Kyoto Machiya Saikyo-Inn

The one thing that bothered us was how little privacy there was from the neighbors. Otherwise, it was a typical stay in a traditional Japanese house, with tatami mats and futons, and the location wasn't too bad.

The place was comfortable overall, with a nice-looking exterior, a clean interior that didn't feel cramped, and a generally pleasant stay. But we'd booked for three, and only two sets of bedding and toothbrushes had been left. Luckily, we found extra bedding and bath towels in the closet and got those ourselves, though we had to buy toothbrushes at a nearby convenience store. The creamer in the welcome coffee had gone solid. It was also inconvenient that there wasn't a caretaker nearby and things weren't brought over right away when we contacted them.

We stayed two days in Sakura, the smallest room, and found it much bigger and cleaner than expected. The tatami room was cozy, and it was handy to have dishes, a single burner induction stove, a washing machine, and detergent. The bathroom was roomy too, with a tub large enough for someone 160cm tall to stretch their legs out. Buses came often, and Kinkaku-ji Temple, Arashiyama, and the Tokyo Movie Park were all within a 20-minute bus ride. Cars can't come in, though, so taxis have to drop you on the nearest main street. Uber seemed hard to find and our ride was quite late. We checked in after dark and couldn't see the building name, which was written in calligraphy on a wooden board. The shampoo bottles and others were sticky, and there was a lot of dust on the inside lid of the washing machine. There was soap and water, but I would have liked fabric softener, and the towels were quite stiff. That's why I took off one star.

Clean rooms with a bathroom and kitchen made it easy to relax and enjoy the stay.