Musubi-an Gion Kamogawa Guest House

The food tastes good.

The neighborhood is lively, with a 24-hour supermarket close by, but our stay had some real drawbacks. We didn't see any hotel staff after check-in during either of our two nights, and the first-floor coffee shop was closed, so there was no breakfast there, though the shop next door does sell it. The elevator only works while the coffee shop is open, so think twice if you're bringing large luggage. Worse, when we came back on our second day, the key to the whole building had been left in our door. Thankfully, it didn't seem like there were other guests when we checked in.

You may need to pick up whatever essentials you need at a nearby shop. The building stays locked outside the cafe's hours, payment is cash only, and some basic amenities are missing. Staff apparently aren't usually around after 7 PM, and renting a towel costs 200 yen, more than I've ever paid for one.

The location works really well for sightseeing. It's a cute cafe on the first floor, with the guesthouse upstairs on the second.