Yamabana Heihachi Jaya — Restaurant in Kyoto

What can you say about an inn with a thousand year history? The building has stood for hundreds of years and the owner's family has run the property for over 400 years. Heihachi Jaya is even mentioned in some classic Japanese poems. The location is in the outskirts of Kyoto on the banks of the Kamogawa River. The entrance is a classic wooden arch. The inner courtyard has trees and a flowing stream. The mens bathroom is built over the stream with some glass floor tiles so you can look into the stream. There is a clay sauna and communal hot tub. The two nights (Saturday and Sunday) we were there we had it all to ourselves. Staff speak English to varying degrees, and communication was not a problem.||||The rooms are traditional, with tatami mats and wooden sliding screens. You sleep on futons. There is a toilet and sink in each room. Guests staying here receive breakfast and dinner. Meals are served in your room. The food is excellent Kyoto high cuisine. The waitresses wear kimonos and wooden clogs. Each room looks out onto the river, with a steep wooded hill on the other side. The place oozes charm. It is also quite expensive.||||However, there were a number of small issues. First, the latest you can start dinner is 7:00 pm, which seems early given that the website says the restaurant is open until 9:30 and we were always finished by 8:30. Second, our room had incorrect information on the wifi which prevented us from using it until the first morning. Third, on our second night the power kept switching on and off in some of the outlets, and the wifi went down. Fourth, the staff did not seem familiar with the Japanese system of sending luggage on to hotels in other towns, though they did try to help. Fifth, the wooden clogs they provide were too small for us and we do not have large feet by American standards. Sixth, the main fluorescent light in our room did not fit in with the overall charm of the place. Finally, although the food was generally delicious and the service excellent, the variety was not as great as one might have liked and only one or two courses of each multi-course meal had the delicate and artful arrangements that typify high Kyoto cuisine. (There are several levels of dinner pricing. We had the second most expensive one night and the cheapest on the other night, but frankly did not see much difference.)||||We note that there was construction going on in the river during our stay. Work occurs weekdays from 8:30 am. (We left on Monday morning so we don't know what time it stops.) We don't know how much longer that will be the case and we did not factor it...

We visited this gem on the recommendation of some friends almost 20 years ago. It was our first experience at a ryokan. It was dreamlike then and remains so. ||||The property dates from the 16th century according to their descriptions and the proprietors are the 21st generation of the same family owners.||||We took the train and then a 2km taxi ride and upon arriving the staff slowly comes out to greet you at the gate. The property is on a river and the constant rush of the water is an integral part of the aura. We made sure to arrive in plenty of time to enjoy the property, wander around in our yukatas and getta, relax in the onsen prior to our kaiseki dinner. During our first visit we were late arriving and tired from travel and sites that we did not take full advantage of the atmosphere. That was not going to happen again.||||The rooms are very typical ryokan and overlook the river. Our room had a toilet and sink where the property onsen served as the shower facilities complete with dry sauna, spacious shower and hot tub facilities and all of the necessary supplies. Enjoying the heat and water is a must prior to the enchanting and astonishing meal.||||Each course, as to be expected, was a single work of art to be admired first and then consumed. As we were a group of four, the meal was not served in our room but in a separate room with western style chairs so we were not on the floor (whew). ||||Perfectly paced and lovingly served, the dinner was a classic presentation from another time.||||Remembering the age of this property, the luxury is in the environment and charm but since there was a chill in the air, covering up in those comforters for a good sleep was a treat. A gentle rain during the night just added to the event.||||The next morning we had our tradition ryokan breakfast with coffee being an option in addition to plenty of tea options. Our hosts called for a taxi back to the train and in their kimonos waited for the cab and bade us farewell.||||If you are looking for absolute luxurious comfort this might not be the place for you. But the quiet spirit, the delicate care from the staff as well as the enchantment in this hideaway is a genuine escape and a...

We visited this gem on the recommendation of some friends almost 20 years ago. It was our first experience at a ryokan. It was dreamlike then and remains so. ||||The property dates from the 16th century according to their descriptions and the proprietors are the 21st generation of the same family owners.||||We took the train and then a 2km taxi ride and upon arriving the staff slowly comes out to greet you at the gate. The property is on a river and the constant rush of the water is an integral part of the aura. We made sure to arrive in plenty of time to enjoy the property, wander around in our yukatas and getta, relax in the onsen prior to our kaiseki dinner. During our first visit we were late arriving and tired from travel and sites that we did not take full advantage of the atmosphere. That was not going to happen again.||||The rooms are very typical ryokan and overlook the river. Our room had a toilet and sink where the property onsen served as the shower facilities complete with dry sauna, spacious shower and hot tub facilities and all of the necessary supplies. Enjoying the heat and water is a must prior to the enchanting and astonishing meal.||||Each course, as to be expected, was a single work of art to be admired first and then consumed. As we were a group of four, the meal was not served in our room but in a separate room with western style chairs so we were not on the floor (whew). ||||Perfectly paced and lovingly served, the dinner was a classic presentation from another time.||||Remembering the age of this property, the luxury is in the environment and charm but since there was a chill in the air, covering up in those comforters for a good sleep was a treat. A gentle rain during the night just added to the event.||||The next morning we had our tradition ryokan breakfast with coffee being an option in addition to plenty of tea options. Our hosts called for a taxi back to the train and in their kimonos waited for the cab and bade us farewell.||||If you are looking for absolute luxurious comfort this might not be the place for you. But the quiet spirit, the delicate care from the staff as well as the enchantment in this hideaway is a genuine escape and a...