Gojozaka Samurai Machiya

Well appointed, comfortable, cozy and warm for our December stay. Slept 6 comfortably, a bit of a squeeze with 8 of us given we all had a medium size suitcase. We enjoyed staying in a local area but still close to and easy to access Kyoto attractions.

Having access to one shelf in the downstairs Double Room would help with suitcase storage.

The location was perfect for our group to explore Kyoto

The stairs down to the front door were steep but this was explained prior to arrival so we were expecting this

Akiko and Patrick have a beautifully decorated home.

Google Maps navigated us to the back of the property instead of the front.

The house was very high-tech and well equiped. It was also clean.

The only way to get to the house is by going down very steep stairs, not practical for us because we had a baby and we took our stroller everywhere. Also, the house is said to have four (bed)room where you can sleep, but the fourth one is actually the living room and doesn’t have any blind you can use to shut the light, so it was very bright and not easy to sleep there during early morning.

The location was excellent for all attractions. Kyoto is huge. The original features were outstanding, and it really did give a feel of traditional Kyoto / Japan. It was fantastic that there was a bedroom and a bathroom on the ground floor and a shower room and 2 bedrooms upstairs.

One of our group found the steps up and down from and to the Machiya very challenging. It would have been very useful to have known this beforehand.

The pictures do not lie! It really is that lovely inside the house. The automatic bath makes my bathtub at home look like something out of the middle ages… I would stay here again in a heartbeat. I am very sad that I forgot to take a picture of Samurai Joe, he is so so cool. Fantastic location: multiple bus stops nearby leading all across the city. Hosts are fantastic: quickly answered all my questions, provided maps of the area, picture guide to find the house, and a paper to show taxi drivers with instructions in Japanese

This is a hilly area and the only street access to the property is down 24 steep, uneven steps. Fine for me, but anyone with mobility problems will struggle. Also note: if you use iOS maps they’ll direct you down the wrong street! Just catch a taxi first time you go to the property.