Wakamiya — Hotel in Kyoto

We stayed here for 3 nights in early April 2014 as part of a 2 week trip visiting Japan. This is a city-based traditional ryokan so please don't expect a western style room with Japanese flare. It is in a central location less than 10 minutes walk from Kyoto Station. On arrival, we were warmly greeted by a gentleman at reception who spoke little english but it was enough to convey the relevant information. A few minutes after being shown to our room, we had a maid at the door with a hot towel which was well received after carrying our bags from the station. You also get a hot towel delivered to your room each time you return each afternoon / evening of your stay which is a nice touch. We were in a room on the 6th floor which overlooked the main road outside the ryokan. Within the room, there are a few other nice touches including complimentary toothbrushes, razors, shower caps and robes. There is a decent sized fridge, safety deposit box and Wi-Fi in the room. Outside there are convenience stores close by as as well as local eateries where you can get tasty traditional food at low prices. As other reviews have stated, it is a traditional Japanese breakfast and there is no western option so breakfast consists of many small dishes including soup, stew, pickled vegetables, grilled fish, rice and green tea. We paid £118 per night B&B which sounds expensive but it is central Kyoto and we booked fairly late for cherry blossom season. Also, how often are you going to get to experience something like this – it is certainly worth it for a couple of nights in our opinion.||||We'd like to make you aware of a few things:||Take ear plugs to block out the noise from road outside the ryokan.||There is no black out blind so we'd recommend taking an eye mask. ||There is little space for storing your luggage / baggage – there is only half height cupboard.||You sleep on a futon on the floor so it is quite firm but not uncomfortable. As it is a futon, it is quite short so if you are over 6 feet tall your feet will probably stick...

My husband and I stayed here 3 nights in late March, after spending a week in traditional guest houses throughout Japan. The place was clean, with an en-suite bathroom which was cool (almost like an airplane bathroom but with a tub and shower). The futon's were great and the front desk which didn't speak any English at all, tried to be really helpful and friendly !!! For location you can't beat it, around terrific restaurants and the Kyoto Tower and Kyoto train station. Now be advised when you purchase breakfast- it's a traditional Japanese breakfast- which I had been eating for about a week, it may not be everyone's cup of tea, it's fish, rice, pickles, miso soup and tea.. they don't have western options. I enjoyed it a few times, but must admit that by this point in my trip I was craving a little cereal! But that's just me.. I did not understand this when I booked and so we didn't eat the meal, though it was charged on our plan. We (sad to admit) ended up at the Delifrance cafe round the corner every morning and had these amazing chocolate bun things every day, not particularly Japanese, (nor very healthy) but dang they tasted great! The hotel did have great, free wifi, and a onsen (public bath) which I didn't use. If you only get one chance to stay in a traditional guest house, you should do it. It's a far different style then a Western hotel but it's fun and...

It is just one room. You have to sleep on the floor obviously, so if you are not get used to it you will be extremely tired the next day. My impression- it is horrible and not cause of little room and bathroom but cause all of it is dirty! There is a horrible smell in the toilet and we found a huge blood spot on the blanket. We payed 80€ per night 1 person and it doesn't worth at all...|If you stay here prepare for the breakfast cause it will be a real challenge for your stomach. No international food. Just raw fish and green tea. |The only thing that a visitor can find interesting is a kimono that they kindly supply to your room.|Really it would be great experience if this place was a hostel for 20€ per night but like this it' s not...