Reflects recent average nightly prices reported by our partners, and may not include estimated taxes or fees. Price at checkout may differ.
Cheaper
Average
Higher
About
4.5
#23 of 191 ryokans in Kyoto
Location
4.4
Cleanliness
4.8
Service
4.8
Value
4.2
Everyone needs a place to lay their weary head. For travelers visiting Shimogyo, Kikokuso is an excellent choice for rest and rejuvenation. Well-known for its historic environment and proximity to great restaurants, Kikokuso makes it easy to enjoy the best of Shimogyo.
You’ll enjoy relaxing rooms that offer a flat screen TV and air conditioning, and you can stay connected during your stay as Kikokuso offers guests free wifi.
The ryokan features room service and baggage storage. For guests with a vehicle, there is paid private parking available on-site.
Close to some of Shimogyo's most popular landmarks, such as Ayako Tenmangu Shrine (0.2 mi) and Ichihime Shrine (0.3 mi), Kikokuso is a great destination for tourists.
Shimogyo has plenty of French restaurants. So when you’re here, be sure to check out popular spots like A Peu Pres, La Table Au Japon, and La Fleur, which are serving up some great dishes.
Kikokuso is sure to make your visit to Shimogyo one worth remembering.
Places to stay are graded on a 0-100 scale. The higher the grade, the easier it is for travelers to find restaurants and things to do within walking distance.
Staying at a traditional Ryonkan was on our bucket list. Our stay of Kikokuso was easily one of our best decisions we made on the trip. Our family of four stayed on the first floor and found our accommodations spacious and comfortable, we had no trouble falling asleep on the tatami mats. We stayed two nights which was perfect. We also had a traditional breakfast which was delicious and warming on a cold winter morning. There was also a traditional shower and bath space which was a treat after walking around all day. This is a truly unique experience filled with authentic Japanese hospitality and space.
Read more
Date of stay: January 2020
Value
Service
Sleep Quality
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We had a wonderful experience here! The staff was extremely helpful and very friendly. They didn’t speak much English but taught us a lot of Japanese. they were very patient and brought us tea every night. The beds were very comfortable and so was the setting. I loved looking at the fish and the details spent around the garden and inside the grounds. The bathroom was exceptional and very hot! It was a great place to spend an evening after a full day of walking. This is hands-down the best hotel in all of Japan. If you’re looking for an experience and not just a stay in a cold clean room then this is the place for you. This stay made us feel very welcome here in Japan, so happy we had the opportunity.
Read more
Date of stay: January 2020Trip type: Traveled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
October 29th 2006 (four nights) 36,000 JPY / night (with Japanese traditional breakfast and dinner included) 16, 000 JPY / night (with no Japanese traditional breakfast and dinner, just accommodation)
My boyfriend and I have decided to put this into good/not so good format. We’re both fairly tall, he is 6ft and I’m 5.8” and we’re both 29 years old.
Good: -What a wonderful Ryokan! A ryokan is traditional Japanese accommodation. Our hosts were wonderful, anything we needed, they would do or could tell us where to go. Their English isn’t the best, but we all got by -They have a Japanese bath, which I’m sad to say, I didn’t try. But the bath can be private. You don’t have to get down and naked with other people, in case you feel uncomfortable with that. -They also had traditional Japanese (Kyoto traditional) meals. You can get breakfast and dinner. We had both over one night and in the morning and I can’t say I enjoyed the taste that much, just wasn’t me (I’m really not a fan of miso soup all together, but not for breakfast -) However, the presentation of everything is beautiful. We read about the care they take in the preparation of traditional meals, and we were not disappointed. I would recommend you do the dinner one night, but I don’t think the breakfast is needed. -They give you Japanese robes to wear and those were very handy and made you feel part of the furniture. -We slept on tatami matts for 4 nights. This was great, very traditional, but after 4 nights, I have to admit, I wanted a bed. But overall, quite comfortable. -The rooms are a great size and the hosts fold up your tatami matt while you’re out for the day so there is plenty of room to move around in the day. You can’t wear shoes in the ryokan, but they have slippers you can wear. It’s so cute to see them left outside all the rooms from people staying -There is a pond in the ryokan and has fish in it, with a little Japanese bridge that takes you from the main entrance to the bedrooms. -There are traditional Japanese toilets and western toilets. -It is quite close to the train station, about 4-5 blocks, we found it extremely convenient. -Kyoto is a great city, we definitely did not see enough of it! -On our last night we found Gion and went to a Geisha show at the Gion Theatre, definitely a highlight! You see traditional Japanese flower arranging, Japanese tea ceremony, Geisha dancing, Japanese comedy and puppetry. All of them are about 8 min long, it was a great taste of Japanese culture. When we left the Theatre, we walked around Gion for a bit and saw either two Geisha or two meiko, can’t be sure. They were walking from tea house to tea house and one was seeing her Japanese businessmen guests to their car. This was the biggest highlight for me in Japan! -We also took a tour of Hiroshima from Kyoto (only a day trip), which also took us to Miajima Island, a UNESCO World Heritage site. What a wonderful day. The history of the War Mememorial museum in Hiroshima is utterly touching and mind numbing to see the devastation that was done (which you see in the museum – it is completely safe to be in Hiroshima) and Miajima Island was beautiful, but if you can, go at sunset, we heard it was much more beautiful then. We had to go in the early afternoon. -After our tour we were taken to this Kyoto Craft centre and we bought wonderful trinkets to take home and beautiful handcrafted Japanese artifacts, like a beautiful vase, Japanese robes, and samurai swords. -The tour rushed us through the Craft Centre, so make sure you have enough time to go back there before you leave Kyoto, or go before your tour, almost every taxi driver or your hotel will know of this Centre.
Not so Good: -They do not accept credit card which we begged with them to get one for when we return - -They don’t have a website so that makes it difficult to look at what they offer, so they really should look into getting one. - They have a curfew, but it wasn't a problem for us as we were not out late. The lastest we were out was around 12:30am.
I would without a doubt stay at this ryokan again!
There is a general Japanese site where you get information on many different ryokans. here is the website for Kikokuso - but I think a lot of the Kyoto ryokan's are connected to this website: [---]
Read more
Date of stay: October 2006
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We are experienced travellers and are beginning to use trip advisor to help us choose various accommodation all over the world. So we are writing this honest review to help others. To get to the point, this accommodation is far too much money for what we received. We understand the traditional aspect, the sleeping on the floor is fine and the meals are very well presented and the hospitality is very friendly, however you can stay at a 5 star hotel which is half the price in Kyoto - it doesn't make sense! The private bathroom for example is a badly added 1970's ugly reno, no better than you would find at a back packers. The position of the Ryokan is located on a main road and in between units. The atmosphere unfortunately does not give you the culture or tranquility or beauty we were expecting for the price. Some reviews are trying to justify the exorbitant price by the quality of food and hospitality, but you can receive this same service at many good restaurants and quality hotels in Kyoto which we found out afterwards. We did speak to the manager/agent regarding our concern with our room with view of the busy street. In their defence they did move us to a better room with view of small pond/garden the next night. We showed them what a Ryokan at this price level should resemble by pointing out a classical picture from a Kyoto Ryokan glossy book in the lobby. We paid by cash (no cards accepted) and left after 2 nights - too late to cancel due to their cancellation policy. Just be careful, don't be exploited by the word "traditional". In our opinion we were mislead by some of the reviews for this Ryokan.
Read more
Date of stay: May 2014
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Traveled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
With my asian background and kind of grown up with sushi and japanese TV programs, I would say I have certain advantage on judging what is good Japanese and what is not. Ryokan located central enough but somewhere without any charm. Rooms are ok but facing a tiny court yard. Only 1 small bathroom facility. The owner couple was really cute and I guess that is what made the place so overrated. While staying is this kind of quite expansive ryokan, foods will be a key point of if it is all worth it, but This, is so not it. ( I do have high expectation in foods, it's the whole point traveling in Asia countries about) We came just after a great 2 nights stay at a ryokan at Yugawara, so I can totally see the difference! The dinner here are very standard, so standard that we don't have to go to a luxury ryokan. And small quantity! It's far smaller and less courses and less good than the other one we stay in! Even the ceramic and the wooden bowls are far cheaper! If you are looking for the real Japanese experience, this is not it, it's for tourist with the tag on the forehead!
Read more
Date of stay: May 2013
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
First off, the couple and family members who own and run this place are really sweet as other travellers have said. As a result, I don't want to mark this family business too low despite not having the best experience here.
My boyfriend and I were staying here for the last of our 6 night's in Kyoto and I guess we were disappointed as this was meant to be a treat for us - being £170 for one night we were really looking forward to it. The numerous 5* reviews mislead us a bit I would say, if you read them more carefully there does not seem to be much practical substance or information in them, so I will try and be more helpful to other travellers.
On the day of our check-in we checked out of our other hotel and I emailed Kikokuso at 11am asking if we could have dinner after we checked in that evening, asking how much it would be and that we would be checking in at 6pm. I also asked if we could have 1 western breakfast and 1 Japanese breakfast for the next morning. My boyfriend & I were then out all day, we hired bikes and cycled to the bamboo grove in Arashiyama. When we returned to pick up our luggage from the other hotel I checked my emails and found that we were told that we could not have dinner as it was too late and that dinner needed to be booked 24 hours in advance. We were also told that we both had to have the same breakfast - either both western or both Japanese. I was really upset at this point as it completely ruined our plans to stay in that evening and enjoy the guesthouse we were paying £170 for one night for. Additionally, I had emailed 2 weeks before asking if dinner was included in our stay (seeing as most of the previous reviews mention the wonderful dinner it seemed as if everyone had had it). I received a one line reply saying "sry, breakfast plan only". It would have been nice at this point (and good customer service) to say "but if you are interested in dinner it is "X" amount and please let us know at least 24 hours in advance). The other "no" regarding different breakfasts further annoyed me and it started to seem as if Kikokuso was not as accommodating or nice as the other guests had made it out to be. I kind of felt that 11am was enough notice for dinner, somebody could have gone out to the shops and bought something, anything for us- we would not have known the difference, nor would have minded! Beware- there is another review that says they ask you at check-in if you would like dinner! Maybe this works if you were staying for more than 1 night, but it does not work if you are staying for only 1 and it does not make business sense not to tell these particular guests this info- especially when they are already emailing you regarding the subject.
Heading to Kikokuso we were both quite annoyed and I wanted to say something once we got there so that maybe they could improve their service despite being a person that hates complaining. On arrival, the owners greeted us and were very smiley and nice. I ended up being unable to say anything due to this and also because I didn't think that I could effectively convey my grievances as the English spoken was basic as is our Japanese. Dinner was mentioned by them first and they apologised. One person reiterated the 24 hour rule to me whilst my boyfriend was apologised to by a different person and told that it is actually 48 hours in advance that you need to order dinner. I guess if you are hoping to have dinner there, please go by the 48 hour rule so that you are not disappointed. We were then asked what breakfast we would like so I told the lady we had decided on 2 Japanese style (when in Japan! Even if we both ended up not liking it so we would therefore have no breakfast!). She then said "oh ok, so you have changed your mind." I felt like this was an inconvenience to her despite us being told we had to have the same breakfast. Again, I saw no point in trying to say "we were told we couldn't have 1 western and 1 Japanese" so I just said yes, we'll have 2. The only time available for breakfast was at 8am. The lady apologised that the private dining room was already booked - but that was fine for us, we said we would prefer to have it in our room instead of coming downstairs anyway.
We were then asked to book a bath time and felt quite awkward having to pick a time when we we knew there was an 11pm curfew but that we would also have to go out for dinner. We said 10pm to be polite but really we would have preferred a bit later in any other hotel or guesthouse. I had the feeling that they would prefer it if everyone was washed, tucked up in bed ready to sleep by 10pm. They were saying there were "plenty of restaurants" on the main road, but we wanted to revisit a favourite we had discovered near Gion.
We left for dinner at 7.30pm, got to the place at about 8pm and by 9.30pm we were still eating and finishing our drinks so my boyfriend had to ring Kikokuso to see if we could have a bath a bit later at 10.30pm. To their credit, this was not a problem for them. For us, we spent the whole last evening worrying about timings as we wanted to have a nice relaxed dinner with drinks but also wanted to have a bath. Then I would get even more annoyed that we were worrying about this when we were guests paying to stay somewhere!
We got back, had our bath and went to bed. The guesthouse is extremely quiet and you feel that you cannot stay up and talk. We could here coughs from the next room, so sound travels easily.
My boyfriend was downstairs early to go and smoke and was told by somebody that the private dining room was actually free so that we could have our breakfast in there. He said yes but on returning to our room I said I would rather have it in the room. My boyfriend went to tell them this and they insisted that the private room would be nicer and that if we had it in our room they would have to come in before and make up the room. I did not want this to happen as I wanted to get another hour's sleep after breakfast before check-out because I hadn't slept well that night. We therefore said yes to the private room. We getting ready to leave the room at 7.55am when the phone rang telling us to come down as breakfast was ready. We knew it would be ready, it was booked for 8am and my boyfriend had just been downstairs discussing it half an hour before so it was obvious we were awake, I felt that this was a bit pushy.
Upon returning from breakfast at 9am, someone had been into our room and taken away the futon beds and made up the room to look like no one had been staying in it. I was mortified as a) I had wanted to lie down and b) someone had been in our room without warning, when we were basically told that this would only be done if we had wanted to have breakfast in there. I felt like we had been tricked out of the room! Guests could have anything lying around- underwear or whatever. I felt uncomfortable because they would have seen the room messy and I always like to tidy up and clean the room before I leave a hotel. I was so shattered that I lay on the floor to rest while my boyfriend packed up. At 10.15am the phone started ringing again to a bit of a "what now" feeling. It turned out our checkout time had actually been 10am not 11am like we thought. Luckily we were all ready to go by 10.30am. We then felt even worse about the stay. To be fair, the checkout time along with the curfew information had been on our confirmation sheet (unlike the dinner info) although the checkout time was not mentioned in person when the curfew was.
Staying at Kikokuso for us, felt a little bit like staying in a boarding school or hostel rather than being on holiday. The rules were not for us and I probably wouldn't recommend this place to anyone aged 18-30 who likes to have a bit of freedom. We stayed in a similar guesthouse (little English spoken, same room but with a smoking section inside room, shared bath) that was £70 cheaper and were not made to feel awkward but at ease and relaxed the whole time. We were relieved to finally leave which isn't something you should say coming away from a guesthouse.
The aesthetics of Kikokuso are pleasing with the Koi pond & reception but that is about it. To put this into context we stayed in Japan for 28 days and this was midway through our trip. This is the only place we would not go back to.
Read more
Date of stay: October 2017
Value
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Traveled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
It was great experience to stay two nights in Kikokuso. Absoluately love it. The warm welcome, well presented traditional Japanese dinner and the onsen are unforgetable.
Staying in traditional Ryokan is all about experience. If you expecting good hotel facility and spacious room, this might not be your choice.
Read more
Date of stay: April 2014
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Traveled with family
Room Tip:A room at the fish pond side is great. Don't worry about the private bathroom. The public one...
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Stayed for 1 night in July 2012. Wish we'd stayed longer - what an amazing experience! We booked the room with private ensuite and were not at all disappointed. The highlight was our hosts and the Japanese style breakfast (an optional extra; maybe not everyone's taste but it's worth trying at least once. Personally, I loved it). Every effort was made to make us feel at home and we certainly did. They really went above and beyond. The room was very spacious and comfortable. This was our first time to Japan and we wanted an authentic experience - we definitely felt like we got that here. Also, the hosts spoke at least basic English, which comes in handy of course.
I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this ryokan to anyone and everyone. Whether you're here alone or with a friend/partner or your family, you really can't go wrong with this one. Worth every cent (or yen, rather!) Our hosts even drove us to Kyoto Station on the morning of our departure so we didn't have to walk in the heat.
Read more
Date of stay: July 2012
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Traveled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I've been recommending this ryokan to all my friends, so I figured I should write a proper review as well. I stayed here for just one night on a very short trip to Kyoto, but I wish we could have stayed longer.
Upon arriving in Kyoto Station, we took a cab to our hotel to drop off our bags in the lobby. It's definitely close enough to walk, but we went mid-summer and it was extremely hot outside. When we arrived, we were met by the very friendly family that runs the inn. The hotel is situated in Central Kyoto, away from the hustle and bustle, but very close to everything you need. There’s a beautiful Japanese garden across the street (donation suggested, and you get a brochure) and it’s a 10 minute walk to Goju subway station, which is very convenient.
The three major highlights for me:
-The family: everyone here is amazingly kind and they treat you like family. I can't say enough good things! If you're looking for an authentic ryokan experience that's not stuffy at all, come here.
-The inn itself: very beautiful, clean, traditional. We opted for an en suite bathroom, but there's also a traditional shared bathing room downstairs. There's a gorgeous private courtyard with a pond, garden and bridge. If you have meals at the hotel (which I highly recommend, read below), ask for a room that overlooks the pond. We didn't even ask, but we got a great private dining room that overlooked the pond and courtyard.
-The food: I believe the chef is the son of the hotel owner (could be wrong, but that's what i remember), and the food here was incredible. We did both the kaiseki dinner course (which was amazing) and the traditional Japanese breakfast. I've lived in Japan and never really liked the traditional breakfast that much, but I loved it at this inn because it was so fresh. The greatest part was that the wife of the owner spoke enough English to describe the dishes to us, which is sometimes hard to find in a traditional ryokan. All the dishes are seasonal and local, so it's nice to know what you're eating.
All in all, an amazing Kyoto experience! Only downside may be that there's a curfew (I believe at 11pm), but I'm sure you could arrange with the front desk to come later if you wanted to stay out late. It's really just a courtesy to the other guests I imagine.
Read more
Date of stay: September 2011
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Traveled with family
Room Tip:If you are really sensitive, you may want to ask for a room that doesn't face the street. We...
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dirt: used toothpaste and soap. Mould on the room's walls and very small and dirt onsen. Absolutely not value for money. We were expecting something different since we paid €570 for one night with traditional dinner. Bad and horrible location.
Read more
Date of stay: April 2009
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Traveled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
It's definetly possible. The Ryokan is very familiar. I think you should directly talk to the owner for the breakfast. They are really nice and I think they will find a solution.
I actually booked via a website. Google japaneseguesthouses. TA doesn't allow me to post weblinks. It's easier, the folks manning the website can understand english perfectly and helped answer a lot of our questions!
There are more places to choose from in the Kyoto area.
PRICE RANGE
$162 - $193 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
ALSO KNOWN AS
kikokuso hotel kyoto
LOCATION
JapanKinkiKyoto PrefectureKyotoShimogyo-ku
NUMBER OF ROOMS
4
Prices are the average nightly price provided by our partners and may not include all taxes and fees. Taxes and fees that are shown are estimates only. Please see our partners for more details.
Is This Your Tripadvisor Listing?
Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.
