We stayed at Kyoto Ryokan Sakanoue in late June for one evening as a family of 4, children ages 12 and 9. We wanted to experience a taste of Kyoto and Japanese tradition which led us to here from Tokyo. The location was perfect as right next door was the Gion AYA Maiko Makeover experience which our daughter participated in. The service at Ryokan Sakanoue was excellent, given a very attentive staff who arranged our dinner + breakfast time immediately upon arrival. I have not stayed in a Ryokan before, and was happy at the size of the room we received as I had expected tighter accommodations. There was a separate entry way from the main room, the bathroom included a wooden bath and the toilet was high tech. We "upgraded" our Kaiseki dinner to include a beef steak (for an additional fee) course, which ended up being my son's favorite meal of our 3 week trip in Asia (China and Japan). The Ryokan is walking distance to various shrines, temples, pagodas and shopping. During dinner, our room was transformed as the tatami mats had been setup for the evening. I found sleeping on the mat a bit difficult, but that comes with the choice of doing so. I would recommend staying here if you wish to have a unique and memorable experience.

First time in a Ryokan and were a little worried. It turns out to have all the modern conveniences with very authentic Japanese style.

The location can’t be better. In the heart of Gion narrow streets, right next to Yasaka Shrine, and a 10 minute walk to Kiyomizu-dera.

I highly recommend this place. The only regret is that we didn’t reserve meals in advance.

It was really great to rest. There are good smell all around with tatami. And no noise. People who works there is also kind! After checking out, we got a present and it was special memorable :)
Dinnal was beautiful but taste was soso. Breafast was delicious! In the room, there is a bathtop and it was made by wood!