The Space

Entirely redesigned from the ground up, with both traditional and modern material. Special attention was paid to the atmosphere of the place for the enjoyment of our guests.

Our concept remains “Old Traditional Machiya with Modern Comfort”. Yes, in Kyoto, old traditional townhouse (Machiya) are actually very cold in winter and quite hot during the summer. We paid particular attention to the insulation of walls and ceiling, installed floor heating around the ground floor, western style radiators in the upper bedrooms and the laundry room, and a heater/dryer in the bathroom. All the rooms have air conditioning. The whole place has been decorated with various old traditional Japanese art-crafts.

The newly renovated townhouse features one traditional Japanese tatami mat bedroom (sleeping on futon) and one Western-style bedroom with two single beds, sliding wooden doors (some are old original ones), “Shoji and Fusuma” paper doors and windows, modern cypress bathroom.

In the living / dining area, we have a wood dining table with seating for five. During the cold winter, you will appreciate the floor heating both in the living/dining area and the Japanese living space. A large flat screen HD TV is available for your enjoyment.

The fully equipped modern kitchen will please anyone who wants to cook at home for a simple breakfast or a complete dinner. A large selection of cooking utensils, induction cooktop, microwave oven / oven, all kind of appliances such as rice cooker, toaster, blender, electric kettle, coffee machine, and dishes, plates, glasses. The setting is convenient for short stay as well as for people who stay for a longer period and prefer to eat at home. And of course, you'll find the basics such as salt-pepper, oil, sauce, soja, etc.
The house is also equipped with a fully automatic All-In-One Washer / Dryer, something travelers will truly appreciate.

The place is very conveniently located for easy access to all sightseeing sites around Kyoto, and with almost 70 m2, it is spacious and adequate for groups of up to five people. (Even though we're in Japan, we refuse the idea of packing 8 persons in 40 m2!)

And of course, our guests have unlimited access to super fast (optical fiber) internet access via Wi-Fi throughout the house.

If this Machiya is not available for your preferred dates, be sure to check out our other places -- go to our profile to find them!

Guest Access

As our guests, you'll have all the Kiyomizu Machiya for yourselves and have access to everything it has to offer, traditional lifestyle with modern comfort (with the exception of a closet reserved for housekeeping).

Interaction with Guests

We're always available for any help necessary for information, preparation, reservation, suggestion, advice, etc. We love Kyoto and like to share our interest with our guests. We also have a dedicated web site (mykyotomachiya) full of information and pictures to enable our guests to fully explore and enjoy this wonderful city.

The Neighborhood

The house is very conveniently located in Higashiyama, in a quiet residential area near a number of interesting places.

Kiyomizu Dera Temple: one of the most famous temple in Kyoto is less than 1 km away: 10 min
Miyagawa-Cho Geisha district is a mere 15 min away
Hanami Koji: Gion Kobu Geisha district: 15 min
Kenninji Zen temple: 12 min
Toyokuni Jinja shrine: with markets held on 8, 18, 28th of every month: 5 min
Sanjusangendo Temple: famous with its amazing 1001 statues of Kannon: 7 min
Kyoto National Museum: great source of culture: 7 min
Kamo River - great running course by the river: 7 min.

Getting Around

The house is located just south of Gojo Street, next to the crossing with Higashi Oji Street, about 2 km (20 min on foot) away from Kyoto station and the JR lines. It takes about 10 min and yen 1,000 by taxi.

Kiyomizu-Gojo station (Keihan line) is less than 10 minutes away.
Gojo subway station is 15 minutes away.
In addition, several Kyoto Bus stops are less than 100 m away from the house.
And there are always taxi available around.

Other Things to Note

We have decorated the house with old traditional Japanese art crafts such as an old authentic Samurai armor (nickname Harry), traditional wedding Kimono, Japanese dolls, Noh mask, protective Gods against fire (Hotei-san), etc., for a more refined atmosphere.

You'll experience the traditional way of living of the people of Kyoto and enjoy a unique cultural experience, with all the modern comfort you can wish for.