Tanakaya Kyoto Karasuma

The pictures look cute, but honestly the room was even prettier - the perfect balance of traditional and modern. Brilliant location - central, but on a quiet road - I walked to most places and the people at the front desk were kind and welcoming. Definitely recommended.

This was our first visit to Japan, and like many other tourists we came for Kyoto to see "old Japan", and staying in Tanakaya Kyoto Karasuma hotel unexpectedly for us became a part of this experience. We booked the hotel blind just for its location and price, but it turned out to be the experience of traditional Japanese culture of its own. This small hotel is family owned and operated, and the owners are really taking pride in their business and treating their guests with respect and personal attention. Our room and the whole hotel were exceptionally clean and well maintained. The room is split in two parts, the first one is in usual western style, with 2 beds, a table and a kitchenette, and the second part is styled as a traditional Japanese room, with a beautiful wooden carving over the entrance (I regret I didn't think of taking pictures of it), a small low table and the floor bed mattresses rolled and stored in the wall closet. The location of the hotel is very convenient - on an old narrow quiet street, but one of the major city arteries is literally around the corner. The place is a halfway between Kyoto Station and central Kyoto area with many tourist attractions, about 20 min walk. The subway station is even closer, about 10 min walk. There are several restaurants and take out places close by for every taste and budget, from holes-in-the-wall to westernized upscale ones, and there is a convenience store on the corner (and Japanese convenience stores are nothing like ones in the US, the Japanese ones are selling actual food). The only word of caution: just like most hotels rooms in Japan, the rooms here might be smaller than your expect. The room we had is perfectly fine for let say two couples who travel light. But if you are a family of four, with 2 kids and a tendency to over-pack - you may feel squeezed.