Japan (Lonely Planet, 11th Edition) - Chris Rowthorn [272]
MIDRANGE
Karasuma Kyoto Hotel (Map; 371-0111; fax 371-2424; www.kyotohotel.co.jp/karasuma/index_e.html; Karasuma-dōri, Shijō sagaru, Shimogyō-ku; s/d/tw from ¥10,164/23,100/18,480; ; Karasuma subway line to Shijō Station, exit South-6) This busy downtown hotel occupies the middle ground between a business hotel and a standard hotel, with decent rooms and efficient staff. It’s very popular with businesspeople and travellers, many of whom like the convenience of a Starbucks right in the lobby. There is LAN cable internet access.
Southern Higashiyama
BUDGET
Higashiyama Youth Hostel (Map; 761-8135; fax 761-8138; www.syukuhaku.jp/youth-hostel-kyoto; 112 Gokenmachi, Shirakawabashi, Sanjō-dōri, Higashiyama-ku; dm from ¥3960; ; Tōzai subway line to Higashiyama Station, exit 1) This YH is very close to the sights of Higashiyama. It’s regimented, but if you’re the early-to-bed-early-to-rise type, it might suit.
MIDRANGE
Ryokan Uemura (Map; /fax 561-0377; Ishibe-kōji, Shimogawara, Higashiyama-ku; r with breakfast per person ¥9000;; bus 206 to Yasui stop) This beautiful little ryokan is at ease with foreign guests. It’s on a quaint cobblestone alley, just down the hill from Kōdai-ji. Rates include breakfast, and there is a 10pm curfew. Book well in advance, as there are only three rooms. Note that the manager prefers bookings by fax and asks that cancellations also be made by fax (with so few rooms, it can be costly when bookings are broken without notice).
Suisen-Kyo Shirakawa (Map;712-7023; www.suisenkyo.com; 473-15 Umemiya-chō, Higashiyama-ku; house per night ¥12,000-16,000, depending on group size; ; Tōzai subway line to Higashiyama Station) Located near the prime sightseeing area of Kyoto, this small private house is available for short-term rental. It’s perfect for families and small groups and there are two bedrooms (one Japanese-style, one Western-style). There’s a Western toilet, kitchen, bathtub, small garden, and a washing machine.
TOP END
Ryokan Motonago (Map; 561-2087; fax 561-2655; www.motonago.com; 511 Washio-chō, Kōdaiji-michi, Higashiyama-ku; r per person with 2 meals from ¥17,850; ; bus 206 to Gion stop) This ryokan may have the best location of any ryokan in the city: right on Nene-no-Michi in the heart of the Higashiyama sightseeing district. It’s got traditional decor, friendly service, nice bathtubs and a few small Japanese gardens.
Hyatt Regency Kyoto (Map;541-1234; fax 541-2203; www.kyoto.regency.hyatt.com; 644-2 Sanjūsangendō-mawari, Higashiyama-ku; r Y£22,000-46,000; ; 5min walk from Keihan Shichijō Station) The new Hyatt Regency is an excellent, stylish, foreigner-friendly hotel at the southern end of Kyoto’s southern Higashiyama sightseeing district. Many travellers consider this the best hotel in Kyoto, and almost all mention the great restaurants and bar and the highly professional staff. The stylish rooms and bathrooms have lots of neat touches. The concierges are helpful and they’ll even lend you a laptop to check your email if you don’t have your own.
Ryokan Seikōrō (Map; 561-0771; fax 541-5481; www.seikoro.com/top-e.htm; 467 Nishi Tachibana-chō, 3 chō-me, Gojō sagaru, Tonyamachi-dōri, Higashiyama-ku; r per person with 2 meals from ¥28,875; ; bus 17 or 205 to Kawaramachi-Gojō stop) The Seikōrō is a classic ryokan with sumptuous rooms and a grandly decorated lobby. It’s fairly spacious, with excellent, comfortable rooms, attentive service and a fairly convenient midtown location. Wi-fi is in the lobby.
Northern Higashiyama
BUDGET
Yonbanchi (Map; www.thedivyam.com; 4 Shinnyo-chō; r ¥10,000; ; bus 5 to Kinrinshako-mae stop) Yonbanchi is a charming B&B ideally located for sightseeing in the Ginkakuji-Yoshida-Yama area. One of the two guest rooms looks out over a small Japanese garden. The house is a late-Edo-period samurai house located just outside the main gate of Shinnyo-dō, a temple famed for its maple leaves and cherry blossoms. There is a private entrance and no curfew. Reservations