This was my third stay at this hotel, as part of a Sunrise Tour.

Our twin-room (3226) on the 12th floor overlooked the busy Karasuma dori. I anticipated (correctly) that the room would be too hot so at check-in asked for the large window to be opened/unlocked. This helped alot. I'd actually venture that the room wasn't heated to quite such a high degree as in previous years, which is a good thing.

Apart from two large, very comfortable single-beds there was a small settee and coffee-table, a bucket-chair, desk/counter, tv, fridge etc. It was quite a spacious room for a tourist-class hotel and perfectly pleasant.

The location is good too. It is two stops from Kyoto station on the Karasuma subway line. Take exit 4 or 6 from Shijo station and the hotel is right there. It is a short walk to the main downtown area on Shijo dori and maybe a 15 minute walk to Gion. Excellent.

SnowFalling

English - the staff spoke some english and was able to communicate. Very accomodating.

Internet - this is a joke, there are two computers located in the lobby with Japanese Windows and a Japanese keyboard. If you need to print anything, you need to go to the FedexKinkos two blocks up the street.

Buffet Breakfast - 'pass' I suppose, fairly basic with a mix of western & japanese items

Rooms - the bedroom doors are about 6'2" high. Clean. Dated. TV has about 4 channels of all japanese stations. Beds are hard. Don't be surprised when you check-in and they present a long plastic rod with a key attached - yes, this is the key to the room. The room is stuffy and when you turn the setting to a higher setting it blows heat!! When bringing this up to the hotel staff, their answer is, "just turn off the fan"!

Bathroom - TINY, tub is half size with less than adequete water pressure. When sitting on the toilet, you'll probably bang your head against the bathroom door.

My wife and I stayed here one night as part of an overnight do-it-yourself tour package from Sunrise Tours that included a round trip bullet train trip from Tokyo to Kyoto and back. This hotel was the one that came with the cheapest package, so I was a bit concerned. However, the hotel turned out to be quite decent and the location is great for travelers arriving in Kyoto at the Japan Rail station - which is probably most everyone.

The hotel is located very near the subway, just 2 stops from the central train station. We were able to check into our room at 10 am, which was quite helpful. Then it was coffee at the Starbucks located in the hotel, and then off to see the sights. While the hotel is not particularly close to any of the major sights, that is going to be the case for most, if not all, places in Kyoto. Some are reachable by subway (the Imperial Palace, for one), but for some you will want to take a taxi, especially if you are short on time.

The room was clean, fairly large, and afforded us a nice view of the city. Check out was easy and they held our luggage until our departure from the city later in the day. I have only good things to say about this hotel.

The Karasuma is very well located for travellers to Kyoto, with a subway station steps away from the front door, and a couple of blocks away from Kyoto's main shopping district. The Starbucks in the lobby is also helpful for breakfasts, and provides a well-attended meeting space on its patio. Staff at the hotel are very helpful, and the rooms are extremely clean. The only possible drawback is that bathrooms are quite small. Free internet access in the lobby is a nice touch.