November 2016

"Top location and Top accommodation"

We stayed here for 11 nights, 3 adults.  What a great stay we had, the machiya had everything we needed and was comfortable and pleasant place to stay.  It also provided a greater experience than staying in hotel.  It is located in very quiet spot but only 1 minute away from some of the best tourist spots in Kyoto.  Once out into lively streets surrounding you are many temples and gardens plus a growing number of cosplay visitors in kimonos.  The higashiyama area is full of narrow streets and tourist shops, restaurants and fabulous temples and shrines.  It is one of the big must see areas in Kyoto.  And all this is right in your neighbourhood.  What a special experience.  We have been to Kyoto many times and know this area well, but even for us it was a treat to stay in this Machiya.  Only a 15-20 minute walk to the nearest subway and also the same time to walk to downtown shopping district and Gion.  You will enjoy staying here.

ZN9999
Sydney, Australia

May 2016

"Excellent accommodation.  Excellent Location!!!!!"

We could not have asked for a better place to stay.  We would recommend it to anyone we know.

There was everything that one could ask for in the Machiya and the office support service was extremely helpful with taxis and local information etc.  Location could not be beaten, in a very quiet lane but in the midst of the Gion at the same time.  Everything that goes to making a great holiday was supplied.

Marry Harry
Sydney, Australia

February 2016

"Amazing home with everything you could possibly need."

Thank you for the opportunity to stay in such a unique and interesting area of Kyoto.  The home was most welcome after small hotel rooms in Tokyo and was beautifully appointed with all the amenities you could need.  Communication was excellent and no problems in finding the area and accommodating our needs to arrive late on a Saturday.  A truly wonderful experience and well worth a stay.

Lisa B

November 2015

"Amazing, Beautiful Home and Location"

We very much enjoyed our time at KMI.  It's close to so many wonderful Kyoto sights and just steps away from Yasaka Pagoda.  It's also a 10 minute walk from Kiyomizudera.  The house is warm and comfortable while maintaining the charm and character of the traditional machiya.  I was hoping to get a taste of old Japan without knowing yet that we'd be staying in the area that takes you back to old Japan.  If we are fortunate to ever return to Kyoto I would not want to stay anywhere else!

Lins
Misawa, Japan

July 2015

"Fabulous house and location"

My husband, myself and 23 year old daughter spent 5 nights in this delightful Machiya by the Yasaka Pagoda. Cobbled alleyways surround it and a real traditional feel. It was a perfect place to stay. Extremely quiet at night, comfortable, well stocked and well managed. The management company were on call and made a couple of restaurant bookings for us and ordered taxis etc. The main Gion area was only a 7 minute walk away. Mornings and evening were quiet from the tourist crowds. Great coffee shop , '%Arabica' a stroll away. Highly recommend.

Dreamer1
New Zealand

May 2015

"Beste Entscheidung diese Stadthaus zu nieten"

Es ist ein sehr modernes, aber auch traditionelles Stadthaus. Wenn man 1,80m oder größer ist, kann man sich schon mal den Kopf an den Türen stoßen :)...die Decken sind aber alle hoch genug :).
Einfach nur super! Vielen Dank für die tollen 5 Tage! Schon der Service im Vorfeld war Top! Die Eigentümer gaben uns Tipps zu den Sehenswürdigkeiten, Supermärkten sowie eine genaue Beschreibung wie man das Haus vom Bahnhof Kyoto am besten erreicht, inklusive Karten und einem Hinweiszettel in japanischer Sprache, den man im Notfall einem Taxifahrer geben kann (Kosten 1000 yen vom Bahnhof). Das Haus selbst war sehr modern und mit Liebe eingerichtet. Es ist an alles gedacht. Die Küche ist voll ausgestattet, die Waschmaschine funktioniert (Trockner integriert), der Fernseher ist modern und hat auch einige englischsprachige Kanäle und W-lan auch voll funktionsfähig und schnell. Auch die Lage ist top. Das Haus liegt mitten im historischen Viertel von Gion, einer der Top-Sehenswürdigkeiten. Bei Fragen und Problemen kann man sich 24/7 an die englischsprachige Management Company wenden. Aber dazu kam es aufgrund dieser außerordentlich hervorragend organisierten Unterkunft nicht. Alles in allem nicht weniger als 10 von 10 Punkten!

DHJSM
Germany

March 2015

"Best Stay in Japan I've Ever Had"
I am a foreign researcher living in Japan, and I needed a place to stay in Kyoto with my parents (both over 65-years-old) when they came to visit me. I can positively say that we couldn’t have picked a better place to stay: Kiyomizu Machiya is the perfect location from which to base your Kyoto vacation. I’ve stayed in the city many times, and I’ve never had an experience like this. Highlights include:

- the machiya itself is gorgeous. While still very-much a traditional machiya building inside and out, it also has all the modern conveniences one would expect and beyond: full cooking facilities, excellent temperature control, great free WiFi internet, a big TV with tons of channels for when you need to relax from the day, washing machine, great sound insolation between rooms upstairs and downstairs, and an epic bathtub. Yet it still feels and looks like traditional Kyoto, because it is!

- My parents slept in the modern beds upstairs, while I slept on the traditional bedding in a beautiful tatami room, also upstairs. It was incredibly comfortable for all of us, and again, lots of sound insolation.

- I can speak and read Japan but my parents cannot, and they could still use everything, because there is a great guide in the machiya in English on how everything works. After a day out sightseeing, it was the perfect comfortable location to come back to: everyone can have their space, yet also relax/eat as a family. Perfect in the mornings as well.

- The location is unparalleled: down a side street full of machiyas, right next to the Yasaka Pagoda, down the cobbled street from Kiyomizu Temple. This is a legendary neighborhood that has filled novels, paintings, and stories about Kyoto for centuries. Surrounded by traditional shops, restaurants, tea rooms, and attractions, this is the real deal for people who want to experience traditional Kyoto. People in traditional dress walking the street, random street fairs and shrine rituals, and due to the proximity to Gion, actual geiko (geisha) and maiko going about their day!
I think it speaks volumes that in the mornings when we would head out to sightsee, everyone else would be coming up the road in our direction to see the area in which we were living! Every night we’d take a walkabout the local area, and would always end up staying out for hours because of something happening we didn’t expect: a shrine procession, geisha serving tea at Yasaka Shrine, a modern art exhibition on the street, you name it!
There is a supermarket and a number of convenience stores for any and all shopping needs, right next to the bus stops close to the machiya.

- The machiya is located in an excellent place for sightseeing all over Kyoto. Anyone who has spent a day in Kyoto knows that the subway system is small and not very convenient for many places, and that Kyoto station is actually quite far south in the city, rather than close to the center. The best way around is bus, and the machiya is less than five minutes’ walk from major bus lines. No reason to be intimidated: again, there’s English in all the buses, and all you need to do is pay the set fare when you get off (we just used our PASMO/SUICA cards from Tokyo, all of which work in all Kyoto metro).
It is the perfect place from which to start the day: we traveled all over Kyoto and beyond, and never once felt like we were in an inconvenient location. Quite the opposite!

- Setting up the reservation was excellent; Trevor and Akemi are wonderful, receptive, and very reachable. They answered all my questions immediately, and were understanding when my PayPal account was initially having issues. As staying at the machiya was a surprise for my parents, Trevor and Akemi even left us a gift! They were great to work with and the consummate hosts abroad. The management agency on-site, including check-in process, are great as well. We were checked-in in less than 5 minutes, and at the machiya 15 minutes later!

All in all, the Kiyomizu Machiya played host to the best vacation of my parents’ (and my) lives, and it really played a huge roll in that. I’ve spent years in Japan, but I have never resided at a place like this. It’s something quite special. For ANYONE who is really interested in the most authentic of Kyoto experiences – submerged in traditional culture – and the most comfortable of bases from which to operate, I recommend the Kiyomizu Machiya. Especially families, couples, and groups of adults.

Kyoto has innumerable great places to stay, but I can say with 100% accuracy that the next time I am lucky enough to visit, I will be returning to the Kiyomizu Machiya. It’s that special!

Jesse B

December 2014

"Wow!!!"

First the location, in the heart of the most charming neighbourhood surrounded by temple, pagodas, fine  shops & restaurants.  Next, communication.  Fast, clear & direct with the owners Trevor & Akemi.  And last the home itself.  Beautiful & thoughtfully equipped.  It was all perfect.

Barbara
Singapore 

November 2014

"Just the most fabulous Kyoto base camp"

We stayed at the Machiya for six nights and can't imagine a better place.  The house itself is everything you could dream of - Trevor and Akemi have truly put so much into restoring this building, equipping it to be totally up to date while retaining its traditional heritage and charm.  We slept in the large Japanese style bedroom, our friend in the adjacent large European style twin bedroom.  All beds were warm, generous and very comfortable.  It was super to have yet another bedroom that we could use as a dressing room to keep cases and clutter hidden away!  The Machiya is located down a short pedestrian lane just off the heart of the wonderful heritage streets leading to the Kiyomizu-dera temple.  Right amongst the very best of Kyoto but still quiet.

Kiwijpeg
Auckland, New Zealand

October 2014

"Kyoto at its Finest"

A truly historical convenient location next door to the famous Yasaka Pagoda, Ninenzaka street and road to Kiyomizudera.  Everywhere we walked there were temples, Gion and the Geikos/Maikos, great neighborhood restaurants, local grocery convenience stores... shopping, sightseeing and Kyoto culture.

Walked to major shopping districts to: Nishiki market, Takashimaya and Daimaru department stores (check out their basement food/basement courts).

Just down the hill are the local bus stops and the busway station is 1/2 mile.  Taxis are everywhere near the Pagoda.

This is our second Machiya in Kyoto we rented.  It is the best, well equipped kitchen, winner Panasonic laundry washer drying machine... used a lot, great big Japanese soaking tub with instant gas Rinnai water heater... so so relaxing.  The owners beautifully restored the structure, wood floor and updated the fixtures and appliances.  There are little artistic touches of decoration and true expert Japanese carpentry.

A Big TV with English channels kept us company and the Wifi a godsend keeping in touch with internet... the property management provide an emergency cell phone... which I used twice.

We will rent this Machiya again... the owners are awesome, kind, generous with their time and concerned that our 10 days would meet our expectations.  Yes our expectations were surpassed!  Just a glimpse of life as a Kyotoite.

Gratefuleachday
Honolulu, Hawaii

September 2014

"Excellent house, great location and great house"

House is located in great location in Kyoto, just near Yasaka pagoda.  The house is well maintained with everything you need.  Overall we had great experience and it is highly recommended.

Family from Israel

August 2014

Très confortable et assez spacieux, très bien équipé. Beaucoup de charme, ambiance très ... japonaise. Quartier très agréable et tranquille.

Christian
Switzerland

July 2014

Great location, house with all modern appliances with instructions translated into English.  Everything was fantastic.

Cristina
Brazil