Ojizoya-Great Machiya for Your Kyoto Stay

• Beautiful house, poor customer service

  Beautiful house, poor customer service

  • Guest Mariah S.
  • Date of stay 03/28/13
  • Review Submitted 04/29/13
  The house is wonderfully restored, and in a good location for sightseeing. We walked everywhere (Kiyomizu temple area, downtown, Gion). However, the house is not well-equipped for cooking or eating-in, and there is very little information about local groceries, restaurants or services. Two light bulbs were burned out when we checked in. The customer service from the travel agency who manages this house was not very responsive to requests. We were a family of four, and the house was comfortable for us, however, it was difficult to prepare any meals other than breakfast because the house lacked sufficient dishware.

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• Live Like a Local

  Live Like a Local

  • Guest Courtney&Fred
  • Date of stay 06/26/12
  • Review Submitted 07/02/12
  My family and I stayed at this machiya for three nights. It was conveniently located near train stations, bus stations, convenience stores and restaurants. The machiya was well-cared for and tucked away in a quiet neighborhood, making you feel like a local. The owners, Avi and Wendy, made the experience truly special by recommending great sights and restaurants to check out while in Kyoto. They helped to point us in the right direct and made our Kyoto experience even more memorable. The machiya was also stocked with guide books and information to make exploring the historic city effortless. I thank my hosts for such a great experience in Kyoto!

  Recommended for: Sightseeing, adventure seekers, tourists without a car, families with teenagers, romantic getaway, families with young children, girls getaway.

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• Charming and well located machiya

  Charming and well located machiya

  • Guest Ganesh
  • Date of stay 05/19/12
  • Review Submitted 06/10/12
  This delightful machiya, for two of us on a three day visit to Kyoto in May 2012, was lovely way to experience Japan in a local neighborhood. The house was impeccably clean and well maintained. The owner's husband is a guide and gave us some valued tips about our visit. There are many restaurants near by and is also close to some of the famous areas of Kyoto including the Gion and Sanjusangendo one of the must visit temples. Just one warning and that is the bedroom is up a stairway that is steep and can be dangerous especially if you want to use the bathroom at night.

  Recommended for: Sightseeing, adventure seekers, tourists without a car, age 55+, families with teenagers.

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• Ojizoya stay

  Ojizoya stay

  • Guest roadrunner
  • Date of stay 03/01/12
  • Review Submitted 03/13/12
  My family of 5 stayed 3 nights at the Ojizoya house. We had a wonderful time. It was a great experience to stay in the house- a much different experience then only staying in a hotel. We had more of a Japanese experience I think. The house is very well located. It is walking distance to groceries, even to train station if you don't have a lot of bags. The first morning Wendy spent quite a bit of time with us. She answered countless questions about Kyoto and helped us with our sightseeing itinerary. The house was very clean and just as it was described. I would reccomend the walking tour number 1- I think this was in a Frommier's book that was at the house. Be sure to go to Gion street about 5:30PM for the Geishas. We ate at a wonderful restaurant, but I'm sorry I don't remember the name. It was near the train station. Don't be afraid to try a Japanese restaurant- the staff will be very helpful even with limited English. There is also a large outside shopping mall area somewhere near the train station that was fun. We just walked and found this. We would highly recommend this house. You will enjoy your stay and the beautiful city of Kyoto!

  Recommended for: Sightseeing, adventure seekers, tourists without a car, families with teenagers, girls getaway.

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• Great home-stay in Kyoto

  Great home-stay in Kyoto

  • Guest Hobartbuy
  • Date of stay 03/05/12
  • Review Submitted 03/10/12
  This was a very enjoyable stay for us (2 adults + older teenage daughter). House is well laid out, great facilities and very comfortable. The only downside we could see is that the location is about 20 mins walk away from central Kyoto district. That said, its in a quiet and friendly neighbourhood. Met Wendy (owner) who made us feel welcome and spent time providing very useful information on the area and Kyoto.

  Recommended for: Sightseeing, adventure seekers, tourists without a car, age 55+, families with teenagers, romantic getaway, families with young children, girls getaway.

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• Great Place to Stay

  Great Place to Stay

  • Guest Paul
  • Date of stay 01/27/11
  • Review Submitted 01/23/12
  Stayed in this delightful house just after Christmas. It really gives visitors a sense of Japanese living with tatmi floors and paper screens. It's in a quiet residential location only about a 20 min easy walk from Kyoto station one way and the Kyomizu the other. It's even closer to Gion. Really clean place and comfy beds/futons. We are a family: 2 adults & 3 Teenagers and had plenty of room. Neighbours were nice too. Would stay here again. Great base for a trip to Kyoto

  Recommended for: Sightseeing, tourists without a car, families with teenagers, romantic getaway.

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• Authentic Local Experience

  Authentic Local Experience

  • Guest Cameron
  • Date of stay 01/04/12
  • Review Submitted 01/15/12
  Great Japanese living experience with a western twist to assist with sleeping and eating. Three adults staying four nights. Snowing while we were there but we found the little house very comfortable but I would say the morning shower moved along quite quickly! really didn't eat much at the house as the local options are many and varied and within an easy walk to the main part of town. the directions in English and Japanese worked well and we were met at the house as agreed. Cameron M

  Recommended for: Sightseeing, tourists without a car, families with teenagers, families with young children.

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• Sweet little house, excellent location

  Sweet little house, excellent location

  • Guest April
  • Date of stay 12/15/11
  • Review Submitted 01/15/12
  I wanted an authentic-feeling old-fashioned Japanese house in a quiet neighborhood, where I could walk to see beautiful temples and nice restaurants and to catch public transportation. This rental fulfilled all my wishes. It has tatami floors, rice paper walls, old wooden beams, a sunken-floor table and a deep soaking tub. The stairway is very steep and if you are tall, like my son, you have to duck when passing between rooms. To us, that just added to the atmosphere. The owners were so helpful in arranging a shuttle to pick us up at the airport and bring us right to the house, so we didn't have to negotiate transportation in our sleep-deprived state. Our first morning's walk was to Kiyumizudera , up a street full of craft shops to an amazing and beautiful temple complex.

  Recommended for: Sightseeing, adventure seekers, tourists without a car, romantic getaway, girls getaway.

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• Perfect for our Week in Kyoto

  Perfect for our Week in Kyoto

  • Guest Knox
  • Date of stay 04/02/11
  • Review Submitted 05/03/11
  Before the earthquake, we had a hard time finding any open hotel rooms in Kyoto as we arrived during the prime cherry blossom week in April. Then I found this home which was slightly out of our budget and seemed bigger than we needed. Howeve,as they had an opening for a few days, I figured we'd have a place to land and we'd find something else once on the ground. I AM SO HAPPY WE FOUND THIS HOME. While I was sad there were so many cancellations due the events for the owners, who like many in Kyoto rely on tourism, for us, as travelers, it worked out great as we were able to extend and stay here for an entire week. I would have loved to stay at this house for our entire month in Japan and just make small day trips out of Kyoto. It was very relaxing and comfortable and so much nicer than being in hotel room. Loved the bath, nice to have a kitchen and do laundry...and the location was AWESOME. We walked everywhere. So close to cool temples, the National museum, Gion, and the river. Wendy and Avi have provided many guidebooks and were very generous with tips and suggestions for things to see in the area. And they really went out of there way to assist us with receiving and sending our bicycles as we started (and then decided to end) a two week bicycle tour of Noto Peninsula at this home. This was my first time using VRBO and trying one of these homes. I was a bit nervous about it, particularly, as it seems that so much of Japanese culture and even big hotels work on cash/cash deposits/or just your honor for reservations... but there was absolutely NO PROBLEM. This how is exactly as shown, described, and is very clean and really perfect. Absolutely designed and thought through for the needs of travelers/guests. I would not hesitate to recommend this home to any of my friends. Particularly, I would recommend it for people who are interested in getting a sense of a neighborhood life and who enjoy walking, which is really the best thing to do in Kyoto. If you are more the lazy type or very nervous about Japan, it might be easier for you to stay at a hotel right at the train station, though really you are not more than two or three blocks from places where it is easy to catch cabs and maybe five blocks total from one of the train lines. It would not be a good place to stay for people in wheel chairs or people who have difficulty with steep stairs. If I ever get the chance to go to Kyoto again (and I hope I do!), I would LOVE TO STAY HERE AGAIN!

  Recommended for: Sightseeing, adventure seekers, tourists without a car, age 55+, families with teenagers, romantic getaway, families with young children.

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• A wonderful week in Kyoto

  A wonderful week in Kyoto

  • Guest Adam
  • Date of stay 06/23/10
  • Review Submitted 07/12/10
  I just returned from a vacation to Japan, including a week long stay in Kyoto at Avi's Ojizoya rental house. The rental house is ideally located in a quiet residential neighborhood, and is just a short walk from the (tourist Raku) bus stop. There are also plenty of shops & restaurants nearby. The house is quaint & small, and it was a wonderful experience for my family to live in a machiya with tatami mats, shoji screens and Japanese furniture. The house provided everything we needed. We could make breakfast in the morning, take Japanese baths in the evening, and sleep on futons at night; at the end of the week, we were able to do our laundry before moving on. I highly recommend staying in a machiya, like Ojizoya, for anyone who wants to truly experience Kyoto.

  Recommended for: Sightseeing, adventure seekers, tourists without a car, families with teenagers, romantic getaway, girls getaway.

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Normal Season Rate
2 Guests ...¥13,000/night         3 Guests .. ¥16,000/night
4 Guests ...¥18,000/night         5 Guests ...¥20,000/night
6 Guests .. ¥22,000/night
High Season Rate  
Add  ¥2,000/night on above rates
High Season is as below. Jul.13-17, Aug.13-18, Dec.29-Jan.3, Mar.30-Apr.7
Minimum 3 nights. Payment shall be in Japanese Yen Only. 

Note: Until confirmed, rates are subject to change without notice.