We booked both Takeya Kitano Honkan and Bekkan together for a group of 8 (some people wanted their own room). The spacious kitchen/dining and living room of Honkan was perfect for everyone to socialise together. The location is fabulous in the heart of Kyoto's oldest hanamichi (geisha district) of Kamishichiken, lots of charm and authenticity without the tourist hordes. 5 min walk to supermarket, 7-eleven etc, several restaurants in the immediate neighbourhood and easy access to downtown Kyoto by bus or taxi. Honkan is well-appointed with modern western-style furnishings rather than traditional Japanese, but it is very functional and comfortable. There is a large tatami room that sleeps 3-4 (futons) on the ground floor, with adjacent bathroom, and two bedrooms with beds upstairs with 2nd bathroom (shower and toilet). Beautiful Kitano Tenmangu shrine is just at the end of the street. Two bikes were provided, we enjoyed riding to Funaoka onsen bathhouse about 10 mins away by bike. Communication with the owner during the booking process was very good.

The main bathroom drained very slowly, water amassed on the floor which was a minor issue.

A very helpful host and Kamigyo district is full of character. Not Kyoto central but usefully close to major temples on our visit list. We finally cracked the clever bus system ! Some lovely local eating houses and really enjoyed our host’s tonkatsu recommendation. 711 and Kohyo supermarket very location convenient. Well equipped property for a family- with 2.5 bathrooms especially good for seven of us. The design reflects the past, with a lovely inner courtyard, but the house is comfortably up to date.

Not a criticism but if dust allergy affects you make sure you carry antihistamines if you stay here - the heavy carpets and current humidity are a difficult combination for sufferers.

Though GPS sent us to the backgate of the Honkan, but host gave specific direction from the Kitano Post Office, so it was relatively to find. Easily accessible by a great number of buses. Love the Aeon supermarket and the small Japanese eateries around it. Though it's a Michiya, the furnishing and heating farcicalities were modern and made our stay so comfortable. Love the spacious kitchen, the adjourning futon room with attached bathrooms, and bathroom on 2nd level. Watching movies on Netflix gave the cold winter great cosy bonding sessions for the group. Love the place, all daily necessities were provided. Will book again when in Kyoto.

The stay was really fantastic, if anything, maybe the bathroom that faces the courtyard can have the option of covering the tinted windows for more privacy.

This was our favorite place to stay within our two week vacation to Japan. This is a traditional Japanese house with an amazing garden right in the middle of it. We had more than enough room for our family of six with easy access to public transit, supermarkets, lots of shops and attractions. You will be sad to leave this place.

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A beautiful traditional Japanese house on a tiny, quiet, charming street in a lovely area of Kyoto. There was plenty of room for 6 of us and we loved the wooden bath and little gardens. We used the bus service from the nearby bus stop and also hired bikes (which the owner of the house kindly arranged for us).

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Amazing facility and close to a bus station and enjoyed living here

Everything was good

Very good location. Excellent kitchen facilities.

Living room and bedrooms were too dark. The stones along the pathway to the tatami bedroom made it difficult to walk on especially at night. The futon beds were not thick enough therefore was quite hard to sleep on. The futon could be thicker. Clearer instructions to find the accommodation would have been more helpful. English instructions for washing machine and dryer would have been useful.

spacious kitchen and dining area

chopsticks were broken. (but the staff member got us new chopsticks right away)