What is a traditional Japanese inn (ryokan)?
Ryokans offer a unique cultural experience in terms of atmosphere, cuisine, and accommodations. Reflecting a hospitality experience dating from the Edo era (1603–1868), they are unlike Western-style hotels and are best suited for those eager to experience traditional Japanese hospitality. While most ryokans have basic comforts, such as indoor plumbing and electricity, the emphasis is on providing an authentic Japanese cultural experience rather than modern amenities and facilities. Facilities and services vary, but most have Japanese-style rooms with tatami (woven straw mat) flooring, communal therapeutic bathing pools, and common areas for socializing and relaxing. Room rates typically are established on a per-person basis and include daily breakfast and dinner. Click the links below for details about this ryokan.

General details (click here)

General details
Front desk staff speak enough English for check-in/check-out procedures, as well as arranging taxi transportation. Housekeeping/food service staff speak little to no English.
Guests are asked to leave their room keys at the front desk when going out. During late night hours, guests may have to wait a few minutes while a staff member is called from the back office to the front desk.
Separate communal men’s and women’s non-hot spring baths are located in the hotel basement. The communal baths are open from 4 PM to midnight, and again from 6 AM to 8 AM.

Customs and rules (click here)

Customs and rules
Guests are asked to remove their shoes before entering guestrooms.
As meals are served in-room, upon check-in guests are asked to specify at what time they would like their dinner and/or breakfast served.
Ryokan guestrooms have dual-purpose living/sleeping areas. Upon check-in, guests should request the time at which they would like housekeepers to set out their futons in the evening and put them away in the morning.
When using the communal baths, guests must wash and rinse thoroughly at one of the adjacent shower stations before entering the bath. No soap, shampoo, or bathing suits are allowed in the bathtub.

Meals and dining arrangements

Meals and dining arrangements
Meals are generally served in the guestroom. Hotel staff will clear away the room’s table and bring in individual lacquered stands with dishes on them.
For large groups/parties staying in multiple rooms, use of the hotel dining hall is also available.
Dinner is Japanese style, with an emphasis on seasonal dishes as well as specialties of Kyoto, such as yudofu (boiled tofu). The dinner consists of several courses of meat, fish, sushi, and vegetable dishes. A selection of soft drinks and alcohol, including sake locally produced in Kyoto’s Fushimi district, are available.
The Japanese-style breakfast includes tofu, fish, mixed vegetable dishes, fruit, and coffee. Western-style breakfasts are available. Guests are asked to inform the hotel staff of their preference prior to check-in. The hotel can accommodate guests with dietary restrictions. Guests are asked to inform the hotel of any such needs as far in advance as possible. Hotel contact information will be included in the reservation confirmation e-mail.
See dining for more details

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Special Check-in Instructions

After arriving at the inn, guests should give their names at the front desk. A cup of green tea with Japanese sweets is then served in the adjacent reception area before guests are shown to their rooms.
Upon check-in, guests eating dinner or breakfast in their rooms may request the time at which they wish to be served. Dinners start at times from 6 to 7:30 PM; breakfast from 7 to 8:30 AM. Dinners are kaiseki style (a light, multi-course meal of dishes made with fresh ingredients). As hotel staff will carry dishes and utensils in and out of the guestroom. Please allow 1 hour and 30 minutes for dinner and 30 minutes for breakfast.

Note: check-out is at 10 AM.

Rooms

All guestrooms feature futons that can be used by adults, children, or infants. Guestrooms are decorated with Tatami reed floors and have rice paper sliding doors, and guests are asked to remove their shoes in the entryway. Japanese-style yukata cotton bathrobes are provided for relaxing in the room and moving around the hotel. Room interiors feature alcoves with Japanese art, lacquered boxes containing ceramic tea services, and welcome amenity pouches containing complimentary face towels. All rooms include heating, air conditioning, refrigerators, telephones, and private baths.

Room Amenities

• Air conditioning
• Climate control
• Direct-dial phone
• Coffee/tea maker
• Wake-up calls
• Housekeeping
• Turndown service
• Private bathroom
• Bathrobes
• Complimentary toiletries
• Hair dryer

• Bidet
• Extra towels/bedding in room
• Handheld shower
• Slippers
• Shower/tub combination
• Welcome amenities
• Window opens
• Iron/ironing board (on request)
• In-room safe
• Television
• Smoking rooms

Recreation

The hotel has large and medium-sized communal baths (not from hot springs). The baths are gender-segregated. Baths are located in the basement area.
The baths are open from 4 PM to midnight, and again from 6 AM to 8 AM.
Guests undress in the changing rooms, placing their clothes in wicker baskets. They then proceed into the bath area, which includes a number of shower stations. After washing and rinsing thoroughly, guests enter the tub and soak. No soap, shampoo, or bathing suits are allowed in the bathtub.

The changing area has wicker baskets to hold bathers’ clothes. As no lockers are available, guests are asked to leave valuables in their in-room safes. The changing rooms also include complimentary combs, hair dryers, razors, and lotion.
Rental bicycles are available for a rate of JPY1,200 (US$11) per day.
For female guests, a geisha-style kimono dress-up and makeup photo service is offered. Reservations can be made before arrival or after check-in if space is still available.
A facial skin treatment and massage is offered for female guests. The service is performed in the guestroom, with guests lying down and relaxing in their futons.

The recreational activities listed below are available either on site or nearby; fees may apply.

• Bicycle rentals on site

Property Amenities

The five-story Matsui Honkan includes a reception lounge where guests are served tea and Japanese sweets before checking in to their guestrooms. Separate men’s and women’s communal baths are located in the basement level. For female guests, a geisha-style kimono dress-up and makeup photo service is offered. Reservations can be made before arrival or after check-in if space is still available. A facial skin treatment and massage is also offered for female guests. The service is performed in the guestroom while guests relax in their futons. A single computer with complimentary high-speed Internet access is available for guest use.

• 24-hour front desk
• Air-conditioned public areas
• Number of rooms: 35
• Number of floors: 5
• Breakfast available (surcharge)

• Complimentary newspapers in lobby
• Elevator/lift
• Gift shops or newsstand
• Multilingual staff
• Safe-deposit box - front desk
• Spa tub

Policies

Extra-person charges may apply and vary depending on property policy.
Photo identification and credit card or cash deposit are required at check-in for incidental charges.
Special requests are subject to availability upon check-in. Special requests made via this Web site cannot be guaranteed and may incur additional charges.

• Pets not allowed
• Check-in time is 4 PM
• Check-out time is 10 AM

Location Details

Kansai International Airport (KIX) Approximate travel time is 1 hour 20 minutes and distance is 102 kilometers (64 miles).

Getting there: Travelers are advised to take the Haruka train from Kansai International Airport to JR Kyoto Station, then proceed by taxi to the Matsui Honkan. Alternately, travelers may go by taxi directly from the airport to the hotel. Rental cars are not recommended for travelers unfamiliar with this area. Click the links below for instructions/details. Click the links below for instructions/details.

By train (click here)

Closest train station to the hotel: JR Kyoto Station
Approximate travel time from the airport to the train station: 1 hour 30 minutes
Approximate train cost (subject to change without notice): JPY2,980 (US$25) plus JPY1,000 (US$9) taxi fare

Train schedules and directions (subject to change without notice): The Haruka express travels from the airport train station to Kyoto Station 30 times daily. The first train departs from the airport at 6:34 AM, the last departs at 10:16 PM. From Kyoto Station, guests should proceed by taxi to the hotel, and then ask the driver to stop at the Matsui Honkan, on the east side of Yanaginobaba-dori, south of its intersection with Rokkaku-dori..

By taxi (click here)

Approximate travel time from the airport to the hotel: 2 hours, 15 minutes
Approximate cost (subject to change without notice): JPY24,400 (US$207)

Instructions: Taxis leave from outside the arrival area. Guests should ask the driver to stop at the Matsui Honkan, on the east side of Yanaginobaba-dori, south of its intersection with Rokkaku-dori..

Know Before You Go

Important registration notice: The Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare requires all international visitors to submit their passport number and nationality when registering at any lodging facility (inns, hotels, motels, etc.). Additionally, lodging proprietors are required to photocopy passports for all registering guests and keep the photocopy on file.

Dining

The property does not have its own restaurant, but there are several dining options within the surrounding area.

Nearby restaurants:
Ume no hana
Douze Gout
Second House

Address

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Yanaginobanba Rokkaku Sagaru Nakagyo-ku

Kyoto, 604-8113

Japan

Nearest major airport:

Osaka, Japan (KIX-Kansai Intl.)