Calligraphy House

The location is handy, about a 20-minute walk from the nearest train station or three bus stops away, and close to sights like Fushimi Inari Shrine. There’s also a 7-Eleven and McDonald’s nearby. Inside, though, the kitchen was very dirty, and there was a musty smell in the room. The shared bathroom and shower smelled really bad as well. The room itself was spacious and comfortable, with a Japanese-style futon on the floor. There’s a washing machine, but guests can’t use it after 9 p.m. The narrow entrance hallway had a noisy floor, and the host wasn’t very friendly in their attitude or manner of speaking.

We booked three nights for three of us, but didn’t spend even one night there. We chose to sleep in our car instead. On the first day, after paying, we realized we couldn’t stay. We asked to cancel the booking and get a refund minus one night’s charge, but the owner simply refused, saying we could cancel if we wanted but there would be no refund. The bad smell hit us as soon as we entered, including in the kitchen and rooms. The sheets and quilts were very old, and the facilities and cleanliness didn’t match what the online listings had led us to expect. The free parking was always occupied because, as far as I could tell, the owner parked there. The owner lives in the attached house, and his family uses the same toilet and washroom. Guests can’t use many kitchen items because the owner locks the shelves and drawers. For things that can’t be locked away, there are notes saying “DONT USE THIS.” The listing pictures also seemed misleading to me, possibly edited or old, and showed areas that had fallen into disrepair. I felt cheated by the gap between what was promised and what we found. I’ve also seen travelers report hidden fees, like a key deposit or kitchen charges that weren’t disclosed when booking. The owner’s response to complaints was dismissive, with little accountability for unclean rooms or broken amenities. Instead, guests got a shrug or a vague promise to look into it. This kind of behavior puts profit ahead of guests and damages the image of budget accommodation. Do your research and watch for warning signs before booking.

The only real plus was being within walking distance of the thousand gate shrine. Everything else made for a horrible stay for me and my two best friends. The owner made us uncomfortable, and we weren’t given the room shown in the listing. It was so cramped that fitting ourselves and our things in was difficult. The beds were inch-thick mats with ancient pillows, and we found them painfully uncomfortable. The bathroom smelled so strongly of urine we had to hold our breath to go in. It looked like it hadn’t had a deep clean in years. We asked for a refund for the first night, but the owner refused and was snarky, without listening to our concerns. We left early and lost money. We felt scammed, because the place looked NOTHING like the pictures. You’d have to be really desperate and on a shoe-string budget to stay here.

Works for a group of 3-4 friends planning a 2-3 day stay in a quiet area.