Perfect Stay

Guest: Kimberly M.
Date of Stay: 11/17/11 Review Submitted: 01/05/12

We are thrilled that we decided to stay here as opposed to a colorless little business hotel by the train station. Rory was an impeccable host, and Koke-an was fantastic. Staying here was a completely different experience, and we really liked it. The place was a short walk from the subway station, and there were plenty of interesting sights and shops in the vicinity. Definitely take a look through Rory's book of maps, which point out a ton of points on interest nearby. Our only regret is that we didn't stay in Kyoto longer.

Recommended for:

Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful...

Guest: Fairy Dust in My Eyes (Newport, OR)
Date of Stay: 11/12/11 Review Submitted: 11/17/11

Lovely, well located, clean, reasonable.. I could go on and on. The owners are VERY helpful. I could not say enough good things about it. The Kyoto Travelers Inn is about three blocks away and they offer a very reasonable and delicious early (7 am) breakfast and some serious coffee.

Owner response:Thankyou very much Nanci, good tip about the breakfast place, i'll put that in my guide.

Recommended for:Romantic getaway, tourists without a car, sightseeing, adventure seekers, age 55+.

Perfect Location for Kyoto Visit

Guest: JOHN C.
Date of Stay: 10/23/11 Review Submitted: 11/09/11

FIVE STARS Koke-an is perfectly situated in a quiet, traditional neighborhood. It is even better than it sounds in the listing description. Rory helped us with our needs, but did not intrude. The cottage has everything you need, including plenty of hot water. Three convenience stores within a couple of blocks have daily fresh sushi at a reasonable price, and there are lots of restaurants nearby. This is our third trip to Kyoto, and Koke-an is the best base we have found for exploration. We were able to see beautiful temples and shrines as well as to get a feel for day to day life in Kyoto. Thanks Rory! John and Marilyn Denver CO

Owner response:Thanks John and Marilyn, I'm glad you enjoyed your stay in Koke-an and Kyoto. The cottage is in an amazing location, in a quiet alley opening onto the main historical area.We hope to see you again.

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A Kyoto oasis

Guest: Ruth (Santa Monica, California, USA)
Date of Stay: 10/11/11 Review Submitted: 10/30/11

We stayed here for 5 nights in October 2011, and were pleased to find the cottage just as it was pictured. It had every amenity a traveler might need, was charming, beautifully restored, very quiet, and in a wonderful neighborhood. We could walk (or take and easy subway ride) everywhere we wanted to go. Rory and his gracious wife were very helpful to us (e.g. we had to ship luggage and had no idea how to do that). Our stay here was a highlight of our 3 week trip to Japan.

Owner response:Thankyou very much, we were glad to be of help.

Recommended for:Romantic getaway, tourists without a car, sightseeing, age 55+.

A lovely hideaway in Kyoto

Guest: Guido (Turin, Italy)
Date of Stay: 04/18/11 Review Submitted: 05/15/11

Koke-an is a nice and practical base for your outings in Kyoto. Placed in a very quiet alley, it is within easy reach of the underground, buses,town centre, plus a number of important monasteries and places you can easily walk to. Rory and his wife will promptly assist in any of your needs and you will have an extremely enjoyable experience. Despite the small size, Koke-an manages to provide a delightful little garden!

Recommended for:Tourists without a car, sightseeing, adventure seekers, girls getaway, age 55+.

Koke-an is a treasure of Kyoto

Guest: Jennifer and Peter (Melbourne, Australia)
Date of Stay: 01/03/11 Review Submitted: 01/30/11

We stayed at Koke-an for two weeks in January 2011 and loved every minute of our experiences in Kyoto. The machiya is well equipped for the western tourist but gives a true feeling of living like the Japanese people. It is so much better than staying at a strerile hotel, I would recommend it to anyone who wants a unique Japanese travel experience. Everything is provided at Koke-an and it truly a "home away from home". We were very sad to leave Koke-an and hope that one day we will return and stay there again.

Owner response:Thanks very much , im glad you enjoyed your stay in Koke-an

Recommended for:Romantic getaway, tourists without a car, sightseeing.

A small jewel

Guest: Dawn and Stephen (Boston)
Date of Stay: 07/08/10 Review Submitted: 10/13/10

We stayed in three different machiyas during our three week stay in Kyoto. We developed loyalties to all of them. This was the least expensive, the smallest and in the best location. Rory arrived on a scooter just as we were getting out of the shuttle from the airport. He showed us the place and then answered all my email questions. I would definitely recommend it to a friend, the photos are accurate, it is clean, and the reviews are accurate. Bamboo seems to becoming the dining room of the Moss Garden House and with good reason; it is a fun place with good food. We went twice and by the end of the evenings there was much exchanging of food and drinks. You just sit at the counter that surrounds the kitchen and eat and drink. It is really kind of a tapas bar. They don't speak English, but some of their clientele do. They have a picture book for communicating about food between English and Japanese, (also a picture to ask for a date). I would amend Rory's instruction for getting there by saying that the western exit of the subway has an elevator which you should take if your don't want to carry your luggage up the stairs. You will come out on the South side of the street so turn right to go toward the Moss Garden House. Old Kyoto is a book we found at the Machiya. If you want to visit the past, buy this book yourself. It has great information about traditional place in Kyoto.

Owner response:Yes good comment about Exit 2 having an elevator, i'll put that in the instructions. Bamboo is very popular, its an 'Izakaya' small traditional food /counter/bar with a fusion of Japanese and Western food.

Recommended for:Romantic getaway, tourists without a car, sightseeing, adventure seekers, age 55+.

Beautiful authentic house in fantastic location

Guest: A-L and Sam (Perth, Western Australia)
Date of Stay: 09/12/10 Review Submitted: 09/26/10

We loved our stay at Koke - An, and were lucky enough to extend our stay there. It is exactly as described and as the photographs indicate. The property is lovingly restored, has all amenities you need and is in an incredible location - walking distance to many of Kyoto's charms ( shrines, temples, Philosopher's Path, excellent restaurants, museums. We too fell in love with the food, staff and atmosphere at Bamboo and had several meals there. Rory was extremely helpful and knowledgeable, full of great suggestions and in depth information. We would certainly stay at Koke An again and would wholeheartedly recommend it to family and friends. We felt very lucky to have found it - great value and much better than a hotel room. The thing that struck us the most was the beautiful, gentle and welcoming nature of so many of the locals - we were sad to leave.

Owner response:Thanks Anna-Lisa and Sam for the comments, im glad you enjoyed your stay.

Recommended for:Romantic getaway, tourists without a car, sightseeing, adventure seekers, girls getaway.

Perfect location, perfect house, perfectly and uniquely Kyoto

Guest: Kathryn (Sydney)
Date of Stay: 05/07/09 Review Submitted: 08/11/10

From the moment that we walked into this sweet traditional house we were in love. The pictures don't reflect how calming the experience is and how quickly you feel at home. I was almost reluctant to write a review that would make this place so covetable that it would be impossible for us to stay there again! The aspect from the dining table onto the little moss garden was an unexpected joy, bringing lovely light into the house and making it feel much bigger than it is. Such evident care and pride has been taken with the renovation of this house, from the choice of the antique furnishings to the design of the garden and the inclusion of tiles individually hand made by the ceramicist owner. First time visitors to Kyoto will feel that it gives them an immediate access into the unique feel of Kyoto - hidden away in a small lane, set apart from the thousands of tourists that throng to districts like Gion. Lifelong Kyoto devotees like us will be amazed at the value for money. For those of us who shun the hotels that could be anywhere in the world and want to stay in the real Kyoto but can't afford the exclusive Kyoto ryokans and aren't attracted to the guesthouse environment of curfews and shared bathrooms, having your own traditional little house to return to is a joy. As repeat visitors to Kyoto, one of the reasons we return is because of the beautiful everyday encounters of kindness with Kyoto residents, who always seem to make time to help with directions, or just to smile and bow hello to strangers. Since this house is in an old residential area and not a tourist enclave we felt very connected to the calm pace and serendipity of everyday life in Kyoto. But for us the thing we loved most about Koke-an is the location. It sits right at the edge of one of the most treasured parts of Kyoto, the Higashiyama mountains temple district, so it's only a short stroll to wonderful temples off the standard tourist temple circuit. Being so close to quiet, calm, hidden treasures like Shoren-in temple or the wonderful nearby Cloisonne Museum is such a refuge from the apparently endless streams of noisy high school students on excursions at the more famous temples. It's an easy walk to Gion, or straight down Sanjo-dori to the Sanjo bridge and the heart of Kyoto. Kyoto is one of the world's great walking cities and it's completely safe for women to walk at night, so it's magical to be able to take a late night stroll from the house to wander down lantern-lit Ponto-cho.

Recommended for:Romantic getaway, tourists without a car, sightseeing, girls getaway, age 55+.

Best place to relax especially as it's so great for exploring!

Guest: Rachel (Colchester)
Date of Stay: 07/21/10 Review Submitted: 08/10/10

Absolutly loved it here its been amazing, Rory showed us a nice bar called Bamboo and we returned several times and even had a 9 course meal there for our one year anniversary we loved it so much. It was so reasonable to which is great as we spent a lot on visiting Temples, hard not to as they're all so close! Comfy bed, good bathroom great to have a fridge and all in such a traditional setting it was a truly beautiful and peaceful little cottage. Travel links are amazing you can go pretty much anywhere via Higashima station or by walking down the river to Gion or to Sanjo and the downtown area. Buses are great too and we actually travelled across the city via one bus journey. We loved it there and did not want to leave!

Recommended for:Romantic getaway, tourists without a car, sightseeing.