The location was great and very clean

Other guests were loud after 11pm

Fantastic location, well connected to all the major transport links such as Keihan railway or buses. Clean, cosy traditional Japanese house. We really loved our stay here, the vibe was immaculate.

The AC did not work properly - basically when we needed heating it did not function.