A fake "ryokan" by every sense of the word. I chose to stay here when visiting with my wife instead of one of the magnificent guesthouses (e.g. Hana right next door, or especially K's which I LOVED) in order to have a Japanese style ryokan experience at budget price. What could be better right? As with anything in Japan, you'll soon discover that you get what you pay for... And if you want quality, expect to pay for quality. This place is not a ryokan in any sense of the word. They give you the opportunity to experience sleeping in a Japanese style hotel - small rooms with Japanese decor, tatami mats, tiny bathrooms, and even a cheap kimono to wear for the 10min that you'll actually spend around the facilities here, but at 2x the cost. So basically all the parts of a japanese hotel that most westerners actually hate, at elevated prices. A true ryokan is like a japanese spa... Hot springs, massages, top class meals delivered right to your room... Basically a place to go as a vacation in and of itself. Here are plenty of real ryokans in Kyoto, but all are well outside of the city limits. Many others similar to Kyoraku within the city will claim to offer this Japanese tradition, by essentially are catering to tourists who don't know any better and think this is what a real ryokan is like. We paid ¥11,000 per night not including breakfast, which was 2-3x what a guesthouse would have been (granted, a real ryokan would have been ¥30,000 range). If visiting Kyoto, don't bother with any place with the name "ryokan" in its title - you're not here to stay indoors all the time... There is so much to see and do that there's no point in wasting money to stay home (let alone one without ryokan treatment). Worst part of Kyoraku was the 11pm curfew... Meaning you cannot even go out to experience the extensive nightlife around Sanjo area! For this reason alone, a guesthouse/hostel would have been far preferable. As negative as I've been, this is not to say that all is bad here... The owner this sweet little old lady is incredibly nice and great, and does prepare a great breakfast (¥1000 per person extra) from local Kyoto goods. And the location is hard to beat (5min walk from Kyoto station). But for the price there are far better places you can stay with privacy (most guesthouses/hostels do have individual rooms you can book, many with private bathrooms as well).. And those where you could expect to sleep just as well given the paper thin walls at Kyoraku which allow you to hear every and anything. In summary - don't fall in the fake "ryokan" trap - save your money elsewhere and have an even better Kyoto experience. I'd say this place would be great for one purpose only - if you have a Japanese girlfriend whose family you are visiting (as was the case with 1 guest we met) - can't stay in a hostel if you're trying to impress them, need to front some cash, more "Japanese" authentic, etc.
I actually feel bad writing this review since the owner was such a nice lady...
