Oyado Ishicho — Hotel in Kyoto

We got there before the 3pm check in taking a taxi from Kyoto station on JR. The large taxi cost about 3030 yen. It's located on a little side street. Using your GPS will help navigate. Front desk personnel have limited English but are very nice. We left our luggage in the lobby while we went out to explore. They tied the suitcases together with a string. We came to experience the traditional ryokan. Everything was basic. The little handbook was a nice touch - it showed how to use the public bath in the basement and the rest of the room. One elevator goes to the basement and both close the doors as soon as you press a button so beware laggards behind. You can hear people outside in the hall. |The public bath provides soap, shampoo and conditioner. It lacks lotion which you'll need in the winter because it's very dry. You can buy some nearby. There are two baths each for men and women. Bring your towels and yukata from the room and leave your valuables in the safe. You leave your clothes in baskets while bathing. |We walked to Nishiki Market to look around and find something for dinner. |We had the Japanese breakfast that is served in the basement. Wear your yukata and slippers. Find your table with your name on the tag and the food is already laid out for you. The ladies will bring your miso soup and light the fire for the tofu soup. |We made a lot of tea and enjoyed the snacks they put in the room in the afternoon. |We had to check out early before the breakfast sessions so they prepared bentos and cans of tea for us to take on the road. |Overall a nice evening with...

We got there before the 3pm check in taking a taxi from Kyoto station on JR. The large taxi cost about 3030 yen. It's located on a little side street. Using your GPS will help navigate. Front desk personnel have limited English but are very nice. We left our luggage in the lobby while we went out to explore. They tied the suitcases together with a string. We came to experience the traditional ryokan. Everything was basic. The little handbook was a nice touch - it showed how to use the public bath in the basement and the rest of the room. One elevator goes to the basement and both close the doors as soon as you press a button so beware laggards behind. You can hear people outside in the hall. |The public bath provides soap, shampoo and conditioner. It lacks lotion which you'll need in the winter because it's very dry. You can buy some nearby. There are two baths each for men and women. Bring your towels and yukata from the room and leave your valuables in the safe. You leave your clothes in baskets while bathing. |We walked to Nishiki Market to look around and find something for dinner. |We had the Japanese breakfast that is served in the basement. Wear your yukata and slippers. Find your table with your name on the tag and the food is already laid out for you. The ladies will bring your miso soup and light the fire for the tofu soup. |We made a lot of tea and enjoyed the snacks they put in the room in the afternoon. |We had to check out early before the breakfast sessions so they prepared bentos and cans of tea for us to take on the road. |Overall a nice evening with...

My draw to this place was the reasonable price and the fact that you can reserve a room with a private toilet and bath. They have separate men/women communal baths (onsen) which are traditional and part of the ryokan experience, but not everyone in my family was comfortable enough to use it. The rooms and facilities were very clean and staff were friendly & helpful (they speak minimal English). My kids loved the tatami room and sleeping on the futons (the staff come in the evening to make the futon beds). Traditional to ryokans, they provide yukatas (japanese clothing) that you can wear around the room or facilities. As far as food, we were unfortunately unable to experience dinner in our room because we had not reserved in advance, but we had japanese breakfast in the dining room (buffet style), which was delicious. The selections were exactly what I had hoped for and brought me back to the kind of breakfasts my family would make in Japan. We took a taxi to and from Kyoto station and it cost about 1800 yen each way. A great...