Wanted to try a Ryokan for my wife and daughter. We booked a room for 3 with a toilet only. The location was very good, about 1050y by cab fro m Kyoto Station. It is very close to Shijo Ave and the food alley where all sorts of vendors are located. The room was a decent size with the small table and the shoji screens. The toilet was very cramped in space as was the wash basin. The welcoming tea by the attendant was fun since my daughter had already put on a yukata when she arrived. We were also glad that there was air condioning as it was hot and very humid. The public bath was a 1st for us. I didn't mind probably because there wasn't anyone in there with me the 4 times I used it. It was refreshing and most of all clean. The one thing I wasn't crazy about was the dust in the room. Certain areas needed to be dusted a little more. But then again, I have dust all over my own house. We were able to walk to Nijo Castle (a little far), Pontocho St. and Gion rather easily. Other times we rode a cab. I would recommend this place for the experience of staying in a reasonably priced ryokan (14,420y/nt for 3, no food).

Stayed at this Ryokan for 8 nights and enjoyed it thoroughly.

As mentioned in other posts this Ryokan is well located to the main shopping streets and has a 99 yen store just up the street!

Great value too considering the amount of space in the rooms.

There is no on site laundry however, but the hotel across the road has a coin operated washing machine and dryer.

Wireless LAN is also available to people with laptops in the lobby if needed.

Highly recommended place to stay!

You won't be sorry about choosing Watazen Ryokan. We stayed there January 22-27 and had a wonderful time. It shows some of its 150 years, and there is no garden off the rooms, but it's still a real ryokan experience on a budget. The staff is very, very attentive, albeit with limited English, but they make up for it with sheer hospitality and they try so hard. Just as we left, a Canadian girl started working there so maybe the English thing will get better. Through March a double room with bath is about 12,600 yen per night. Other ryokans charge that per person. Sure the room is on the smaller side and dated, but you still get the experience without paying a fortune, and the service can't be beat. In Japan, you do get what you pay for. There are no bargains.

The Japanese-style room we were assigned had somewhat dated furniture both Western and Japanese (two chairs on the floor with a table, two Western chairs with an end table). We were greeted at the front desk warmly and immediately shown to our room, where one of the floor maids made tea for us and offered sweets. Try them, even if they look weird! They're good. Yatsu-hachi is the name of the cookies that look like won tons and taste like cinnamon. The room also had a refrigerator. The inn provides a brush, toothbrushes and toothpase (fresh daily), shampoo but no conditioner, razors for the gentlemen, and yukatas/haoris (like a kimono with an overjacket) for sleeping and roaming around the inn. Everyone in the inn wore theirs to breakfast. There is a pay TV.

That night after dinner, we returned to find our room had been transformed into sleeping quarters with futon-style bedding. It's really very comfortable. I have a bad back and bad knees and we were staying at the Watazen because we had our teenaged daughters with us and wanted the experience of a Japanese-style inn, but I really had no problem getting up and down or sleeping. There is no curfew at this ryokan, although the latest we came in was 11. We did not try the public bath in their basement, because we had baths in our rooms. They had the wonderful heated Japanese style toilet seats with bidet features that I want to have back here at home! Do read the feature at the Japanese tourism site on ryokans, you'll have a much better stay.

In the morning we had a bit of trouble understanding that we had to go downstairs for breakfast, because their website had said that meals were served in your room, so we just kept waiting. We did figure it out about 1/2 hour late and went down to a sumptuous Japanese-style breakfast of tofu, eggs, fish, rice, and pickles and of course, tea. Too much food, actually - my husband and I split ours.

Watazen Ryokan is in a great central location, near Shijo Street and Karasuma for luxury shopping, near Teramachi Street for funky shopping and my favorite 100-yen store, and also near Nishiki Market for snacks. The longest cab ride we took was to Arashiyama, which cost 2,100 yen (less than $20). Most were around 960 yen. Subway may NOT be cheaper for parties of more than two - check your fares first. The ATM that takes foreign credit cards is on Shijo St. across Karasuma (Citibank), you'll need that too.

If you are dining on a budget, try the 711 two blocks north and one block east, or the Shop 99 one block north. Neither take credit cards. You can get all the food you need there, and they'll heat it too. My suggestion is eat breakfast at your ryokan, eat lunch at any restaurant with a decent set price menu (like 1,000 yen) and eat dinner from the Shop 99 in your room, if you're on a budget.

My wife and I spend three nights in Watazen ryokan in April. If we ever make it to Kyoto again, we'll go straight to Watazen. It's located three blocks from Shijo Ave (one of the main traffic routes with department stores, bus stops, etc), and ten or so blocks from Pontocho (bars, restaurants).

The service is excellent as it seems to be everywhere in Japan. People at the desk speak English well enough to understand and answer any question you might have. Women who serve breakfast and tea do not speak English but since they are so nice and patient it ended up being more fun than a source of frustration.

For 13,000 yen per night, we got a spacious room, about 12 x 25, divided into three compartments by wooden sliding panels. There was also a bathroom and toilet with one of those famous Japanese high-tech toilet seats. Do try to figure them out, it's worth it:)

And finally, you just have to try the communal bath at least once. After walking around Kyoto for hours a big bath full of hot water is exactly what you need to recover. I liked it so much that I did not use the bathroom in my room at all.