Hotel Review of Higurashi-sou Guesthouse, Kyoto: Rustic Kyoto Townhouse charm

Let’s continue in the miniseries of swoon-worthy and sometimes downright practical reasonably priced Kyoto accommodation, wherem, outside the main season of cherry blossom and autumn leaves viewing, you usually have the choice from many hotels and holiday lets.

My advice would be to book early, book conveniently, either close to a station or a landmark, and book wisely. For this solo traveller, Higurashi-sou Guesthouse was just right for a final few days in Kyoto.

The Guesthouse

Higurashi-sou is a family-run small guest house in the Nishijin area of Kyoto, north of Nijo Castle. With only five rooms, it is definitely on the smaller side, but it does not skimp on lovely common areas and lots of amenities you won’t find in larger guesthouses or even hotels.

I had initially booked two nights on a special offer at First Cabin Nijojo, an upmarket foreigner-friendly capsule hotel around the corner. As much as I like First Cabin, I wanted to stay somewhere a bit more special for my last night in Japan, so I had a look around shortly before my departure, and found Higurashi-Sou, in an area relatively new to me, conveniently just 400 metres from the First Cabin, so I would be able to transfer easily and seamlessly.

Location of Higurashi-Sou Guesthouse

I had always stayed in more”touristy” areas before and had wanted to try this area for some time, and to be honest, I was not disappointed.

Yes, even though I went against my usual advice to book close to a sight or a train station… I knew there would be bicycles, and when you cycle, Kyoto is your oyster.

Nishijin in Kyoto is an area where in former times, many textile producers, from silk weavers to fabric and yarn dyeing businesses were located. Their number may have greatly diminished, but you can still find some textile businesses, a number of textile-related museums and one of the largest concentrations of traditional townhouses in this area. But leave the immediate surrounds of Nijo Castle, and you will also find a very original Kyoto, what it must have been like before the tourist boom. There is good infrastructure, with bus routes, hotels, restaurants, shops, and plenty of sights – although you will need some transport other than walking to see many in one day.

But even without a bicycle, you are well connected with Kyoto’s sights and the downtown shopping streets. There are three major roads in walking distance, with access to three major bus stops at Marutamachi-dori, Senbon-dori and Horikawa-dori. You can be at Kyoto Station in about 25 minutes.

The nearest train station, for the Tozai Subway line, is a scenic 10-minute walk along the Nijo Castle Moat away, and allows for a swift trip to Downtown and the Higashiyama sights. 

And despite all that connectivity, the guesthouse location in a quiet street in a residential area means that this is very much an authentic local Kyoto area, with lots of restaurants and cafes aimed at locals, but also common names like CoCo Curry House, and much bigger and better supermarkets than you would find in Higashiyama, Gion or Downtown.

My Room at Higurashi-sou

I stayed in a small room (Suisen) on the first floor. There are five rooms, three on the top floor, and two very large ones on the ground floor. All share two bathrooms, but I never experienced and crowding or queues.

While my room as just 9 square metres, it never felt too small, thanks to the space-saving futon setup. My room had a large storage cupboard, table, chair, tea making equipment, large windows and adequate lighting. The floor was tatami matting.

Also, like in many traditional inns, it’s shoes off right at the entrance, and you will be supplied with indoor slippers, but it is preferable to not use the slippers inside the room – so walking in your socks inside the room.

I stayed there in winter, so my room also had a portable gas heater added, along with the air conditioner. These old houses are never that well insulated, and having one wall all windows meant my room cooled down while I was out. This did not bother me at all. I used one of the heated sitting rooms and really just slept in my bedroom.

Are there better rooms?

My small Japanese style room was perfect for me as a solo traveller, and its maximum capacity is 1 person. There is a large Western style room with wooden flooring on the top floor which can accommodate three people, and the large Japanese style rooms on the ground floor can accommodate two people each.

But you will still have to share bathrooms. I know this is a big no-no for some, so i just need to add that here. The bathrooms were so clean, and I only encountered another person there once, so this was never an issue for me.

Facilities at Higurashi-sou

Even though this is a small inn, you will have a lot of traveller-friendly services.

If you need, they will lend you pyjamas, power adaptors, phone chargers and other things you may need on your travels.

I am not sure if laundry is available – certainly didn’t see a machine – but there is a laundromat about 10 minutes away.

There is a small and cosy tea kitchen with a variety of quality tea as well as coffee beans, all free to use for guests. There is also a Western Dining table with dining chairs. I did not see a proper kitchen, and I would probably not attempt to cook or bring lots of food in. A simple but traditional breakfast is available upon request for 400 Yen.

The other common room is a spacious sitting room with comfy armchairs and books. It was heated throughout the day, and always really cosy and inviting. It really felt like a home, not a guest house.

Special Treats

There are several extras here that make this small inn special.

Firstly, the owners are very good at communicating and accommodating their guests. At first, i had some trouble emailing then through Booking, but once that was resolved, I was able to arrange arrigin early in the morning and leaving my luggage before checking in – and. they also let me keep my luggage there after check-out.

Then, the  free bicycle rental. Yes, absolutely free! You may know I love to cycle, and I really recommend cycling in Kyoto as a way to sightsee. Even before I checked in properly on the day I was staying, they were kind enough to let me use one of their bicycles. Yes, they may be just single speed mama-chari and a bit creaky, but everything worked fine, and that bike carried me safely 20km through Kyoto each day.

And then… justin case you were wondering if two showers might not be a bit tight for five guest rooms… you receive a free sento ticket. There is a really lovely local sento, public bath, called Ryugu Onsen, about 3 minutes walk from Higurashi-sou. Many Kyoto bath houses are part of the Kyoto Sento Association, a cooperative of public baths in the prefecture. They all charge the same price, currently 510JPY, and they may not be fed by natural springs, but they have some wonderful bathing facilities, and many are over a century old. The one in question, Ryugu, was a standard Showa-era sento, and I really loved it. i tried an electric bath for the first time, and I really enjoyed their herbal sauna and huge cold bath.

The management of Higurashi-sou has several sento baskets with shampoo and soap that you can take borrow, so you can visit the Sento like a local – and don’t need to purchase extra shampoo.

Last not least – my absolute to-go-to shaved ice cafe, Kyogori Yukimi-an (京氷ゆきみ庵) is a leisurely 10-minute walk away, in another quiet area full of historical townhouses. Pick up tons of foodstuff, snacks and cosmetics at the nearby huge LIFE NijoStation and sugi drug stores, too. No one needs Donki when you can shop at huge local shops 🙂

Alternative Accommodation nearby

As I mentioned above, Nijo-jo may not strike you as the first choice area to stay, but it is definitely a lovely area to stay, quiet and, if you look close, pretty well connected by bus, Kyoto Subway and JapanRail.

In the same nice street, you will find Suzuki Guesthouse, a similar but somewhat larger operation in an old house/ They have some lovely looking private rooms, which sell out fast – whereas beds in their spacious dorm are often available.

If you are not bothered about Kyoto Townhouse Charm, you could look at Kyoto Uraraka Guesthouse, a very practical yet somewhat less atmospheric choice.

moving round to the Southern side of Nijo-jo and the very practical Subway Line Stop at Nijojo-mae, you will get less townhouse charme, more practical business style hotel. Of all these Western style offerings, I like the HediStar Hotel best – it has a humongous comic book library, too, and is basically next to the subway station, and extremely good value for about 50Euro per night for a solo traveller or 80 Euro for two. 

Hotel Details

I paid about 38Euro for my room, but that included a bicycle, a very lovely sento – just the nearest one was good – and some quality coffee.

I used Booking.com to reserve and pay for this stay at Higurashi-sou. In fact, I use them for all my hotel stays if using a booking site, and it is very convenient, as I can amend bookings easily. If your plans are pretty firm, and you book far enough in advance, you can also book directly through Higurashi-sou. Their website is bilingual Japanese and English, and their calender makes it very easy to see what it available at your dates. You can book approximately four to five months in advance, and although you need to do a bit of form-filling their direct booking form works well and glitch-free.

How much? Expect to pay between 35 and 50 Euro per person per night.

Full Details: Higurashi-Sou Guest House, Shuzei-Cho 1211, Kamigyo-ku, Kyoto

Nearest Airport: Kansai International, Osaka Itami and Kobe. Kansai International (KIX) is by far the easiest to get to, with direct Airport Express Train “Haruka” every 30minutes during daytime and evenings.

Nearest local transport: Three bus stops within a ten-minute walk, with direct buses in all directions including Downtown Kyoto, Arashiyama and Kyoto Station. The nearest train station, Nijojo-mae, on the Kyoto Subway, is approximately 10 minutes walk away.

Features: Loads of atmosphere, free bicycle rental, traditional sento visit, nice communal lounges

Doesn’t have: the usual hotel trappings, en-suite bathrooms

The Small Print

I visited Kyoto in January 2025 on a self-organised trip where I paid the full market rate for everything myself. No freebies, no bias.

This post contains affiliate links to Booking.com.  This means I may earn a commission at no extra cost to you if you book any hotel through them.

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