Rinn Gion Yasaka South KIKYO

Best place I stayed during my Japan trip! One small thing: they hand out individual shampoo cups at their center and say there won’t be any in the house, but the house already had all those amenities and maybe more. It felt wasteful to take the plastic cups when there was a big shampoo bottle there. That said, other hotels we stayed at had really bad shampoo and conditioner, so I used the products from Rinn kyoto for my other baths and they gave my hair proper hydration the cheap conditioners couldn’t. Also, the cucumber is there to show that the fridge works. Don’t be scared by it.

Gion was a perfect base, with Yasaka Shrine right next door and Chion-in, Shorenin, Kodaiji and Kiyomizu-dera all within walking distance. Bus stops and train stations for reaching the rest of Kyoto’s sights, including Villa Katsura and Uji, are only a few minutes away, with at most one transfer. The renovated two-storey machiya sits on a quiet street. Downstairs there’s a small kitchen, living room, bathroom, separate toilet and washing machine. Upstairs are two rooms, each with two futon beds.

Getting around Kyoto on foot was easy, and I could reach several sights without much trouble. The Machiya sits in the middle of the city's historic area, with calm surroundings. I loved how the traditional feel and modern comforts came together, and the place felt cozy while still having plenty of room.

I booked three nights in Japan with my girlfriend, but a typhoon struck just three days before we were due to fly. Shinkansen service was shut down and flights were cancelled. We asked for a refund, and customer service said they would only refund us if the Shinkansen had not been running on the day we made the booking. On our arrival day, my girlfriend's grandmother was hospitalized. We explained that too, but they showed no concern and refused to refund us. There was nothing available when we asked to move the booking to another day. After firmly denying any refund, they then asked us for proof of the hospitalization, which felt deeply disrespectful. This was my first trip to Japan, and the customer service was incredibly disappointing, zero out of five. If an emergency comes up, you'd be better off booking somewhere nearby where you can get your money back.