Hotel Forza Kyoto Shijo Kawaramachi — Hotel in Kyoto

Location: The hotel is situated between Karasuma Station and Kyoto-Kawaramachi Station, on the Hankyu-Kyoto Line. It takes about 6-7 minutes to walk to the Karasuma Station platform and around 8-9 minutes to walk to Shijo Station if you're headed to Kyoto Station. For a 3-year-old, this can feel quite distant, and the walk is always crowded. With a young child in tow, I don’t think this hotel is the most ideal for us. Most of the entrances to Karasuma and Shijo stations either lack escalators or have one-way escalators, with the exception of Entry 19, which has escalators in both directions. Escalators are a luxury in Japan, so it’s great that Entry 19 is equipped with them. Walking down to Shijo station, there are quite some stairs requiring hand-carrying luggage. Room: The room wasn’t very clean; we found some hair on the bedding that didn’t belong to us. However, it did come with a humidifier (a great bonus) and an air purifier. There was no bathtub, but the light proofing was excellent—when we closed all the curtains, it blocked out all daylight, even during the day, which was perfect for us as we’re sensitive to light. The room itself was neither too large nor too small, just right, though it would have been nice to have a desk or a larger table instead of the small round one provided. On the positive side, the hotel offers a cozy canteen lounge in the basement with complimentary coffee and sake (one cup per night per guest), along with tables and chairs for takeaway meals. It’s a comfortable space. The microwave, however, is very slow—expect it to take about twice the recommended time. On the other hand, the coffee is lovely, and I particularly enjoyed the lattes. Staff: Most of the staff we encountered seemed to be just doing their jobs—neither particularly friendly nor rude—typical of a "just-for-paycheck" attitude. However, there was one staff member, SUNG, who went above and beyond to assist me when I needed to change my flight reservation due to my child falling ill. SUNG helped me call multiple ANA phone lines and successfully connected me with the right customer service department. And while I was on the phone with ANA Airlines, crying as I explained my little one was unwell, SUNG quietly placed a tissue box in front of me. It was such a kind and thoughtful gesture—he didn’t want to disturb me but offered exactly what I needed at that moment. Later, SUNG called the Kyoto City Hospital, which has a paediatric department, but unfortunately, they were fully booked that day. He then called several nearby clinics, but none accepted foreigners. He ultimately recommended we go to the emergency room at Kyoto City Hospital. After an examination, the doctor reassured us that my child was on the road to recovery, and there was nothing to worry about. We were so relieved, and I can’t express enough how grateful I am to SUNG. In a foreign country, we experienced warmth and kindness, which will always be a cherished memory. SUNG’s actions were so meaningful and deserve recognition. He should be praised for going far beyond what was expected of him. His compassion and warmth made a significant impact on us, and we will never forget it. It’s not just about doing the job for a paycheck—it's about offering genuine care and support to guests. Small acts of kindness can make a huge difference. As we all travel from around the world to experience Japan’s culture, a little more kindness and tolerance would go a long way. We truly felt the difference in how warm and kind people can be, and it’s something we’ll...

A hotel conveniently connected to the Shijo station and located nearby attractions.

Nearby, you can find a plethora of retail stores, including Nintendo and Pokemon shops, as well as the vibrant Nishiki Market. You can easily walk to the Gion District, take a brisk stroll to Kiyomizu-dera, or meander along the Kamo River. For quick snacks and drinks, both FamilyMart and 7-Eleven are a short walk away, albeit separated by crosswalks. Additionally, there’s an onigiri shop just across the street and numerous nearby restaurants.

The hotel features two entrances/exits. The street-facing entrance on Floor 1 requires you to take an elevator or escalator down to the lobby on B1. From the lobby, another elevator takes you to the hotel rooms. The second entrance/exit, located near the dining area, provides direct access to a pedestrian tunnel to Shijo station, which connects to Kyoto Station that offers access to shinkansen/bullet trains.

The anticipation to explore Kyoto builds with every footstep after you exit your room. Leaving your hotel room, waiting for the elevator, and navigating the lobby feels like a protracted lead-up to the final moment of stepping outside.

The hotel has two elevators: one exclusively between B1 and Floor 1 (street access), and the other connecting the lobby to the guest rooms. If you suddenly begin to regret all that matcha you drank, you will remember the hotel's single elevator from the lobby to your sanctuary.

The dining area is spacious, with numerous tables for relaxation outside of breakfast hours. While there’s a breakfast buffet available for an additional cost, it appeared basic, so I didn’t try it. A complimentary single serving of sake is offered every night from 8PM to 10PM or evening time frame. You must get a ticket from the hotel reception to receive your free sake.

I stayed in a non-smoking room, which I found adequately sized though bordering on “I wish I had a little more.” With two large checked luggages, two typical carry-on luggages, two duffels, and two backpacks, I could still perform a jumping jack without hitting anything. The room included two mini couches (each fitting two people at most) and a small table just big enough for a laptop and a tablet. The fridge effectively kept food and drinks cold. The bathroom has sufficient space, although the sink’s narrow spacing made storing toiletries a bit of a hassle. There were no issues with water temperature in the sink or shower.

The hotel provides a range of amenities, including towels, a hairdryer, electric kettle, shampoo, conditioner, body soap, slippers, and nightwear. Additional toiletries are available in the lobby. Free Wi-Fi is also provided.

The reception staff speaks enough English to assist you. You can email the hotel in advance if you have any questions. Luggage storage is available for early arrivals or late checkouts, and the hotel can handle luggage forwarding (takuhaibin) to deliver your luggage to the next destination.

For my arrival, I took a bus from ITM airport to Kyoto station and then a taxi to the hotel. For my departure, I walked to Shijo station, took the train to Kyoto station, and then the shinkansen to Tokyo.

If the price fits your budget and you need a basic place to rest at night, I would recommend this hotel. It meets the criteria of "I only need a place to rest at night but wouldn’t mind a...

As seems to be common, we found, the service at check-in is totally impersonal, and done by machine. It even produces the room keys. The room was sufficiently large and comfortable. There was a good size bench, big enough to put various items on, and still enough room to sit on it. The bed was comfortable.|The bathroom was a reasonable size. The shower is over the bath. |The television had YouTube channels, which included English language news programmes, music and sports.|The air conditioner was not very powerful; at least the window could be opened, so we were able to get some airflow.|Breakfast has some items matching a ‘Western’ palate, and many Asian items; but I was able to get a good breakfast. However, they were at times slow to restock items, even though there could still be 90 minutes until breakfast finished. There were times when the croissants tray was empty, and the jam containers empty. I had to ask for the hot water tank to be refilled so that I could make tea - though there were shortages of our favourite Earl Grey teabags at times. One occasion I picked up a ‘clean’ plate from the pile and it had something sticky on the bottom which I put my fingers in when I picked up the plate. |The lobby has a coffee machine available 24hrs; nice coffee. Unfortunately no hot tea available (my wife does not drink coffee) - but I found a sink, so filled a cup with water, and used the handy microwave oven to heat up the water - so my wife could have her tea. Would have been so much easier if hot water was readily available to be able to have tea. There is also a dispenser (tokens available from the front desk) dispensing Sake. Many people were having drinks! The breakfast tables are put to good use during the hours outside breakfast; many used the microwave to heat up food and had their meals there at lunch time and in the evening.|The clothes washing machines are very well used — it can be a challenge getting access to a machine! After several attempts, we finally got a machine at 11pm. The drier function is not very efficient, being a two-in-one washer/drier. We used extra drying time, taking us 3.5 hours. We had to go back early next morning at 8am to finish getting them dry - in total, it took us 4.5 hours to do one wash, and get them dry.|Location is excellent, close to the Main Street with lots of shops, and also many lovely side streets to explore. There are also extensive covered pedestrian walkways with lots of restaurants. It is not difficult to get a bus to major historical sites, the bus network is extensive. Close to the hotel is an underground passage with links to the Hankyu line and the Shijo station for the Karasuma line subway - it can be accessed directly from the hotel.|A very good hotel and we highly...