Yuzuya Ryokan - Adult Only

After a long day out exploring Kyoto, the traditional room and yuzu bath were a lovely way to unwind. The service was wonderful, the food was great, and the location is phenomenal. Try the yuzu liqueur with dinner.

The stairs are worth knowing about before you book. There’s a large flight of traditional stone steps at the entrance, then more very narrow stairs with no handrail to reach the rooms. It worked fine for us and felt like part of an authentic Kyoto stay, but this hotel won’t suit elderly or disabled guests. The central location is excellent for walking to restaurants, shops, and temples, and taxis can pull right up to the entrance. Staff at the front desk and throughout the hotel showed real care, with the kind of personal, traditional hospitality that can make you miss Japan after leaving. We loved breakfast, served downstairs each morning in a tatami room. The individual meals had a beautiful presentation, lots of variety, and a lovely setting. Our cozy rooms had the traditional ryokan feel we wanted, and the garden and fountain view was calming. The windows and AC/heater made it easy to get the temperature just right. Traffic was noisy, though, and I wish the windows were double paned. The onsen is very small, but clean, relaxing, and high quality, with yuzu adding to the traditional look and feel.

The kaiseki dinner and breakfast were the highlight for me. Every dish was beautiful and delicious, and some had clearly taken months of preparation. Yuzu appeared in many of them, bringing tart, complex flavors that stood out from the sweeter, simpler Japanese food many people know. Our server was wonderfully gentle and elegant. Bring a big appetite for both meals. The room was very basic, with just enough space for the futon and belongings. It had some wear, which adds to the character, but the whole setup is minimal. There’s a bathroom in the suite, plus separate shared baths for men and women. They’re not quite onsens, but the warm baths with yuzu fruits were pleasant. Don’t squeeze the fruit, and bathe without clothes, as is customary. Yuzuya Ryokan is a stunning traditional inn in the heart of Gion Kyoto. The stone stairway leading up to it is beautiful, and the mostly female front desk team was attentive and efficient. The service was kind and impeccable. The main downside is the noise. The inn sits by a busy intersection, with a neighborhood undergoing construction nearby, and the rooms have single-pane windows, so traffic carries in at night. Light sleepers may want a quieter ryokan.

We were really looking forward to this ryokan, but the stay was a big disappointment. We had booked three nights and left after just one, accepting the cost of the other nights. The central location means it’s busy and loud. Earplugs and extra bedding might have helped with the noise and comfort, but dinner was the deal breaker. Kaiseki should feel special, yet the meal seemed more focused on presentation than food quality, with some pretty ridiculous tableside cooking and reveals. Of the 12 Japanese dinners we had during our two weeks in Japan, this was the worst. I’d suggest looking for a quieter ryokan with better value and food that feels more authentic. To me, this felt like a tourist-trap ryokan, if there is such a thing.