The Moon of Gion Japanese Inn — Hotel in Kyoto

Lovely little spot in the Gion district of Kyoto. We stayed in a room with two twins that included a tv, sofa, bathroom sink/toilet. You are required to remove your shoes throughout the hotel and keep them at the front. Additionally, whenever you leave, they ask that you give them your room key. Breakfast and dinner are served to you in private rooms (or in your own room if you have booked the appropriate accommodation), and must be within certain windows of time. I believe breakfast was from 7-9am, and dinner was 6-9pm. Personally, we found this a bit restrictive the longer we were there. We stayed for three nights but would recommend keeping it to one or two max. The staff were also very friendly and spoke some English. Shower/bath time was also limited to certain windows of time, though I think some rooms had their own private baths, since our bedroom did not have one, we had to use a public one, though we received a private time slot with which to bathe. The bedroom was kind of dusty, as with most of the Japanese hotels that we stayed at. The room was also a bit dim. At night, there would sometimes be music playing throughout the hotel via their speakers, and on one night, the music kept playing well past midnight. On other nights this was not the case, so maybe it's a manual system that someone forgot to turn off. The meals are delicious with a variety of foods: sashimi, miso soups, hotpots of meat or seafood, rice, picked vegetables, and light desserts. Breakfast normally included a small piece of...

My partner booked this experience for us as a must do in Japan. The package included breakfast and a private bath, which gave us a traditional Japanese dinner and breakfast and a scheduled bath in the evening. While I have nothing to compare this to, personally, it wasn't my thing, and I didn't really enjoy it. The spa bathtubs were spacious and incredibly skin burning hot, which understandably is part of the experience. The floors are all covered in tatami mats. The windows are covered in paper walls. The walls, decor, and lighting are very dark. The place was very, very quiet. The food was authentic, but I didn't enjoy it. If this is the experience that you're looking for, you will probably love this, just be aware first that this is what you are...

We booked this traditional Japanese inn in-person while walking around in the Gion neighborhood. We weren't sure if they are kid-friendly so we asked in-person. They were totally fine with our 8-yr old but had 50% rate for her stay and food (traditional Japanese Kyoto-style food). They also provided her a kid-size bathrobe.

We were also impressed by how clean the hotel is (the staff wiped our luggage wheels before rolled them away in a cart) and how friendly the front office staff are.

We would totally recommend this hotel if you are looking for a family-friendly Japanese Inn to stay while...