Ryokan MOTONAGO

A traditional Japanese inn on a quiet street in a lovely old Kyoto neighborhood close to Kiyomizudera Temple. Staff and service was formal and friendly and the rooms comfortable. Traditional Kyoto-style cuisine was spectacular. A memorable part of our first visit to Japan.

You cannot chose a better location in kyoto. Dinner was amazing. A very gentle and genuine experience.

This was my first experience with a traditional Japanese ryokan style hotel and a great introduction The staff was wonderfully friendly and helpful. And the food was absolutely wonderful.

The Motonago is a lovely inn located in a quiet area in Kyoto near many temples. The staff were very friendly and courteous - they gave me a warm welcome and provided me with many helpful tips on the best way to spend my one full day in the city. I would highly recommend this inn to my friends!

I recently stayed here with two friends in a four-person room. We paid a reasonable price (good ryokans start around 200 and go up from there) for the half board option (dinner + breakfast, in room), but think it's absolutely worth it. The staff are beyond accommodating (from offering to loan us umbrellas, to taking our photos, etc.) and are able to communicate fine. Food was rather exotic--definitely some traditional Kyoto fare with more adventurous pieces (for the adventurous at heart). Breakfast served in room (yes!) was a tofu breakfast true to the Kyoto style with smoked fish, soup, etc. Excellent. For the less adventurous, you can try a western breakfast, too, but the Japanese breakfast is so good, it would be a shame to do western breakfast unless you have no tolerance for tofu. Location is ideal. Very close to many of the temples. There are major temple grounds north, east, and south. We took a taxi to the ryokan because it was the easiest way to take our luggage. No subway exit nearby that was particularly convenient, and this area is also very hilly. They have two public hot baths/tubs that you can reserve. These are good, clean, and comfortable, but not exceptional, like what you may experience at a ryokan with actual onsen that you may find in other parts of Japan. Lastly, there is a laptop with internet in the lobby, but no wifi or lan connection in rooms. It's a nice break from technology, but waiting in line to use a laptop to check weather is certainly less than ideal.

Motonago is in an excellent location for sightseeing. Everything around the hotel was so picturesque. The service was wonderful and we had a wonderful experience staying in the ryokan. The room we had on our last night had a beautiful private garden. The presentation and food were amazing for breakfast and dinner. It was also nice that they reserve times for you to use the bath.

This was a slice of old world Japan and I would say totally worth the money. Take a bath morning and night - its all part of the experience!