Hotel Review: Kyomachiya Ryokan Sakura Urushitei, the best well-rounded accommodation for Kyoto tourists

This April, my mom and I visited Japan during cherry blossom season. Visiting Japan in high season usually requires a bit more planning, money and stamina, especially in Kyoto. Cherry blossom season is probably the busiest season for Kyoto, so I started planning this trip in June of the previous year, about 10 months before travel. But worry not and continue reading. I will give you some decent hotel recommendations in the coming weeks, as well as a guide on avoiding massive crowds during Kyoto cherry blossom season.

Kyomachiya Ryokan Sakura Urushitei is a hotel I recommend for a Kyoto trip, especially if you prefer to stay somewhere relatively central yet quiet, and wish to explore Kyoto by public transport. Without taking too much away here, it was my favourite hotel on this trip, as it had pretty much everything covered.

The Hotel

Let me start by saying that Kyomachiya Ryokan Sakura Urushitei is not a ryokan – not in the traditional sense, at last. And it’s not a Kyomachiya -a traditional Kyoto townhouse – either. It is a rather modern mid-rise building in the grid of streets between Kyoto Station and Downtown Kyoto, one that has quite a few hotels. The hotel stands on the site of an historical lacquer ware manufacturer, hence it’s name, and there are pockets of traditional crafts if you look carefully.

Location of Kyomachiya Ryokan Sakura Urushitei

At first, I was very sceptical of the location of Kyomachiya Ryokan Sakura Urushitei. I have stayed in many parts of Kyoto, and feared this location will combie Kyoto’s worst – soulless concrete and hoardes of other tourists. However – this location is not bad at all, and in fact, quite convenient for visiting all part of Kyoto that are of touristic interest if you are willing to use taxis as well as public transport.

At first sight, it’s a rather nondescript modern concrete neighbourhood, but a quiet one. None of the crowds of Kyoto Station. On second look, you will find treasures – a laquerware store across the road, a Buddhist altar shop a few minutes away, and, of course, the underrated Bukko-ji temple in the neighbourhood. You will need to be able to walk a bit in this location, but of you don’t mind a 10-minute walk to the nearest transport stop, you can literally go anywhere in Kyoto by direct bus or train from here.

Firstly, it is a very convenient 5-minute taxi ride from Kyoto Station. Walk 10 minutes north, and you will be in Downtown Kyoto, where you can shop your heart out in Shijo Street and continue onto Teramachi-dori and Nishiki Market.

Walk 10 minutes to the East, you will get to Takase Canal and KAmo river, a nice area for walking – and cross into Gion on foot.

Walk 10 minutes to the East, not only do you find a great branch of Komeda’s Coffee, but also a couple major bus stops for destinations in the West (Nijo Castle, Kinkaku-ji, Ryoan-ji, Ninna-ji).

The excellent J-Cycle cycling shop is about 12 minutes on foot, and you can rent well-maintained nice bicycles for really good prices. You can park your bicycle at the hotel, too. And if you want to cycle, I recommend my Kyoto Cycling post and my Makanai-inspired bicycle ride, too

Our Room at Kyomachiya Ryokan Sakura Urushitei

We stayed in a smaller Western Style Double on the second floor. The rooms are spread over two modern buildings. There are elevators, corridors and rooms are very quiet.

The room looked a lot better than on the photos on the hotel website, to be honest. It was a perfect size, compact, but enough room to move, and had a decent sized bathroom with a shower and toilet. The room was well-lit with a window with natural light, but not much of a view, had an armchair and a small desk, and a small open wardrobe for hanging clothes and keeping luggage.

The floor was polished hardwood, and was kept immaculately clean, and the room had a small genkan, so we took our shoes off at the door and wore the slippers and yukata provided in the room.

Last not least, the beds were super comfortable. Our double was two singles pushed together but there was one mattress. So beds were big enough in size, 180cm wide.

Are there better rooms?

I had tried to change our room to a Western Twin, but the hotel was fully booked. It turned out our room was just right for us and had everything we needed, Even when my mother rested in the rooms a little more than I, it never felt claustrophobic.

If you need more space of prefer a Japanese style room, you will find an impressive range of rooms here. Our room, which I thought was already pretty neat, was actually the smallest and cheapest room at Kyomachiya Ryokan Sakura Urushitei.

You can find smaller Japanese style futon rooms here, too, which are 6-8 Tatami in size – about 9,5 to 13 square metres, larger tatami rooms, and at the top end you have a hybrid with Western beds and a tatami seating-area accommodating up to four adults.

Facilities at Kyomachiya Ryokan Sakura Urushitei

The Kyomachiya Ryokan Sakura Urushitei is a hotel aimed at tourists, with a wide choice of rooms for solo travellers to families, a nice array of facilities but no restaurant.

As far as the rooms are concerned, you get the full range here, lifts to access them, no problem at all with larger luggages. The reception area is large and extremely welcoming – one of the best I have seen on my travels. There is a glassed-off meeting room with a large table that guests are free to use for working. There is also a Japanese -style hearth with ample seating where tea and whisky tastings are conducted. You are free to sit there at all other times, and there is free Japanese tea.

And last not least, there is a private bath you can book for a small fee. Since we visited an onsen and had a large communal bath in our previous accommodations, we did not use the bath.

Also, you can hire kimono and have a dresser helping to put them on, directly at the hotel. I looked at the kimono and they were a really nice quality, not some cheap poly stuff but proper kimono, with all the accessories, undergarments, obi… just note that you may not be able to leave the hotel on the cheaper rplans, but the traditional areas of reception will provide a nice backdrop for photos. If you leav eth ehotel in kimono, Bukko-ji is very pretty and just a short walk away – just be aware that this is an active Buddhist temple so be discreet and don’t shoot inside the buildings.

Special Treats

I know this is coming last but I should probably put this right on top as it was the hotel staff and the little cultural touches in the reception area that made this hotel really special.

The reception staff or are a multinational team of very young people who speak several languages – Communicating in English was never a problem. We were greeted like long-awaited special guests, and the pace they keep up in this relatively large hotel is astounding – checking in, checking out, calling taxis, making reservations… no request is bothersome, and although this hotel was a great well-rounded experience, the excellent front staff really stood out.

I know this has nothing to do with the hotel , but I walked to Ochikochiya, a well-run vintage kimono shop in the neighbourhood. Although I am cheap and found the prices a little high,hey had a lovely selection of kimono – and before I knew it, I had on a vintage kimono and was ministered to by one of their dressers. If you want to buy a kimono to wear, Ochikochiya is a great place to visit.

I also want to give a shoutout to Juju Teramachi, a cool Okonomiyaki Restaurant about five minutes walk away. After we were not so lucky with the first restaurant the hotel recommended, we went here on our second night and had a great time – sure, this area is full of tourists, but this restaurant had a mix of locals and tourists, a friendly host and an incredibly hard-working couple running this place! English menu, fair prices, warm welcome, and, of course, really nice okonomiyaki and fried noodles.

And since we are on the subject of food, here lies possibly the only weakness of Kyomachiya Ryokan Sakura Urushitei: It does not have a restaurant, and the breakfast is average at best. I tried the breakfast once and pre-ordered a traditional Japanese vegetarian breakfast. It was okay, somewhat unexciting, and the coffee was terrible How lucky that there was a Komeda’s Coffee just ten minutes walk away.

There are also bento available for pre-order, but after the so-so breakfast, we did not try those and went out to dinner instead or bought some prepared food from a nearby supermarket.

Hotel Details

I paid 65.000JPY for two people for three nights, which came to about 410 Euro at the time of travel – about 135 Euro per room per night.

I used Booking.com to reserve and pay for this stay at Kyomachiya Ryokan Sakura Urushitei. 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. You can book more than one year ahead on Booking.com. If your plans are pretty firm, and you book far enough in advance, you can also book directly. Their website is bilingual Japanese and English, and if you choose English, you can do their contact form.

How much? Expect to pay between 100 and 170 Euro per person per night.

Full Details: Yanaginobanbadori Takatsuji Sagaru Kichimonjicho 425, Shimogyo-ku, Kyōto,Japan

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: Two bus stops within a ten-minute walk, with direct buses into Downtown Kyoto, Kyoto Station, Nijo Castle, Kinkaku-ji and further afield – like there is a direct bus to Daigo-ji, too. The nearest train station, Kyoto Kawaramachi, on the private Hankyu Line, is approximately 12 minutes walk away.

Features: Nice atmosphere, easy to access cultural experiences, good central location

Doesn’t have: A restaurant

Alternative Accommodation nearby

Now that I warmed to the area, I will list some nice accommodation in different price brackets in case Kyomachiya Ryokan Sakura Urushitei is full or you want somewhere cheaper, or higher than three star accommodation.

For somewhere on a tighter budget, check out WeBase Kyoto across Karasuma Street. A modern small hotel it has Economy and Standard private rooms starting at 40 Euro per room.

Nearby Hotel Resol Shijo Muromachi is part of the small Resol chain. They have about 20 hotels all over Japan, and two properties in Kyoto that are relatively small and kept in clean traditionals tyle but with Western-style rooms. I managed to find a room there for 60 Euros at peak autumn leaf viewing time and I am very excited to stay there!

The modern boutique Kyoto Itoya Hotel on Karasuma-dori is similar – modern, small, and in an unbeatably convenient location – fall out of bed and onto the bus. Around the corner, the Kyoto Itoya Hotel Mon is a notch more upmarket, with extremely modern concrete- blonde wood looks in its large rooms.

The Small Print

I visited Kyoto in March 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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