Hotel Review of Gallery Nozawa Inn, Kyoto: Perfection without the price tag

Last year, I fulfilled a dream long held and visited Kyoto during one o the “special seasons” – for koyo, or watching of autumn leaves! And with that came a very special stay at Gallery Nozawa.

Mind you, I had only fallen back in love with Kyoto a few months before, after a long absence, thinking it might be to full, too busy, too expensive. I was had to shuffle travel dates a bit and managed to snag a single night in a perfect small guesthouse that embodies everything Kyoto and Japanese hospitality stand for, and I loved it so much, I am returning this year!

So, what is this magical Kyoto guesthouse where tradition meets exemplary Japanese hospitality, in short, perfection in a little house, so wonderful you don’t want to stay elsewhere again?

About Gallery Nozawa Inn

Gallery Nozawa Inn is a lovingly restored classic Kyoto Townhouse, called Kyo Machiya, lovingly restored by its owners and run as a micro ryokan – with just two guest rooms. I knew all would be well when I exited the taxi and spotted the huge tanuki welcoming me by the entrance – shortly followed by Morio-san, the owner, who greeted me and helped me haul my substantial luggage inside.

The owners, Morio-san and Yukio-san are a retired couple who converted their Kyoto townhouse into a tiny charming inn some years ago and have earned a reputation for offering authentic Japanese hospitality at a fraction of the price you would pay at the traditional ryokan – but with many of the services you would receive at a traditional ryokan.

Morio-san speaks great English and is generally the main host, explaining everything and making sure you are comfortably set up in your room, while his wife Yukio may spend hours in the kitchen to cook elaborate traditional breakfasts.

Location of Gallery Nozawa Inn

The inn is in a central if somewhat unusual Kyoto location, right in the old pleasure quarter of Shimabara. Although you will find nothing in the way of pleasure establishments, it has a large concentration of classic Kyoto town houses and a few reminders of its somewhat chequered past.

As for modern pleasures, there are a large modern sento and a cute Showa era sento just a few steps away, passing through the old Shimabara- o mon gate, with its collection of rustic water buckets. It was Toyotomi Hideoshi, the second of Japan’s “Three Great unifiers” who decreed that pleasure and business must be segregated and had licensed pleasure quarters established in Kyoto. During the centuries, Shimabara had numerous establishment where oiran and tayu – skilled courtesans- and later geiko entertained. Today, one tea house and one banquet hall remain, but are o longer active.

The location is lovely – very non-touristy Kyoto, with lots of older houses and traditional shops with a flair of bygone times – wonderful to stroll and discover some traditional foods. But you can also find a modern supermarket (Matsumoto) and a large drug store about eight minutes walk away by crossing Gojo( Nat. Route 1, with more bus routes) near Tambaguchi Train station, and there are plenty of small family-run restaurants in the area.

Gallery Nozawa Inn is well connected on the public transport network: the nearest bus stop on on Omiya-dori (Shimabaraguchi) , about 5 minutes on foot, has direct buses to Kyoto Station, Tofukuji and Sanjusangendo and then onwards to the Higashiyama temples and Gion for the Eastern Hills temples, is less than 5 minutes away on foot.

The very useful Route 206 travels to Kyoto Station from here and then goes in a loop up to Higashiyama, Kitaoji Bus Terminal, Daitokuji and Nijo Station. The JR Line at Tambaguchi is less than 5 minutes on foot, taking you to Kyoto Station in one and Arashiyama in the other direction.

My Room at Gallery Nozawa Inn

I stayed in the “small” room at the back of the house which, if you ask me, has a pretty decent size, or in Japanese, six tatami mats. It can easily accommodate two people on futon bedding, probably up to four at a squeeze.

The first photo, taken from the landing, shows the small entrance area, with a sofa and plenty of space for clothing and luggage, separated from the sleeping area by a screen door. I arrived after dark to find my room set up in daytime mode with two comfy armchairs and tons of space.

After checking in, I had a cup of tea and then went out in search of a nice dinner for my last night in Kyoto. And when I returned, I found the futon made up, with instruction on how to use the bath.

You share the bath with the other room, so a little coordination is required, while there is a private toilet attached to each room.

There are two public baths, one modern large bath with sauna and rotenburo and a small traditional one, less than five minutes from the house.

By the time I returned, my futon was made up and the room prepared for the night, with more fresh tea and the best pyjamas I have come across in a Japanese hotel so far.

What you see here is the bedroom in the day time with the futon still in situ. There is a small verandah you usually find in traditional houses – and in guesthouses, there is often a sink and vanity unit in it.

As you can see, there was plenty room for a futon and a table and two chairs. The TV was somewhat unorthodoxically placed in the tokonoma, there was good lighting to read in bed… everything one would need for a comfy stay.

The house is extremely quiet and homely. There are only two guest rooms anyway, and the house is in a quiet road. It may be a bit of a luck of the draw with the other guests, since walls are thin, but there are four walls between yours and the other guest room, and I don’t see this place appealing to party tourists or large parties.

Are there better rooms?

Gallery Nozawa has two rooms in total, and the one overlooking the street is the larger of the two, with 10 tatami mats, sleeping up to five people comfortably. It overlooks the street and does not have the little verandah that the smaller room overlooking the garden has but it also has a smaller anteroom with a sofa that is suitable for keeping your luggage and clothes in.

Both rooms share a large bathroom, and there were separate private toilets for each room.

What to do around Shimabara

While Shimabara might not look like the most central or most convenient area to stay at first sight, I really like the area – it is a very authentic older style area, with mostly older houses, residences, a handful of hotels and traditional shops.

I walked its peaceful atmospheric streets to the Tambaguchi Station area on my first evening, had excellent sushi in a family-run small restaurant and stocked up on last-minute senbei at Matsumoto supermarket.

The next morning, I caught a direct bus to Tofuku-ji from Omiya-dori, then continued to Downtown Kyoto for a final wander and Komeda’s Coffee lunch and then went to the large public bath, Makoto no Yu, before picking up my luggage. And then, Morio-san kindly drove me and my luggage to Kyoto Station. It was a very relaxed day, so when Finnair chucked us out of the aircraft due to a technical problem in the middle of the night a few hours later, I was fairly relaxed despite using crutches and having more luggage than I could easily handle – and fit enough to sort out a place to rest and my return home.

You can also easily walk to  the Kyoto Railway Museum, and it’s about five minutes to two major bus stops. UNESCO-listed Nishi Hongan-ji temple is a five-minute walk away, and from there, you can continue through another nice residential area to Higashi Hongan-ji temple

Special Treats

When I checked in, I had a thermos of hot tea waiting in my room, along with some very high quality bisquits – something that the classier traditional inns of kyoto seem to pride themselves in. The rooms here are offered with breakfast included – lovingly cooked fresh by the lady owner every morning.

I was asked my preferred time for breakfast, and whether I had any dietary preferences. It was to problem to request a meat-free breakfast, and they may be able to accommodate vegetarians but it would be best to let them know well in advance when you book.

Aside from the food, I just loved the attention to detail – the bed linen, the samue-style pyjamas, the high quality tea and bisquits served. You get treated like you are family staying over.

When Morio-san saw my hug duffel bag which had to be put into service by the time I arrived at Gallery Nozawa for all the senbei and snacks I had bought, he laughed and said he would drive me to Kyoto Station the next day. He also asked my plan for the day, and when I said Tofuku-ji, he warned me that it would be very busy and advised a good bus route to get there.

It seems perfect – is there nothing to critique, at all?

Well, yes, my stay at Gallery Nozawa Inn was perfect – but then, I am a quiet, well-adjusted solo traveller.

So, if someone were to ask me whether there is really nothing, absolutely nothing I would have differently, then I would perhaps add the following.

Gallery Nozawa Inn is a place with just two guest rooms run by a lovely older couple. So, of course, this may not be a place where asking for 6am breakfast, returning in the early hours or hoping meeting lots of other travellers or partying might go down well. This is not a criticism – just be prepared to have a quiet atmospheric and restful stay with genuine hospitality! I loved it so much, and was so pleasantly surprised it has availability for an upcoming trip to Kyoto, I booked a stay there for the entire week.

Hotel Details

I paid 9700JPY per room per night including breakfast at Gallery Nozawa, which was approximately 60 Euro at the time of my stay.

I used Booking.com to reserve and pay for this stay at Gallery Nozawa Inn 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 you prefer, you can also book direct at https://g-nozawa.com.

Full Details: Gallery Nozawa Inn, 151 Yakuencho, Shimogyo Ward, Kyoto 600-8823. For directions for a taxi, use Galleria Nozawa, Crossing of Hanayocho and Mibugawa Streets ( 花屋町通りと壬生川通りを交差)

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 major bus stops within a eight-minute walk from Gallery Nozawa, with direct buses for Kyoto Station, Downtown Kyoto, Tofukuji and Higashiyama (via Kyoto Station). The nearest train stations are on the local JR Sagano Line between Kyoto Station and Arashiyama, about 5-7 minutes away.

Gallery Nozawa features: Atmospheric underrated location about 1.2km from Kyoto Station, wonderful stylish rooms and personable service

Gallery Nozawa doesn’t have: Restaurant (although they may be able to serve dinner on request), private baths

Alternative Accommodation nearby

So, while I am not a massive fan of staying near Kyoto Station, staying at a respectful distance in a nice residential area is great. You still have the proximity to the Station and buses running there, but you may well avoid the crowds, the long queues for buses and the tourist-centred beige cafes and restaurants.

You will need a bit of luck to book Gallery Nozawa Inn – they are usually booked well in advance. So, here are some alternative hotels and inns in the area, some of which I have stayed at. All price estimates below are for solo travellers, add about 25-50% per room if two people share a room.

My first recommendation, a modern ryokan-style guesthouse, is Ryokan Shimizu between Nishi and Higashi Hongan-ji, close enough to Kyoto Station to walk there. I stayed there in 2005 and it was my favourite accommodation of the whole trip then – a clean ryokan tatami experience in a central location, at an extremely competitive price, with lovely, English-speaking staff. Expect to pay around 40-50 Euro per night in low season.

If you are on a tighter budget but want the Japanese townhouse experience, try Ryokan Sanki. Also in an older house, this small inn is more simple than Gallery Nozawa or Shimizu, and accordingly, you can expect to pay a bit less, around 40 Euro per night. I have not personally stayed here though.

Second up, for a more Western hotel experience, is the S-Peria Hotel Kyoto. This is a small higher end business hotel chain, with comfortable large rooms with enough space to work and all the amenities you can think of and, in true Japanese fashion, a large bath. this one is great for solo traveller, as they appear to charge per person. Expect to pay around 50 Euro per night per room in low season

The Small Print

I visited Kyoto in 2024 on a self-organised trip, where I paid the full market rate for everything including this stay at Gallery Nozawa 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. this is the only way I monetize this blog and I recommend mostly places that I personally know and have stayed at. Apart from this, i try to keep this blog free from advertising, and I only recommend hotels and experiences I have either bought myself or would consider booking in the future.

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