Saju Kyoto 茶住京都 — Hotel in Kyoto

Excellent accomodation, very central in a quiet area, short walks to bus and underground stations. Very good vintage kimono shop just on the opposite site of the street, few minutes walk for a supermarket, coin laundry and konbinis. Also many shopping streets nearby.

Freshly Made matcha as a welcome as well as other nice activities are offered.

We had a 3-futon/6-tatami room, very clean and well fitted, charming wood and soil style, bathroom is small as is typical for Japan but also very clean and nice overall. Futons we're very comfortable with a 2 day changing-cycle of the linings for 3+ nights, even mail reminder for the days and time.

One thing to keep in mind: like they say on their website (i think), the staircase is quite narrow and steep, as the building too, like many others, is compact. No problem even with a medium/large standard suitcase though.

Lots of helpful recommendations and tips in the info booklet. Useful items and nice yukata for rent at request.

The staff we met was superbly friendly and helpful, really top notch, very good english too. Just excellent.

Will definitely come again if we ever visit...

We had an incredible stay in this ryokan! I really wanted to experience a traditional stay during my trip to Japan and Saju exceeded my expectations. They were fully booked so we only were able to stay for one night. If you ever see an opening here, even just for one night, I HIGHLY recommend you take it! Mia was the loveliest host, and my dad and I were sad that we were only able to stay for one night because she made the place feel so inviting. The rooms were beautiful and clean. We were able to take part in a tea ceremony (although we weren’t able to do it upon checking in, Mia assured us she could do it for us whenever we liked, even after we had officially checked out). I also got to do a free sake tasting and a tea tasting - Mia answered all my questions and clearly knew a lot about both. There was also a fan painting activity which I would have loved if I had more time in Kyoto. These activities were all so intentionally curated, truly designed to give travelers a taste of Kyoto from people who really love sharing their culture with us. This has been my favorite hotel stay thus far and I would 100% stay...

Exceptional Stay

We spent four nights at Saju Kyoto and had a truly outstanding experience. The location is absolutely perfect — central, convenient, and within walking distance of many highlights in Kyoto. The hotel is exceptionally clean, and we loved the beautiful interior design and the thoughtful, refined concept throughout the property.

What made our stay truly unforgettable was the remarkable service. A special thank you goes to Mia and Nishmi at the front desk. Mia welcomed us with great warmth and even performed a Matcha ceremony upon our arrival — a beautiful and memorable start to our stay. Nishmi hosted an excellent Sake tasting, guiding us through the flavors with great enthusiasm. She was also incredibly helpful when it came to shipping our luggage, making the process smooth and stress-free.

Thanks to Mia and Nishmi, we felt genuinely cared for and completely at home. Their kindness and professionalism elevated our stay and made it truly special. We are deeply grateful and would return to Saju Kyoto...