Inari Ohan

The room opened right onto a public street, so anyone could come to the door. Since check-in is self-service, we had no way of knowing who the staff were. On our one-night stay, about 5-10 minutes before checkout, we were inside by the door with our things when someone appeared and stood right outside. They didn't knock or say anything. We waited for them to move so we could leave comfortably, but they stayed there. As soon as checkout time arrived, they unlocked the door and walked in. No knock, call, or other message beforehand. I had no idea who was outside, and it was frightening, especially for female travelers, to have someone let themselves in. They just came in and asked, “are you checking out?” because they wanted to clean right away. I have never had an owner barge into a room like that before. Dangerous。This place is not safe。 This was the worst experience in Japan. Stay somewhere else.

There was no parking, so finding a spot and parking took some effort. The room was clean and inexpensive, which made the rest of this disappointing. I visited in February, and the heating barely worked, leaving the room cold. The bathwater was only lukewarm even on the hottest setting, and I caught a cold from the chill.

I stayed at Ango, a detached house built in 2018 with traditional Japanese styling. It has a peaceful feel, with tasteful furnishings and interiors that suit the old capital. You get the privacy of a whole house, though it's self-check-in with no meals or front desk. There's free Wi-Fi, a fully automatic washing machine, and a basic kitchen, but no pajamas or razors. There isn't a parking lot, though several coin-operated ones are nearby. Their prices vary, but I think the cheapest is along the road in front of the police academy, about a minute's walk away.

The mattresses could use an upgrade since they weren't very comfortable, but having a washer and dryer was handy. It's a lovely Japanese-style house, well worth spending a night in, right beside the spectacular Fushimi Inari temple.