Ishicho Shogikuen — Local services in Kyoto

Visited Kyoto at the peak of cherry blossom season so most of the rated hotels were either fully booked or overpriced. This review is marked taking firmly into consideration that we paid 140,000 Yen for 4 nights. So it wasn't cheap.||It had been nearly 8 years since I last stayed in a ryokan. A ryokan stay is something that you have to do at least once if you are visiting Japan for the first time. There's not much you can say about a ryokan room other than size as they tend to be relatively basic, minimalist, and utilitarian spaces. What sets a good one apart from others are the staff, amenities and location. A ryokan will not be everyone's cup of tea (especially futons which I personally find uncomfortable). ||Ishicho is located a block away from the main road surrounded by concrete residences. It's nothing to look at from the outside. Once you are in the furnishings look a little shabby and dated. The staff were very courteous and helpful (we lost a mobile phone during our stay and the staff helped us to retrieve it). Our room had the standard tatami floors, was clean and big enough for a family of 4. There was nothing outstanding to note. The garden faced out into a multi story concrete block. ||What goes in Ishicho's favour is its location. Plenty of top tourist attractions are within a relatively short 10-15 minute walk including Pontocho, Gion, Imperial palace, and Nijojo castle to name a few. The nearest underground station (Kyoto Shiyakusho Mae) takes just over a 5 minute walk to get to. So it is a great place to base yourself to see the sites and connect with the train network.||The ryokan also has good sento (communal bath not using natural hot spring water (not an onsen)) facility. There are 3 sento rooms - 2 small ones in the basement level and one large one on the ground floor. The sento was always quiet every evening during my stay, with no more than 2 others sharing the bath. During my stay the one on the ground floor was designated for women whilst the basement for men. Always a very pleasant way to finish the evening.||Overall, this is a nice standard ryokan. But it is not worth 35,000 Yen per night. However, if you manage to get a good deal and get this for half the price we paid, or close enough to that figure, then this would better reflect the standard of this hotel. There are better...

Location was in a good location and close to many restaurants. The room itself was larger than most places in the area and it had a nice little sitting area facing the garden decorated patio. There was four of us (2 adults and 2 kids) and we fit perfectly fine. It did have a private bathroom however it was very dated with a deep tub that had mildew around the tiles that surround it.||||Our stay had an option for us to add a breakfast buffet which we did. The food was average. The selection was very limited and the steamed fish that was served was overcooked and dry.||||A suggestion that I'd like to offer to help this establishment improve is to better explain some of the expectations to folks that have never experienced a stay at a ryokan. For example, we were given house slippers but we had no idea that these were to be used not only for your room but to be used throughout the common areas including the dining area where the breakfast was served. In addition, they had a self served water table but did not tell us where it was. We happened to find it by chance while walking around trying to find the elevator that led to the dining area. It would have been helpful to also take us to where the bath areas were located.||||In summary: This ryokan is severely overpriced. The overall lobby and dining decor was very dated and not in an old charming way. The carpet and wall paper appeared to be something from the 80s. The staff could be more...

Location was in a good location and close to many restaurants. The room itself was larger than most places in the area and it had a nice little sitting area facing the garden decorated patio. There was four of us (2 adults and 2 kids) and we fit perfectly fine. It did have a private bathroom however it was very dated with a deep tub that had mildew around the tiles that surround it.||||Our stay had an option for us to add a breakfast buffet which we did. The food was average. The selection was very limited and the steamed fish that was served was overcooked and dry.||||A suggestion that I'd like to offer to help this establishment improve is to better explain some of the expectations to folks that have never experienced a stay at a ryokan. For example, we were given house slippers but we had no idea that these were to be used not only for your room but to be used throughout the common areas including the dining area where the breakfast was served. In addition, they had a self served water table but did not tell us where it was. We happened to find it by chance while walking around trying to find the elevator that led to the dining area. It would have been helpful to also take us to where the bath areas were located.||||In summary: This ryokan is severely overpriced. The overall lobby and dining decor was very dated and not in an old charming way. The carpet and wall paper appeared to be something from the 80s. The staff could be more...