JP INN Kyoto Ekikita Gakurincho

Everything was very clean and organized, with detailed directions for sorting rubbish. The room had basically everything we needed, though it wasn’t spacious and the pillow was a bit uncomfortable. Laundry is free, and they provide laundry balls. Highly recommend for a nice stay in Kyoto.

The free washing machines are really handy, and they also provide detergent and drying racks. This place feels more like a rented apartment than a hotel, so whether it suits you depends on what you’re after. I had a good stay and would come back, though the staff hours were odd. The person who checked me in was friendly and relaxed, but I never saw anyone else. Staff are there from 2pm to 9pm. You can call them, but I’d feel more comfortable with people on site during normal hours. The room was a good size, with enough space to stretch or exercise. The bathroom was clean, but the room itself was a bit dusty, especially the tabletop, the top of the fridge, and the microwave. Towels were thin but usable, and amenities are provided at reception. I’m not sure why everything needs to be wrapped individually in plastic; it seems wasteful. The Kyoto trash sorting rules felt a little overwhelming, though you may be used to this kind of separation depending on where you’re from. The location is about a 15-minute walk at a decent pace from Kyoto main station. With heavy bags or more than one, a one-off taxi ride wouldn’t cost that much. The area is quiet in the evenings.

The garbage sorting system is very meticulous, and if you’re not from Japan it can feel like a lot. Still, it’s nice to be able to sort things for the environment, since many hotels don’t let you do that. Each room has a folder explaining how to sort rubbish and use the amenities, including the air purifier and AC. Everything is explained in English, which helped a lot. The place was clean and well kept, with lots of amenities and a shared laundry room. The staff are very nice.

We arrived by taxi around noon and found a sign saying the place was closed. That was an unpleasant surprise. Another guest explained that check-in wasn’t until 4 pm and we couldn’t leave our bags there either. The taxi driver was still around, luckily, as this is a quiet area with no taxis or metro/bus nearby. We went back to the station to find luggage storage, but it took some searching to find a free spot. Around 2pm we received a message saying we could check in. We tried to get our bags right away, but got lost in the station and spent an hour looking for them. Then we took a taxi back, since walking 20 minutes with luggage didn’t sound appealing. There were long lines at the taxi stand again. Check-in took a while because the receptionist had to go through a whole booklet of rules. It felt like you weren’t allowed to do anything, and they said they’d kick you out without warning. Warnings were posted in the elevator, room, and hall. The WiFi didn’t work at all. The toilet was dirty, with leftovers from other guests. There was no service. We had to pick up our own towels, which were wrapped in plastic and created unnecessary waste. We would have liked to give this feedback face to face, but we didn’t see a receptionist after checking in. We also didn’t like the neighborhood, with no restaurants or metro nearby. Kyoto Station is a 20-minute walk away. This was the poorest hotel we stayed at in Japan, out of 10 on our trip. The room was a nice size, though, and had a fridge and microwave. The bed was OK for us.