Shikoku an Machiya House

The house is located on a narrow street one block from a beautiful street with a waterway and two blocks from the river with a nice paved walkway along it. There are definitely lots of restaurants and shopping within walking distance, and the bus stops are close and easy to use once you get the hang of it. It is nice having a small house where the two kids slept upstairs and my husband and I slept downstairs on the mats. Having the ability to separate at the end of the day of sight seeing is awesome. As I read in the other reviews, while the washing machine works the drying cycle does not. You will need to hang your clothes up to dry. They provide a drying rack and hangers so definitely include using them in your laundry plans! This is great option for families.

House was in a wonderful spot, close to Gion, for sight seeing and in walking distance to many places. Residence was what I'd imagine a traditional Japanese house is like and met my expectations. I would recommend a stay!

The most great thing about the hotel is the location, it is perfect for anything you want to do in Kyoto. The house itself is good and clean, has all you need regardless of how long your stay is. One downside of the house that prevent me of enjoying the place, the house is divided into two floors by a very steep satirecase, bedroom and sitting room upstairs, bathrooms and kitchen downstairs if you are tall and big you may find it difficult to use it, either you stay up with no bathroom (problem with sleepy eyes in the morning or midnight or have children), or stay downstairs with no TV or sitting room if you can not sit on the floor until bedtime. The place will be perfect if a bathroom built upstairs, or get 50% of the problem solved by getting the sitting room with the tv downstaires. Other than this problem, the place is perfect.

Overall, this is very nice hotel. There are few minor cons: 1. Stair is too steep for elders 2. cooking equipment and washer/dryer machine do not have full translation how to operate 3. cookware and dishware need to be improved the cleanliness.

Great location, tidy and has all the essentials. 4 star accommodation and lots of character for the adventurous seeking the local lifestyle. Only downside are that beds are too hard, futons uncomfortable and not enough pillows.

Wonderful japanese house. Small but perfect. Lovely Japanese details everywhere. Great facilities. Beautiful and convenient location. A bit miniaturised but perfect.

Wonderful stay in authentic Japanese house. Own kitchen and washing machine tucked behind sliding screens. Walking distance to Gion geisha district, southern Higashima temple and lane area. Also close to markets and main shopping strip. Lots of restaurants with open air tables beside the river. A perfect location.perfer

It's close to everything & a beautiful neighbourhood, have no complaints about this little house other than to suggest that for larger people (ie: over 175cm and/or over 80kg), this little house will prob be slightly uncomfortable to live in. There is also no bathroom upstairs and the climb down those steep stairs in the middle of the night is a bit of an a adventure in itself >_<

We stayed at this machiya in December. It is a historic building, with all the charm and practical problems that one would expect of a historic building--wooden beauty, classic design, sliding screen doors, tatami rooms on the upside, and poor insulation, bathrooms only on the ground floor, and a very steep staircase on the downside. Of course, the advantages are well worth the disadvantages, so long as no one in your party has a mobility disability. The machiya itself is gorgeous and well maintained. It has been modernized with two nice bathrooms (note that the AC/heat extends poorly to both). The beds are on the hard side, but comfortable. There is a flat screen TV and a computer to use, as well as wifi. Maid service comes daily. The machiya is smaller than we expected. The main living room is only 4 tatamis, and the side room is even smaller. It is perfectly good for a couple, but not much more. The customer service was fantastic from reservation through the very last day of our stay. Their English is excellent--including at least one native speaker of English--a luxury in Japan! The location is great, about a 10 minute walk to the historic Gion district and Shijo Dori, with many temples and shrines are within walking distance, and restaurants & a grocery store 5 minutes away. We definitely would recommend this machiya. Even more strongly than the machiya itself, we recommend Machiya Residence Inn, which manages quite a few machiyas.

Great location, only a short walk to the Gion District. House is in great condition, two toilets and nice shower/bath room. Very traditional with very little furniture. Looks like it should sleep 6, but only has bedding for 4. Nice little kitchen, washer/dryer takes about 5 hours per load. Stairs are very steep, more like a ladder. The directions to get to the office were very confusing. Once you sign in, you need to take a taxi to the house. Hard to find the first time, but right next to the canal and river, so easy landmarks. Make sure to rent bikes for the day, you can find a shop only a few blocks away and they don't cost much.