The Karasuma Kyoto Hotel is in a great location just steps from the subway exit. It is just a block from a great shopping district. The hotel is clean and the staff was very helpful. The hotel is older but very well maintained and safe. There is a Starbucks in the lobby which I found very convienent since I speak no Japanese and was travelling by myself. It was a great find at $77 a night (Oct 2005) , hotels in Japan are fairly expensive. They had 2 PCs with free internet access in the lobby also. My room was on the small side compared to American hotel rooms, but I expected that. I was very happy with this hotel and would definitely stay there again

I had booked this hotel because the reviews on Expedia and TripAdvisor made it seem like a pretty good hotel. However when I got there, it seemed like a totally different hotel.

HOTEL LOCATION:
- 15 long blocks to & from Kyoto Station
- If not traveling to Kyoto Station much, then you're *somewhat* close to Gion & the Imperial Palace
- If you're familiar with the subway & bus system in Kyoto then it may be easier to navigate to Kyoto Station & other places within Kyoto
- Not really close to any shops, restaurants, or markets, closest thing is a 7-eleven

SERVICE/STAFF:
- Staff spoke little English but were courteous and accomodating

ROOM:
- Although it was cold in March, the rooms were EXTREMELY stuffy and the air conditioning was a joke. The windows cannot be opened unless you get housekeeping to open it. Once it's open though, you can't close it on your own.
- Walls & doors are thin so from your room you can hear what's going on in the hallway and from the hallway you can hear what's going on in the room!
- Bathroom is extremely small - basically it's the bathtub/shower, sink, then toilet all crammed together in that order. Be sure to watch your step - you have to step up to the bathroom - why there's a step I will never know!
- Don't dare touch the contents in the refrigerator - you automatically get charged
- Beds are hard
- Only the socket next to the bathroom works (if you ever need to plug an item in)
- Generally old but clean and roomy with two beds slightly bigger than a twin and a sofa & coffee table for you and a few friends to eat-in

Overall, it isn't a great hotel and if at all possible find a better hotel that has better accomodations & nearer to Kyoto Station - it will certainly pay off in comfort & travel.

As part of a Sunrise Tour, we stayed one night at the Karasuma Kyoto Hotel. We had a triple room on the 8th floor, # 2828.
The room had two double-beds, plus a bed-settee for the third person in our party. We liked the little added touch of an origami paper-crane left on our pillows :-)
The hotel and our room were very clean. The staff were courteous and pleasant, like most everyone we encountered in Japan.
The bathroom was miniscule. I don't think I've ever seen such a tiny, cramped bathroom.
The main problem we had was with how excessively hot our room was. Outside the temperature was at or below freezing; inside the room it was like a furnace. We requested that the windows be opened (a special-key was needed), but unfortunately this wasn't done. The heat after the three of us had had a shower was unbearable. We struggled to sleep, due to the high room-temperature over which we had no control.
The hotel, itself, was fine. It was well-positioned and had good transport links - subway station next door, and main bus-lines very close at hand.

Not listed in the standard guidebooks, I stayed at this hotel as part of a package deal with a bullet train ride from Tokyo. Looks like mainly Japanese tour groups stay here and the hotel does not seem to cater to foreigners despite the fact that a Starbucks is located inside the hotel. Steps from a subway entrance, the hotel is a short walk away from Nishiji market and the night districts of Kyoto. Twin room was quite big and spacious and inlcuded a couch! Bathroom small and Lego-like. But would happily sacrifice a small bathroom for a large and comfy room.