I booked my two nights at Yamamoto Ryokan to experience a traditional Japanese inn, and this place delivered precisely what I wanted. Since it was my first time staying in a ryokan and I don’t speak Japanese, I was nervous. However, the owner was very welcoming and spoke good English. There were even helpful graphic instructions in the bathroom explaining how to use the shared bath properly. Speaking of the bath, it was incredibly relaxing and refreshing after a long day of roaming around the city. The room was tidy and cozy, designed in a traditional Japanese style: tatami mats, a futon, and a low table. The location is also excellent: Kiyomizu-dera is about a 13-minute walk away, and the Gion District can be reached in around 20 minutes. For longer distances, there is a bus stop nearby as well as Kiyomizu-Gojō Station, which will help you reach Fushimi Inari Taisha and its iconic red gates. In addition, the ryokan provided a useful tourist booklet with maps and tips for Kyoto and Osaka. It was also convenient to have FamilyMart, 7-Eleven, Kawaramachi-dori Street, and Gionmachi Kitagawa Street—both lively areas full of restaurants—just a short walk away.

I needed a proper ryokan Japanese experience, and I found it right here in Kyoto. This is a place that gives you all your foreign soul may seek in Japan - lovely minimalist tatami room and a futon bed (OUTSTANDING SLEEP!), hot relaxing sento (though shared, I ended up using it alone on both nights of my stay), exciting traditional breakfast that fills you up for the whole day, lovely yukata to wear. In addition - excitement of navigating the maze of a mysterious traditional building, and very cordial and welcoming owner. Yes - you might hear your neighbour, yep - it may not be too convenient to share facilities, but here everything is done in a respectful manner and you hardly experience any nuisance, which - for the price, still makes you feel you are getting much more value than the downsides. Loved everything about it and would return for sure!

Everything was great.

Yamato Ryoken was amazing. Very old, traditional style house, owned by the same family for 5 or 6 decades. Nori-San, the son of the family was an amazing host! He would greet me anytime of the day or night, to hand me my room key, when returning for the day. The Onsen facility was very nice and their hours were good for using them. The room was beautiful, traditional and very clean. Futon bed was comfortable and they fluffed your duvet every day and brought you fresh towels and kimono robes too.I really loved my stay here.

Stay was perfect, nothing to dislike about this place.

Location was great - on a big street with lots of stores and food - close to sights and all modes of transportation. I loved the way ot was run - they would set up your futons during the day and leave a light on for you at night and always hot water and tea. Just a comforting and lovely place. I would stay again no question.

If you're high maintenance or need fancy accommodations, this might not be your cup of tea. The onsen and bathroom facilities are shared and the building is old and charming but not opulent.

Typical Japanese old style ryokan. Old style furnishings and layout. Staff were very helpful and welcoming. Beds laid out for us each night and tea provided in our room. Old style ofuro was super, much needed after a long day walking around. Typical Japanese style breakfast and dinner provided (request when booking) was delicious. Location was perfect, about a 20 minute stroll from Kyoto station and 5 minutes from Kiyomizu gojo station. 10 minute stroll up to Kiyomizu temple and plenty of shops and restaurants in the vicinity. Spotlessly clean. Open 24 hours. Very relaxing and exactly what we were expecting. Very reasonable compared to other ryokans we looked at.

Na

Staying here was a really cool experience. The staff were so friendly and hospitable. We loved the bath and the Japanese breakfast.

The pillow was very hard and the bed is not very comfortable, but that was to be expected. If you are not comfortable showering/bathing in front of others, then you may want to stay somewhere else.

Beautiful traditional tatami rooms in a gorgeous part of Kyoto. Walking distance to lots of temples and the Gion district. The whole hotel looks and smells amazing. Excellent customer service. Very kind and friendly staff. Services and amenities were excellent.

Shared showers aren’t for everyone, so before booking this hotel do keep that in mind.

The entire rustic traditional Ryokan vibe is just amazing. The hospitality of the staff, the futon mattress on tatami matted floors, rustic wooden structures and decor that were untouched by modern architecture, brought me back to old Japan. I just loved this experience!

If only they have food vending machine in the accommodation, so that we don't have to go out at night to search for food

Clean, great location, quite, well stocked, they let us store our luggage a couple of hours earlier and also after checkout, they helped us with our luggage too

It was not an issue for me but the hotel is a bit dated, even if everything works as expected and advertised. I found it charming and authentic

It was perfect. Back in the 80s with Japanese style. We really enjoyed the cleanliness of the room and the onsen is perfect to be fully relaxed after a long day of visiting. The area is nice with beautiful architecture, really typical. I highly recommend this place, the service is great 👌🏻👌🏻