Ryokan Uemura is a beautiful and excellent place to stay in Kyoto. The location is in an historic area of considerable character, on the temple route in Higashiyama. Kiyomizu-dera, Chion-in, and Shoren-in are all within a short walk, as are the restaurants and shops of Gion. Cobbled streets and historic homes are a departure from other parts of Kyoto, which is a beautiful city. Monks roamed the streets in the mornings, as the quiet area came to life.

Mrs. Uemura is a warm, friendly, funny, and hospitable lady of considerable energy. An excellent hostess. The ryokan is very clean and quiet. The breakfast was excellent, as was the afternoon tea. I see that some have commented on the shared facilities or older fixtures, but that should not be an issue to detract from the ryokan experience - which is quite different from a 5-star hotel. The experience of spending three days in this ryokan was amazing, and an excellent experience.

Staying with Uemura san was a very special experience. Her warmth and friendliness, combined with the wonderful atmosphere of the historic ryokan, plus the excellent location makes for a great, restful experience. Uemura san is a considerate, friendly host who will help with all issues, although her English is limited. We requested a Japanese breakfast and enjoyed it thoroughly. She provided a different breakfast mix every morning and complemented that with a variety of little sweets each night with green tea when we returned from our day out.
The building itself and its garden are beautiful, and very restful, a part of old Japan. Yes, the facilities are shared, but overall that is the only downside to having the opportunity to experience such a great place to stay. For most of our stay we were the only guests, and she only has three guest rooms.

Uemura Kyoto

Our 6th visit to this small Ryokan warmly run by the gentile Madam Uemura for the past 54 years. It's located in the atmospheric side streets of old Kyoto near Kodai-Ji temple. An easy 5 minute walk to say Gion corner and a gentle 10 minute stroll to the magnificent Chion-In temple.
Her property is always very clean.It has a " family character" and always very relaxing to stay there. The rooms do not have their own facilities, with toilets and the bathroom shared with 2 or 3 other guests. Never a problem.
The Western breakfast is always welcome after a few days or weeks on the road in Japan. A bowl of fresh fruit, egg over bacon, excellent tea or coffee and " doorstep" toast - see photo.
We hope we are fortunate enough to return again to Kyoto and our beloved Uemura San.
We mixed our 2 day visit with new temples for us, plus a very pleasant day to Kurama where we visited the hillside temple and also the outside Onsen a 15 minute walk from the station. Free shuttle ride runs often. Yen 1,000 for the Onsen, with lovely wooded hillside views. Check out the train arrangements with the tourist office when you arrive in Kyoto. You can also save a Yen 1,000 on taxi fare to Uemura Ryokan by taking the 206 bus from Kyoto railway station and getting off for Kodai-ji. Ask Uemura San to fax you a small map of the side streets. 
All Ryokans in Kyoto are expensive. Uemura is expensive by UK standards particularly with a strong yen. We balance the overall cost of the trip by sometimes staying in cheaper modern hotels in other cities.

Ryokan Uemura is a delightful little place, right in the middle of a dreamy district of lovely Kyoto.
All the problems mentioned in other reviews are true: it is a bit rough around the edges, the toilets (shared!) are spotless but a bit dingy, it is a bit cold at night and yes, it feels expensive for the kind of luxury it offers (or better, it does not offer), but the truth is that Ryokans are a different experience from western hotels: they cost a lot (upper end Ryokans prohibitively so) and offer you basically a cot on the floor in sparse sorroundings, and, again, shared toilets (I cannot stress that enough: in the West, a shared toilet is found in the cheapest hotels, here it belongs to ryokans).
But you don't stay to Ryokan for the plasma tv: you stay for the welcome, the silence, and the location: tourists (japanese tourist) look at you with amazement and envy while you are putting your shoes on the steps of the hotel (inside is strictly slippers, and different ones for different rooms: god forbit that you step in your room with your toilet slippers!). Monks roam the street in the early morning, praying for alms. You walk the cobbled street and you join the midst of the tourist procession along the temples of Kyoto.
Mrs Uemura welcomes you personally every time you return home, and has always biscuits and tea for you. She even ran after me on a very early morning carring a warmer jacket, when I stepped out of the ryokan with only a yukata: it is probably a cultural pas faux, but she was honestly worried I'd catch a cold.
Breakfasts are amazing: if you are brave you can dare to try the japanese style one (my wife could not), but western ones are so fullfilling too, with toasted breads and fresh fruit.
Were I to return to Kyoto, I would like to try a more luxurious ryokan, if I can afford it, but in its price range (again, for ryokans, a cheap one, almost a minshuku) nothing can beat this little home in the middle of amazing, poetic Higashiyama.