Yamazaki — Attraction in Kyoto

A fairly disappointing experience. On my trip to Japan I have tried all kinds of accomodations, from capsule hotels, guesthouses, hostels and temple lodging and I have to say this ryokan was the most disappointing one. This might depend on which room you get, I got a large annex room with Kaiseki dinner. The room was nice and huge, it could easily fit a large family inside, there is a tiny 15" TV, a tea set and that's it. The rooms are divided by locked sliding doors, so you will hear everything that's happening in the other rooms, from snoring to talking of the other guests. The thing that was horrible is the public spaces, they need some serious renovation, I have seen better quality public bathrooms in Japan than in this ryokan.

The first kaiseki dinner was ok (bad for Japanese standards) but it was very good on the second night. The breakfast is ok aswell, but I would opt of having it elsewhere for better quality and price unless you have it included. The experience is also very inconsistent, my friend got a western style breakfast while I got a Japanese style one (which comes with tea), I have asked to have coffee aswell and the first morning they brought us a big pot of coffee for 2, the second morning I was brought a pot for one and an extra cup which I was charged for 200 yen or so.

They have a coin washing machine and dryer, the washing machine for 100yen for half hour, which was the cheapest I've seen around.

The staff is very nice and helpful.

Overall I would recommend to go somewhere else, we had a much more enjoyable and authentic experience in guesthouses and hostels, not only they were significantly cheaper but they were much higher...

I will split my review into multiple parts, but overall, I had a lovely experience.||a) Getting There|It is suggested to have a car or take a taxi to the location if you have large luggage to avoid inconveniencing the locals who take the bus. The taxi fare was about 2,500 yen, depending on road conditions; which is not too different from a longer journey on a train.||b) Ambience|The Ryokan is close to nature, with a running stream of water just next to the compound. At the living compound, there is a mini-garden in Japanese style. These were pleasing to my senses.||c) Room|I had booked the room with a private toilet, which suited my needs. The toilet and shower/bath area are in separate rooms, which is typical in the Japanese style.||The sleeping area is cozy and has ample room for me to put my luggage and personal effects. It is also in the traditional Japanese style, complete with futons.||I am grateful that the futon was already set up for me, as other establishments had a more DIY approach to assembling the futon. I did get some sheepish knocks from other guests mistakenly thinking that the private toilet was a communal space.||There was also a Yukata set for guests to wear during their stay. The inner Yukata seems to be replaced every 2 days by the room cleaning service.||The room cleaning service seems to happen from 9 am to the afternoon, and there is no 'do not disturb' sign, so be sure to inform the staff beforehand or to talk to the staff when they do come in to clean, if you wish to be left alone.||The workspace provided has ample space for 2 people.||There are also some useful guides on interesting places in Kyoto placed in the room, albeit in Japanese. Nothing that Google Translate can't help with.||There is also a TV for local Japanese programs, hot water for tea, and a tea set. Travelers should not hesitate to ask for help from the friendly staff for assistance on how to make their own tea.||Hot water was refilled by the daily room service staff.||d) Service and Interactions|While some staff can understand English, speaking Japanese got me a better standard of service in my opinion. Some staff may not be confident in their English and feel more at ease when speaking Japanese. Though they do still make an effort to understand your needs if you can only communicate in English.||e) Food|Exploring Kyoto requires a lot of calories, and that's what the kitchen in Ryokan Yamazaki made sure I had no shortage of. They also made sure that there were no repeats of the dinner menu, which I appreciate. I also liked that I did not have to spend time choosing what to eat, as the staff had already prepared the meals according to the season for me.||I had booked 5 nights but had a flight to catch on the 5th day. The Ryokan was kind enough to offer either a refund or lunch. I mentioned that I was taking the Shinkansen back to Tokyo for my flight, and to my pleasant surprise, I had a delicious Ekiben made for my Shinkansen ride.||I had also requested the Ryokan to help with calling a taxi to go back to Kyoto Station, which they helped with.||Conclusion:|I had very positive feelings about my stay with Ryokan Yamazaki. I am grateful to the staff for making my stay such a wonderful experience.||The following are the same comments, but in Japanese.||私のレビューを複数の部分に分けますが、全体的に素敵な経験でした。||a) アクセス|大きな荷物がある場合は、バスを利用する地元の方々に迷惑をかけないように、車かタクシーを利用することがおすすめです。タクシー料金は道路状況により2,500円ほどで、電車での長い旅行とあまり変わりません。||b) 雰囲気|旅館は自然に近く、敷地のすぐそばには流れる水があります。生活エリアには日本風のミニ庭園もあり、これらは私の感覚に心地よかったです。||c) お部屋|私は専用トイレのついた部屋を予約しましたが、これは私のニーズに合っていました。トイレとシャワー/バスエリアは別々の部屋にあり、これは日本のスタイルでよくあることです。||寝室は居心地がよく、私の荷物や個人のアイテムを置くのに十分なスペースがあります。また、伝統的な日本スタイルで、布団も完備されています。||ふとんがすでに用意されていたことに感謝しています。他の宿ではふとんを組み立てるのがDIY的なアプローチだったので。私は他の宿泊者から、専用トイレが共同スペースだと勘違いされ、少し照れくさいノックを受けました。||滞在中には浴衣セットも用意されており、部屋の清掃サービスによって2日ごとに内側の浴衣が交換されるようです。||部屋の清掃サービスは午前9時から午後まで行われており、 'ドント・ディスターブ'のサインはありませんので、一人にされたい場合は事前にスタッフに伝えるか、清掃が入る際にスタッフに話しかけるようにしてください。||提供されるワークスペースには2人分の十分なスペースがあります。||部屋には日本語で書かれた京都の興味深い場所に関する便利なガイドもあります。Google翻訳で助けがないわけではありません。||また、地元の日本の番組のためのテレビ、お茶のためのお湯、お茶セットもあります。旅行者はお茶を入れる方法についてスタッフに助けを求めるのをためらわないでください。||お湯は毎日の部屋のサービススタッフによって補充されます。||d) サービスと対話|スタッフの中には英語が理解できる者もいますが、私の意見では日本語で話すとより良いサービスを受けることができました。スタッフの中には英語に自信を持たない者もいて、日本語で話すとより安心することがあるかもしれません。ただし、英語でしかコミュニケーションが取れない場合でも、スタッフはあなたのニーズを理解しようと努力しています。||e)...

Earlier this year, we decided to go to Japan, and we thought that it would be a traditional experience to stay in a ryokan. So, we found this; a traditional(or so it looked), reasonably priced ryokan. We thought, “ What’s the worst that could happen? It might be really simple, but it should be clean, right?” Turns out we were very, very wrong. First off, we exited the train station to catch the bus going toward the ryokan. The bus service there is really bad, so like a bus leaving now wouldn’t leave now, but a few minutes earlier, or later. Luckily, taxis are very easy to spot and very friendly. But they are costly. It is very hard to get in and out of this place. After we arrived, we were greeted by... nobody at the front desk. Luckily, an employee noticed us and checked us in, no problem. They gave us the keys and we went inside. Our original room was on top of a set of stairs, but was changed. We walked inside the new room, and instantly we saw the bathroom, dirt on the floor like it had been rotting for weeks. EEEEEWWWW! But, we had to settle down here, and the breakfast was not great at all! If I were you, I would only get the english breakfast. Overall, horrible stay, horrible staff, and no sense of cleanliness AT ALL. Don’t settle for reasonably priced in Kyoto.

I apologize if this review was too long to read, but a lot has to be said about...