Tofukuji Riverside 東福寺リバーサイド — Hotel in Kyoto

When we arrived around 10 pm, there was no one at the reception and no check-in instructions, even though we booked through Agoda. We messaged the property multiple times and got no response at all. We had to spam Agoda’s customer support and wait over 30 minutes just to wait for the check in details.

When we finally entered, the room had a strong smell of mold and there was dust everywhere. The air felt damp and unclean. The pan in the kitchen was covered in mold — absolutely disgusting. We were starving, so we washed and boiled it several times just to cook instant noodles once, and then didn’t cook again for the rest of the stay.

To make it worse, Agoda required us to pay a “hotel tax” separately at check in, and I had to use my credit card, but since I’m currently using a Japanese number, the OTP couldn’t be sent to my phone — I ended up asking my friend to pay it for me. Completely ridiculous.

I booked this place quite close to my travel date, so it was the only one available near the station, and I thought it’d be convenient. The location is indeed strategic, with a station nearby and a takeaway food stall open late, but that’s literally the only good thing.

I guess I got fooled by the “8.6 Excellent” reviews on Agoda — they’re completely misleading. Check Google reviews instead and you’ll see what this place is really like.

Overall, this was the worst stay of my entire trip.

Seriously, for the hotel owner or management, if you’re reading this — renovate your rooms properly. This place actually has potential because of its great location, but right now it’s in horrible condition. Clean the rooms, fix the mold problem, and at least make sure guests can check in without going...

Avoid This Place – Nightmare Experience||I wouldn’t even give this place one star if I could! We booked this stay through Hotels.com and paid everything in full a month in advance. After a long day exploring Nara and Uji, we arrived at the hotel at 7:50 pm with our 9-year-old son, only to find there was no receptionist or staff to assist with check-in. The only contact was via email, and they responded saying we hadn’t been given access codes because we supposedly owed some fee, attaching an unsafe link for payment.||This was extremely frustrating as we had already paid in full through Hotels.com. After contacting Hotels.com, they confirmed there were no outstanding fees. Despite this, this place insisted we pay again to receive the passcode to enter the room. We reluctantly agreed, only to find the online payment link they provided didn’t work! Their "solution" was to ask us to walk 3 km to drop off cash. Seriously?! In a foreign country, with a young child, late at night—it was beyond ridiculous.||We even offered to leave the money in the lockbox the next morning, but they refused to help until we paid. After hours of back-and-forth, they finally sent us the passcode to enter, but it didn’t work. We were stuck outside the hotel with no help until nearly 11 pm, exhausted and frustrated. With no other option, we had to leave and find another hotel for the night.||This place is a total scam, with zero customer service or basic human decency. Do yourself a favor and avoid this place at all costs! I absolutely do not recommend staying here—as you will experience your worst nightmare...

Avoid This Place – Nightmare Experience

I wouldn’t even give this place one star if I could! We booked this stay through Hotels.com and paid everything in full a month in advance. After a long day exploring Nara and Uji, we arrived at the hotel at 7:50 pm with our 9-year-old son, only to find there was no receptionist or staff to assist with check-in. The only contact was via email, and they responded saying we hadn’t been given access codes because we supposedly owed some fee, attaching an unsafe link for payment.

This was extremely frustrating as we had already paid in full through Hotels.com. After contacting Hotels.com, they confirmed there were no outstanding fees. Despite this, this place insisted we pay again to receive the passcode to enter the room. We reluctantly agreed, only to find the online payment link they provided didn’t work! Their "solution" was to ask us to walk 3 km to drop off cash. Seriously?! In a foreign country, with a young child, late at night—it was beyond ridiculous.

We even offered to leave the money in the lockbox the next morning, but they refused to help until we paid. After hours of back-and-forth, they finally sent us the passcode to enter, but it didn’t work. We were stuck outside the hotel with no help until nearly 11 pm, exhausted and frustrated. With no other option, we had to leave and find another hotel for the night.

This place is a total scam, with zero customer service or basic human decency. Do yourself a favor and avoid this place at all costs! I absolutely do not recommend staying here—as you will experience your worst nightmare...