WHERE TO STAY IN KYOTO
Embrace the Japanese culture and opt for a Machiya
Most people will choose to center their Japan visit to Tokyo, only allowing day trips to Kyoto and Osaka. Since I’ve already been to Tokyo a few times, I made sure to center my trip around Kyoto and Osaka to fully embrace the Japanese culture and the city’s ode to traditions. I find myself seeking trips to smaller cities other than the major metropolitan cities that travelers flock to because I can truly get a sense of the rich history, traditions, and culture of the country I’m in. I prefer seeing authentic houses instead of tall skyscrapers and new developments. It is a similar feeling we got when we visited Busan for one day away from Seoul, which ended up being our favorite day of the trip! The main reason I became obsessed with Kyoto is the feeling I got from walking around and seeing these traditional styles everywhere. From older houses to modern and renovated styles, I loved how Kyoto preserves that historical beauty and it allows us to imagine how life was in Japan throughout history.
Kyōmachiya - Home Rentals
Machiya (町屋/町家) are traditional wooden townhouses found throughout Japan and typified in the historical capital of Kyoto. Machiya originated as early as the Heian period and continued to develop through the Edo period and even into the Meiji period. Machiya in Kyoto, sometimes called kyōmachiya (京町家/京町屋), formed the defining characteristic of downtown Kyoto architecture for centuries, representing the standard defining form of the machiya throughout the country.
Here are some of the house rentals I’ve considered:
Machiya-styled Hotel - Hotel Kanra Kyoto
During my first time in Kyoto, I was lucky to be able to stay at a stunning machiya-styled hotel property called Hotel Kanra Kyoto. The hotel exudes luxury while bringing a modern touch to traditional Japanese designs. The details and customer service were immaculate and the rooms were surprisingly spacious for a Japanese hotel. I got lucky with pricing since I was in Kyoto during the hottest month of July with scattered rain showers. If you happen to be visiting Kyoto during an off-peak season or want to splurge for a great, I highly recommend Hotel Kanra Kyoto!
With three girls in our group, we opted for the Twin Room Annex Building in the second photo you see above. It includes two double beds and one futon option in the living room/tea room area in the suite. The bathroom came equipped with your private onsen as well as a nice standing shower. The bathroom is also conveniently separated from the bath which was a plus to not constantly have to wait for someone in the shower.
Opt-in for the breakfast buffet
When booking your accommodations, many hotels offer the option to opt in for daily breakfast. Since Kyoto is a quieter town, restaurants may not be open in the early hours before your adventure begins. Often these breakfast add-ons are quite affordable, especially at the time of booking, and it saved us a lot of time and money to get a full breakfast before heading out to visit temples and major sites around town. We especially loved the vegetable options ranging from fresh salad to kaiseki-styled cooked vegetables. They even offered American-styled dishes like scrambled eggs and bacon, but don’t expect the same type of bacon you’re used to in the States! Since it’s not a staple in Japanese cuisine, they are prepared differently and might not be what you’re used to. I would opt for the Japanese dishes for the full authentic experience.
Luggage Service
One big tip with visiting Kyoto is being mindful that the town is much smaller and all subway stations will require you to take stairs to get to the main ground level. I traveled with two other girls and we had 4 large pieces of luggage with us when we arrived in Kyoto from many days of shopping in Osaka. After we made it to Hotel Kanra, we immediately requested a luggage service to minimize our load for the next part of our trip. Luggage service can take a few days depending on where you send it and where the destination is. For example, when we arrived in Kyoto, we were notified that it would take 3 days for the luggage to arrive at Haneda airport, and 2 days to arrive at a hotel in Tokyo. Since we only had 3 days in Kyoto, we hurried to rearrange our luggage and shipped out what we could, to ensure our trip to Tokyo would be a breeze compared to the hellish experience we had arriving in Kyoto. You can ask the hotel front desk and they will give you a website to fill out a request form which includes your information plus the destination address. Once we arrived in Tokyo, the luggage had arrived and was ready for pick up at check-in.
Happy hour from 1pm - 8pm daily
Another perk we thoroughly enjoyed is their happy hour from 1 pm - 8 pm daily. They serve refreshments like soda, sparkling water, beer, and sake in the main lounge for guests to relax and enjoy. They brought out a new brand of sake each day, which was nice for us to have a little sake tasting daily after a long morning of exploring temples around Kyoto.
Get pampered at the Gorgeous Spa
Since we went to Japan when the USD was strongest against the Yen, we decided to splurge and pamper ourselves with a spa treatment. After many days of shopping in Osaka and one long workout trip carrying 4 pieces of large luggage across town, we decided a nice relaxing massage was exactly what we needed.
Before heading out to our adventure for the day, we stopped by the front desk to request availability for the spa. The front desk representative was very helpful in trying to find an opening that fits our schedule and even followed up via email while we were out to make sure the timing was good for us.
The experience itself was immaculate. As soon as you enter the lobby of the spotless spa, you must remove your shoes and change into the slippers they have prepared at the doorstep awaiting your arrival. Then the spa representatives greet you with some green tea while explaining the options you can choose from for your service - ranging from essential oil scents to massage pressure. Once all that has been decided, you are led to your private room for your massage service, which starts with a foot soak and aromatherapy to get you started. If we had the time during our stay, we would have definitely revisited this wonderful spa.
Final Thoughts
Regardless of where you decide to stay, the most important part about traveling to Kyoto is to soak in all of the rich traditions and cultural experiences Kyoto has to offer. No one experience is fitting for everyone across the board, so when you decide to spend a few days in Kyoto, it’s important to understand what you want to get out of it! For my next trip to Kyoto, I will be testing out another experience and I have reserved a machiya-styled Airbnb to share with 3 other friends. I am equally excited about that experience as I was for this stay at Hotel Kanra. Lastly, Kyoto is a relatively small city, and attractions are scattered throughout. Anywhere near the Nishiki market would be a good area to stay for your next visit, as that is the most centralized area you will be frequenting for restaurants, shopping, and more.