I'm so happy I booked my accommodation at this hostel! It was truly memorable to experience living in a traditional old Japanese house for such an affordable price. The location is great—it's easily walkable from Kyoto Station, and there's a convenience store just a few minutes away. For amenities, there's a small kitchen with cooking facilities in the main building, and every building has a kettle and fridge to store your food. Please note that towels are not provided, but you can rent them at the reception, along with bikes. You also need to pay a city tax, which I did easily via a QR code. I had read previous reviews about noise, so I came prepared with my own earplugs. However, I didn’t end up using them, as I didn't find the noise level disturbing myself (I guess it depends on how considerate the other guests are). Great value overall

Nothing really, everything was good

he hotel met all my expectations. It had a small room with a bunk bed for two people and was fully equipped with facilities for travelers. The house was designed in a traditional Japanese style, featuring five rooms in total — one on the ground floor and four on the first floor — along with a living room, one shared bathroom, and two shared toilets. The location was convenient, just about 400–500 meters from the nearest bus stop, though it was a bit farther from the subway station, around 1 kilometer away. The hotel offered a self-check-in service, which was exciting and very convenient, allowing us to check in even late at night.

However, the soundproofing was quite poor, so noises from other rooms could be easily heard.

The room was the traditional style that my sister and I were looking for when staying at Kyoto. It was so spacious and we had a toilet and sink in our room as well. Showers were outside, but facility was clean and easy to use. It was quite comfortable to sleep on the tatami mats and there was good ventilation in the room. The location was pretty close (17 min walk) to the kyoto station - which is where needed to go to take the shinkasen. Check in and out were quite easy and it was all self done.

The only thing that was iffy was the stairs going up to the second floor. There were not that many stairs, but it was quite steep so it was quite a work to take our carry-on suitcase back down the stairs (not too bad, but I don't know about bigger, heavier luggages).

I recently stayed at this beautiful ryokan in Kyoto and absolutely loved the experience. What I enjoyed the most was the traditional atmosphere — from the tatami mats to the sliding doors and futon bedding, everything stayed true to authentic Japanese style. It felt like stepping into another time, yet with all the comforts I needed. The staff were incredibly kind and welcoming, and the peaceful ambiance made it the perfect place to relax after a day of exploring the city. Highly recommend it if you’re looking for a true Kyoto experience!

Na

The buildings themselves are gorgeous with dark wood and a really cosy feel and communal areas are well stocked and there's enough heaters to keep the living and sleeping spaces warm. I felt safe and comfortable, the sleeping cubical was spacious enough for me (I'm 5'11). Despite the house being old it's exeptionally clean. I didn't interact with any staff whilst I was there, I checked in and out independently, but still felt looked after.

I didn't realise that the hostel is spread over multiple buildings, so checking in and figuring out which section you're in can be a bit tricky but I figured it out myself eventually. There's also plenty of places to trip and bump your head and the stairs are quite difficult. The futon was also a bit more thin than I was used to. I didn't interact with/couldn't find any staff whilst I was staying there which wasn't an issue but I'm not sure what I would have done if I needed help from staff.

Haruya Umekoji is the real deal. The house is old and a little shabby, but full of authentic charm. It's situated close to the train station, Umekoji Park and a couple of great public baths and ramen shops (all helpfully catalogued on a little map by the entrance). There is free rice porrige if you get up early!

You really can hear everything through the walls - keep a pair of earplugs handy and your voice down! Wi-fi can be finnicky downstairs.

Location is nice since you can get to the station by foot, loved the atmosphere of the old house in general, especially all the books in the library part

You can hear everything- and I really mean it. I had a neighbour who was snoring in my room so loud that other guests that were living a floor above could still hear him. Also I feel like the staff was a bit unresponsive, I tried to text on booking to ask for a one night extension but they never replied to that…

Very nice and old property. the neighbourhood was very nice with a park only a couple minute walk away. the interactions with staff was very good. We asked for another mattress topper and they were put on our beds at no extra cost. would highly recommend.

not a criticism but the sign for where you could use the slippers could be worded a bit better as it was slightly confusing on where the provided slippers were ok to use and not ok to use, but the staff were very informative and nice to explain to us when we interacted with them.

Good location, in a very quiet secondary road. The apartment is 20 minutes walking from the Kyoto station, and very well connected to all main attractions by busses or nearby stations. The self check-in and check-out were easy and everything clear in the instructions. The traditional room was at first quite cold (we rented it during December), however between the heating system and the heated carpet, it quickly became cozy.

We stayed in the Annex building and the common spaces were a bit tight, especially the wc and entrance.

I love the the authenticity. The quality of the room and other facilities like the bath and complimentary refreshments are excellent. It is a few steps away from a bus stop taking you to Sannenzaka in less than 30 minutes and Kyoto station in 10 minutes.

The sound-proofing could be better but considering it is an ancient house with flimsy walls and doors I won't complain much. Some of the confusing guesses may try to enter you room because they can't read the map?!