Kyoto Travel Guide

Kyoto offers a wide and diverse range of accommodations for the nearly 40 million visitors, from Japan and around the world, who come to stay in this ancient capital each year. From the luxurious Kyoto Hotel Okukra (pictured right) to humble guesthouses like Greenpeace Inn, the city has lodgings to suit all budgets and tastes. Moreover, Kyoto, perhaps more than any other city in Japan, offers visitors the chance to experience a stay in a traditional ryokan, or Japanese inn, and sample the famed hospitality and often fine food at this uniquely Japanese style of accommodation. One good example is Hiiragi-ya, within 15 minutes of the city center.

At the top of the price range are hotels with single room rates exceeding JPY18,000. These deluxe international class hotels offer the highest standards of service and guest facilities and are spread evenly throughout the city. The new Hotel Granvia in Kyoto's striking new railway station, the recently rebuilt and historic Kyoto Hotel in the city center, the delightful Westin Miyako Hotel Kyoto located in a tranquil wooded area in the eastern hills, and the lakeside Grand Prince Hotel situated in the peaceful, almost rural northern section of town are some of the city's most renown hotels. All these establishments are conveniently close to subway links giving easy access to the city.

Many fine first-class international standard hotels in the JPY12,000-18,000 bracket are grouped around Kyoto Station between Marutamachi in the north and Gojo in the south. These include the classy Hotel Nikko Princess Kyoto, the ANA Hotel Kyoto near Nijo Castle and the newer Rihga Royal Hotel close to the station. All of the hotels in this category offer very high standards of service and guest facilities such as swimming pools, banqueting and conference centers, plus a choice of excellent restaurants and bars.

In the moderate bracket (JPY8,000-12,000), Kyoto also has some distinctive and well-established places to stay with lots of individual character. These include the historic Hotel Fujita Kyoto with its great views, famed bar and old-world charm, the Hotel Gimmond, so reminiscent of Europe, and the pleasant Hotel Pastel Kyoto in the city center. In this category, hotels situated outside the central area offer the advantages of slightly larger rooms and more expansive services, whereas those in the more crowded downtown area tend to be smaller and more geared towards the business market.

In the budget category, with prices for a single room costing up to JPY8,000, Kyoto provides the traveler with a wide variety of options. Among these are functional business hotels, such as the Hotel Hokke Club Kyoto and the Co-op Inn Kyoto, newer European style pensions, women-only inns (Lady's Hotel Chorakukan, for example), inexpensive guest houses for backpackers (like Tojian), youth hostels in the rural suburbs, and even temple lodgings, where guests are required to respect the various rules of these places of worship and meditation.

Ryokan and minshuku, traditional Japanese-style accommodations, can be categorized according to price, just as with modern hotels. In the deluxe bracket, such as Kinmata, now celebrating 200 years of business, the visitor can expect impeccable food and service, tranquil gardens and historic buildings containing precious antiques and objects d'art, as well as guest lists displaying the names of the rich and famous. One might mention Tawaraya as typical of these upmarket establishments. Both Baron Rothschild and Marlon Brando spent some time here. At the lower end of the price range, facilities will be more basic, with plain but clean tatami mat rooms, no meals, and often a communal bath. However, since many of these ryokans are usually family-owned, you can expect a friendly and homely atmosphere. Try Ryokan Riverside Takase or Ryokan Hinomoto.

Please note that certain cultural rituals must be observed, along with the occasional curfew, at many of these Japanese inns. Guests remove their shoes before entering the building, sleep on futon-style mattresses on tatami floors, don comfortable yukata robes, soak in wonderfully hot steamy tubs, and sample a truly traditional Japanese lifestyle. Indeed, these are very good venues to try traditional native fare, and perhaps a bottle of sake or two. A stay in a ryokan, especially in Kyoto, can provide a very fascinating insight into Japanese culture as well as a most memorable stay.2008-08-02T07:29:22.000 115