Kyoto Watazen Ryokan

we really enjoyed staying here! great location and very friendly and easy service. a traditional ryokan a no-frills experience, so make sure you know what you're getting in to. check out time of 10am is a little too early for a hotel this expensive, but it is what it is. we had a fun and interesting time, 2 nights enough time here...i couldn't see a reason to stay here longer, and even 1 night would be enough. I definitely suggest checking this out if you want a traditional japanese experience.

Very happy with the 2 night stay we had here. Location is excellent, short walk to markets and shopping, plenty of good restaurants around. The ryokan experience was well worth it although I'm not sure I could get used to sleeping on the floor for longer than a couple of days, but that's just me. The Japanese breakfast is superb, and it seems to change depending on the days you are staying. The staff were also very friendly and helpful.

Great experience!! The entire staff was incredibly nice to us. They offered tea upon our arrival and set up our beds while we were away during the day. The traditional Japanese breakfast (for extra) was amazing. The staff even allowed us to leave our baggage after check out since we were still staying in Kyoto for the day. Excellent service

Had a wonderful experience at the Watazen! Our room was immaculate and spacious. Loved the traditional ryokan experience. The staff was wonderful and it was extremely close to the nishiki market and not too far from the train station (10 min walk). Would definitely stay again.

We wanted an old world Japanese experience and we got it here. The staff drops whatever they are doing to attend to us and grant our every wish and always with a smile. The room is very simple, old Japanese. They lay the bedrolls out at 7:30 so its not the kind of place to hang out in the room if you aren't use to a very simple style. The hotel is in a perfect location. Its very close to the Nishiki Market, Gion district and transportation. We walked to the Nijo Castle, Pontocho Alley, and the Imperial Palace.

The Ryokan is in an amazing location - within walking distance of all you need to see and do in Kyoto without being swamped by tourists and crowds. I must admit I was hoping for a more beautiful setting/decor/interior in the hotel but to be fair there was nothing surprising from the pictures we saw. We tried the Onsen which was enjoyable but did not try the Kaiseki dinner as there was just too much choice just within the area - fantastic restaurants and of course, Nishiki market. There's a Lawson grocery store within 5 meters for any last minute purchases but you're equidistant between Daimaru and Takashimaya for the most wonderful array of packed food and fruits. We were also luckily in the precinct when the Gion Matsui procession passed by and we could not have been more spoilt. There are bicycle shops close by to rent a bike which we did for our leg to the Imperial Palace of Kyoto. Train stations - Kawaramachi and Karasuma - are within walking distance for any possible combination of trains you need to take within Kyoto and outside of Kyoto. An evening stroll will take you to the Geisha districts of Poncho and Gion, which can get very crowded. We were lucky to be in a perfect but quiet location.

This ryokan has a more hotel feel but it provided everything I needed for my travels. Close to the shopping streets in Kyoto, however, it was a bit noisy at night and not very secluded. The hotel staff was nice and I used their laundry facility - 50 yen for a packet of laundry powder, and 300 yen to wash, 100 yen for each 20 minutes of drying. I also used their large hot spring in the basement; as I went around 6pm, it wasn't crowded. I appreciated the sweets that was replenished during my stay.

Beautiful hotel, I chose this hotel because of the beds, after staying 2 nights at a japanese ryokan, my family is not used to sleep in futon. The mattress were not as comfortable as we thought.

Staff - fabulous Location - excellent; very close to Gion district & Nishiki food stalls Rooms - stayed in traditional tatami floors; clean, comfortable

We enjoyed our stay at the Watazen Ryokan! The staff is very friendly and helpful. Taka spoke very good English and provided us with a great plan to visit Kiyomizu upon our arrival before the room was ready. Thanks Taka-san! The rooms are very clean and the bathrooms are modern. We did not have dinner there, but the Japanese style breakfast was very good. It is in close proximity to multiple shopping areas and walking distance to the Gion area. We used the public bath which is a new experience for American's but relaxing and different. I would stay here again if I had the opportunity.