Shiki Homes ASUKA

The house itself had a good family layout, comfortable beds, a good location, and decent air conditioning. The toilets, sheets, and kitchen were clean and fresh, though some less-used spots needed dusting, including the stairwell, the area beside the upstairs toilet, and the main bedroom headboard. I’m fussy about cleanliness, so that bothered me. There was also a bright light in the hall by the bedroom stairs that couldn’t be turned off. The check-in was so stressful, and the customer service while we were trying to get inside felt so indifferent, that I can only give three stars even though the accommodation itself would rate four. A few days before we arrived, I got an email saying the tourist tax had to be paid. That seemed fair from the property’s side. I’d booked eight stays for our 2.5-week trip through several different platforms, with a mix of deposits and full payments, and I had a lot else to handle before we left, including businesses, family commitments, and school exams. I hadn’t read every email closely. I was told check-in couldn’t happen before 4 pm, but that cleaning staff would be there to receive and hold our luggage if we arrived early. Nobody explained that we couldn’t get the lockbox code until the AUD 24 tourist tax was paid. We arrived in pouring rain after flying from Sydney to Tokyo the night before, exhausted and overwhelmed by using Tokyo trains for the first time. The taxi couldn’t get down the narrow road, so we had to walk with our bags in the rain. At the property, there was no cleaning staff and no code. The sign gave a local number, but our international roaming plan didn’t include local calls in Japan. I walked two blocks through the deserted, rainy street until I found someone willing to call the Shiki office for me. The woman who answered said I had to pay the tax to get the code, and sent the link again. I ran back to my family, who were huddled under a neighbor’s small overhang. They’d found another local person who was kindly helping them and chatting with them. I opened the payment link, but it was all in Japanese and I couldn’t tell what to enter. Our new Japanese friend looked at it and said it was asking for contact details, not payment information. I asked him to call the Shiki office again, and he did. I got the same woman, who again said I had to pay before getting the code, even though we’d already paid about AUD 1500 for the stay in full. I explained that I couldn’t make the payment because I couldn’t see the form in English. She said the page should be in English and told me to call Flywire, the payment platform, for troubleshooting. We were using a stranger’s phone, so I said that wasn’t reasonable. I completely broke down in tears from the distress and exhaustion. Eventually, she reluctantly gave me the lockbox code after I promised to pay the tax as soon as possible. After we finally got inside, more passive-aggressive emails came from her, with screenshots showing where the English translation was on each page. There was no checking in or warm welcome. I’m sorry I missed it, but at that point I was not at my most together. We spent a few weeks in Japan and saw how respectful and customer-service-oriented people are there, which made the whole ordeal even more surprising.

We spent a week here, and everything provided matched the listing. The spaces were clean, and checking in with the code was easy. Buses and subways made it simple to get around Kyoto, and there were plenty of tourist spots nearby, including a lovely temple just a few minutes’ walk away. We also had restaurants, convenience stores, and grocery shops close by for meals at the house. We’d recommend the property to family and friends.