Vacation Rentals by Owner

Artist's Luxe Machiya in Gion - Location & Style [#280799] | View Property

Kyoto
Townhome, 2 Bedrooms + Convertible bed(s), 1 Bath (Sleeps 4)
From JPY15,750/nt
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Traveler Reviews (32)

• Charming machiya in an authentic location

  Charming machiya in an authentic location

  • Guest Socgentank
  • Date of stay 03/19/13
  • Review Submitted 03/26/13
  Our family of three found the experience at the Gion Machiya to be truly memorable and lamented that 5 days were certainly not enough to take in what Kyoto has to offer, especially if one would like to stay closer to an authentic community full of artisans instead of the bustling central district. The owners and their representative were responsive and helpful in all of our queries and the little machiya has all the comfort amenities that one could hope for. We will certainly be back.

  Recommended for: Tourists without a car, romantic getaway, sightseeing.

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• Fantastic place to stay

  Fantastic place to stay

  • Guest Andy
  • Date of stay 10/19/12
  • Review Submitted 10/31/12
  We stayed in the house for a total of 10 nights whilst attending a conference in Kyoto and had a great time. The location is perfect, with only a 10 minute walk to either the market area of town of the nearest underground station. We were also really close to the Gion district and several fantastic temples. Rob and Yukiko were brilliant in helping us to plan our stay, and were both very patient whilst we were waiting to confirm final numbers. House manager Hiromi was equally as brilliant in helping us to settle into the house, and pointing us in the right direction for our first day of traveling across the city. Even when we were left to our own devices, a binder of information was provided for us that told us everything we needed to know. We didn't prepare any meals at the house, but instead managed to find a small number of fantastic restaurants around the city that weren't too expensive, although everything we would have needed to whip up a 3 course banquet was available for us to use, should we have had any cooking ability. Breakfast often comprised of walking 10 paces from the front door of the house to the bakery on the corner of the street. Fortunately the walking that we put in managed to cancel out the array of pastries that we consumed daily. All in all, we had an amazing trip, and this was made possible by having such a nice base from which to explore the surrounding area.I would definitely recommend it to others.

  Recommended for: Adventure seekers, families with teenagers, families with young children, tourists without a car, romantic getaway, sightseeing.

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• Amazing Machiya!

  Amazing Machiya!

  • Guest Supermomof3teens
  • Date of stay 07/14/12
  • Review Submitted 07/31/12
  Gojo Machiya was all I hoped it would be! My 3 teenagers and I stayed during the Gion Festival. It was so nice to have a place of our own to come back to-down a small street and away from the noise and crowds. We loved our entire time. Next time we get back to Kyoto, we will most definately be staying at the Gojo Machiya! Thank you!

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

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• Thank you for helping make our trip great

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  Thank you for helping make our trip great

  • Guest Marilyn & Family
  • Date of stay 05/15/12
  • Review Submitted 05/17/12
  Thank you for helping make our trip to Kyoto so unique! Staying in Gion Machiya was the highlight of our Japanese experience: the winding streets and approachable neighbors , plus exquisite, one of a kind restaurants (we especially loved So Bi Ya !) Also the artistic efficient design of the town house was an inspiration. We hope to be back!

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• Three hearty cheers for a wonderful Gion Machiya

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  Three hearty cheers for a wonderful Gion Machiya

  • Guest Indira
  • Date of stay 05/14/12
  • Review Submitted 05/19/12
  Arigatou! Three hearty cheers for a wonderful Gion Machiya. We enjoyed every facility in this comfortable place. Our son who took us around Kyoto said it was the most exciting city in Japan where it was his work place for the part few months. Our only regret is that . We did not have the time to visit all the 3,000 temples and shrines in this ancient, historic city. The tour will stay in our fond memories for a long, L-O-N-G time. Thank you again.

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• Have had the most amazing time in your Machiya.

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  Have had the most amazing time in your Machiya.

  • Guest Brendan & Family
  • Date of stay 03/18/12
  • Review Submitted 05/17/12
  Have had the most amazing time in your Machiya. Fabulous location, walking distance to almost everything. Hiring the bikes is definitely a must to see the most of this beautiful location . Will definitely recommend to others & most likely come stay again.

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• We had an amazing stay at the Gion Machiya.

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  We had an amazing stay at the Gion Machiya.

  • Guest Kenneth & Family
  • Date of stay 03/15/12
  • Review Submitted 05/17/12
  We had an amazing stay at the Gion Machiya. It was a real home away from home. We very much enjoyed our time in Kyoto. We hope to be back. Thank for your help. Arigatou!!!

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• Thank you so much for doing such a great job!

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  Thank you so much for doing such a great job!

  • Guest Sue Lynn & Family
  • Date of stay 02/25/12
  • Review Submitted 05/17/12
  Thank you so much for doing such a great job with this gorgeous Gion Machiya! The nights here have been awesome, after a long day of exploration and walking. It really feels like family home when we step into the house with our bags of shopping . The sights of this quaint little japanese home never fails to bring a smile to our face! For My parents, brother and myself , this is our first trip to Kyoto, We really experienced living in a local Japanese neighborhood . Hiromi is absolutely friendly and cheerful, will be awesome if we had the chance to meet Rob and Yukiko too, perhaps the next time we are here!? We will highly recommend Gion Machiya to all family & friends. Keep up with the good work and we will be back!!

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• A fantastic machiya experience!

  A fantastic machiya experience!

  • Guest Lynnie
  • Date of stay 02/22/12
  • Review Submitted 03/01/12
  Stayed at this gorgeous machiya for 4 nights with my family and it was truly one of the best experiences ever! Although it's my 3rd trip to Kyoto, for the first time i actually felt like a local and after a long day of exploring kyoto, it was a wonderful feeling walking back to this homely quaint machiya. Loved everything about it, the tasteful decor and furnishings, the location, the convenience, the cleanliness etc. The whole booking process was easy and efficient, just follow all the simple directions and instructions, "checked in" ourselves and a mobile phone was provided to contact the owner/manager for enquiries and when the stay is over, just make sure everything is in order before we "checked out" ourselves! The machiya is in a terrific location, not the best place to stay if you want to be near the main kyoto station but for us, it was wonderful being able to walk to Kiyomizu temple, Yasaka Shrine, Gion, and the shopping district where the major departmental stores like Takashimaya and Daimaru are. Check out Teramachi street near Takashimaya too and we could even walk to Nishiki market! Like most Japanese houses, the machiya is small and everything in it seems delicate so be gentle. We loved being able to just relax in the living area after a long day of walking pigging on strawberries and ice cream bought from the nearby grocery store. Will definitely be recommending this lovely home away from home to everyone visiting Kyoto and desiring a local experience!

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

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• Gion Machiya is brilliant for us a warm and cozy

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  Gion Machiya is brilliant for us a warm and cozy

  • Guest Siegy & Family
  • Date of stay 01/14/12
  • Review Submitted 05/17/12
  Gion Machiya is brilliant for us a warm and cozy retreat from long days cycling around Kyoto. The individual art pieces are beautiful, the Machiya has everything we needed at a very high standard. We are...to warm toilet seats! and special thanks for providing the personal guide with the map - fantastic way to start our explorations. Efish was so good we went back twice. and Giro-Giro was as good , if not better. Thank you for suggesting one of our best meals ever! not sure we found the bike hire shop you recommended, but the one we found on the corner of Donguri bashi & Higashi-dori with perfect great simple bikers. Apart from the obvious temple (Kiyomizu, chion-in Shoren-in,Nanzenji, Honen-in, Ginkakuji), our highlights included an invitation to share sweet sake with locals at Jinja shrine, Nice cafe for lunch, cake & apple tea (along philosophers road). Dinner at Giro-Giro after a full days ride to Arashiyama (path of bamboo, Tenryuji temple) & Golden Temple (Via santo markets) & riding home from dinner one night through a snow flake flurry. Kyoto is a beautiful city. We've had a wonderful time & Gion Machiya is the perfect base. Thanks for letting us stay! Everyone is so friendly.

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• Thank you so much Rob & Yukiko for our stay

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  Thank you so much Rob & Yukiko for our stay

  • Guest Michael & Family
  • Date of stay 01/01/12
  • Review Submitted 05/17/12
  Thank you so much Rob & Yukiko for the stay we had at your wonderful town house. We love it and want to pack it in our luggage to take home! We'd love to stay here again, so we will be in touch. You are lucky to live and enjoy such a remarkable city as Kyoto: we think we saw everything, but, of course, we saw just a fraction .

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• We had a wonderful week in Kyoto and Gion Machiya

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  We had a wonderful week in Kyoto and Gion Machiya

  • Guest Stephen & Family
  • Date of stay 12/28/11
  • Review Submitted 05/17/12
  We had a wonderful week in Kyoto and Gion Machiya has been perfect as a base. Thank you for everything to make our stay comfortable including the cot for Vera. We found the information provided about the local area very useful, and helped us do more than just the usual tourist things (occasionally found the map a little confusing but eventually found places) Can highly recommend hiring bikes as a slow way to enjoy Kyoto, and feel like a local. What a great place to spend Christmas.

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• Had a great time in Kyoto

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  Had a great time in Kyoto

  • Guest Kerry & Family
  • Date of stay 12/07/11
  • Review Submitted 05/17/12
  Had a great time in Kyoto. Love a local neighbourhood & Gion area. The walking tour of Gion was terrefic & the kids loved all the history of the Geisha’s . Luckily enough to see both Geiko & Meiko. Also found a 4 leaf clover Taxi (1 of 4 only out of 1400 Taxis). The autumm colors were magnificent. Wonderful stay at Gion Machiya & will recommend it to others.

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• Wonderful Time in Kyoto!

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  Wonderful Time in Kyoto!

  • Guest Andrew & Family
  • Date of stay 09/27/11
  • Review Submitted 10/01/11
  Dear Rob, Yukiko & Hiromi, Had a wonderful time in Kyoto. Loved the machiya - just beautiful. It was a wonderful bonus to have a bakery just on the corner! Thank you and best wishes, Andrew & Family Brisbane, Australia

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• We thoroughly enjoyed our stay at Gion Machiya.

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  We thoroughly enjoyed our stay at Gion Machiya.

  • Guest Debra & Family
  • Date of stay 09/20/11
  • Review Submitted 10/01/11
  We thoroughly enjoyed our stay at Gion Machiya. We hope to return one day. Thank you very much.

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• We love The Machiya.

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  We love The Machiya.

  • Guest Pauline & Family
  • Date of stay 09/17/11
  • Review Submitted 10/01/11
  We love the Machiya. its so lovely, homey & quaint !. Great location & neighborhood... even walking home at night feels safe. 3 days in Kyoto is just too short. Thanks for a wonderful experience at the Machiya. We'll be back for more!! :)

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  • Guest Tom & Jody
  • Date of stay 02/04/11
  • Review Submitted 02/07/11
  Loved being here, cooking breakfast & dinner - the Takashimaya food halls deserve accolades! The house is in the PERFECT LOCATION! Thank you so much.

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  • Guest Deborah
  • Date of stay 12/08/10
  • Review Submitted 02/07/11
  I have had a wonderful 10 week stay here in Kyoto! This machiya has been so comfortable to stay in. The local streets are so interesting to explore. I loved grocery shopping in the Happy Rokuhara supermarket and dining in all the local restaurants. The local takoyaki stall outside the supermarket is one of the best around here. This machiya is so well located. It was also full of charming Kyoto character. I'm sure I'll be visiting again. Thank you very much!

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• Wonderful stay

  Wonderful stay

  • Guest Turning Japanese
  • Date of stay 10/01/10
  • Review Submitted 12/18/10
  I was fortunate enough to stay in this Kyoto townhouse for an extended period of time.The house is really well located in the historical area of Gion where many sights are only a short walk away. The main shopping area is in fact only about a 12 min walk. The local IGA supermarket is located in the next street and has a wide variety of delicious food. The owners have provided an excellent information booklit and map listing many local restaurants and interesting highlights of the surrounding area. One of the reasons I chose to stay in this house is because it has been so well restored. It has a lot of character so you feel that you are staying in a Japanese house and not a bland non descript house anywhere in the world. It is very well maintained and very clean. I chose to sleep in the traditional tatami floor bedroom(on the floor) but if you want to sleep western style the main bedroom is very comfortable and roomy. I would highly recommend this property. When I return to Kyoto I hope I can stay in this house again.

  Recommended for: Tourists without a car, sightseeing.

  Owner response: Thank you so much for your kind comment about our house and its neighborhood. Thank you as well for taking a very good care of our house. Both Hiromi and I are very grateful that you were such a perfect house guest and left our house so very clean! We would love to hear from you again for your next visit to Kyoto, and of course, we will remember you :) Thank you again! Hiromi & Yukiko

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  • Guest Russel & Sandra
  • Date of stay 09/27/10
  • Review Submitted 02/07/11
  Beautiful home! So exciting to stay in this neighborhood with all attractions so accessible. Loved this house - coming home after a long day was always a pleasure. Thank you, Rob & Yuki.

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• Happy Australians

  Happy Australians

  • Guest I love Kyoto
  • Date of stay 09/23/10
  • Review Submitted 10/06/10
  Hello, It was really exciting to arrive at the Gion Machiya House. Everything was in perfect order and very welcoming. The Machiya is positioned in the best part of Kyoto if you want to experience beautiful small steets with a surpise around every corner. It was a wonderful priveledge to live amongst local Japanese people, shop at their local supermarket and visit the little bakery on the corner. Every time we set out there was something amazing to see. The Gion Machiya was the hub of our adventures and even a night at 'home' was special fun. Great ambience ,very highly recommend this experience. Can't wait to return.

  Recommended for: Adventure seekers, tourists without a car, romantic getaway, sightseeing.

  Owner response: Thank you very much for the kind words about Gion Machiya. We look forward to welcoming you to one of our Machiyas in Kyoto again in the near future! Thank you again. Yukiko

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• Wonderful Stay!

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  Wonderful Stay!

  • Guest K & D
  • Date of stay 09/17/10
  • Review Submitted 02/07/11
  It's remarkable what a chance search on the internet can lead to. I had never heard of a machiya when I wondered whether there was any alternative to a hotel for the week long meeting I was coming to Kyoto for. Turned out that there certainly was and it has been wonderful! After the 3rd day, it really did feel as if we were not interlopers but were part of a neighborhood. Now that we are facing leaving tomorrow to go to Udanaka, it is hard to leave. I though in 8 days we would have pretty much exhausted Kyoto(or it would have exhausted us), but it feels as if we are just finally settling in. We came here for a primatology meeting and had a chance to go to Arashiyama to see the free-ranging Japanese monkeys. What a treat. Everything everyone says is true. There was nothing lacking in Gion Machiya. It was wonderful. The only thing I still don't get is the electric toilet seat! Thank you so much for sharing your house.

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  • Guest Jen & Shane
  • Date of stay 09/10/10
  • Review Submitted 02/07/11
  Thank you so very much for sharing this wonderful machiya. This "home away from home" was a little oasis - a cool retreat during what everyone is telling us is "an unseasonally hot" summer and a perfectly located base from which to explore Kyoto. Beautifully furnished, equipped with everything, and located right in the heart of temples, restaurants, geisha districts and wonderfully atmospheric alley ways. It wasn't uncommon to hear "we could live here..." or at the very least, return for another visit. Thank you again.

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  • Guest Rachel & Russell
  • Date of stay 08/26/10
  • Review Submitted 08/30/10
  Had a fantastic experience staying at Gion Machiya - loved the great location, convenience, amenities(especially the beautiful artwork!) and unique chance to live in a typical Kyoto neighborhood for a few days. Our stay here added to the many fond memories I have of Kyoto - which started more than 20 years ago as an exchange student at Doshisha. Look forward to coming back one day and hope the rest of our stay in Japan is as pleasant as the one we had here at Gion Machiya!

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  • Guest Malcolm & Jenny
  • Date of stay 08/17/10
  • Review Submitted 08/30/10
  What a great place!! We had 6 nights here and it's perfect. The location is just right and it's very comfortable. We thought the train/boat ride and the temple of 1001 Buddhas were highlights. Very close to public transport(even Kyoto station is only 25 mins walk), shops, et al. We love Kyoto!

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• Thank you so much Rob & Yukiko for our stay

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  Thank you so much Rob & Yukiko for our stay

  • Guest David & Lisa
  • Date of stay 08/11/10
  • Review Submitted 08/30/10
  Dear Rob & Yukiko, We have had a wonderful few days in your machiya, here in Kyoto! You have clearly thought of everything! It really made for a pleasant change, having spent 5 days in 2 very anonymous hotel rooms in Tokyo! This was a perfect base for us with 2 children in tow and we are so pleased that we made this booking. It really does feel like we have experienced an authentic slice of Kyoto life! We have seen 3 geisha women, shopped and eaten well, and got templed out...!!! Back to Tokyo now, and ten returning to London. Thank you once again!

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  • Guest Neil & Joan, Florida USA
  • Date of stay 07/25/10
  • Review Submitted 07/26/10
  Gion Machiya is a gem! We had a wonderful time in Kyoto and loved living in this neighborhood. It was an easy walk to many major streets and easy to catch cabs on Higashioji or Gojo. The location is great and the house is clean, modern and beautifully equipped and decorated. Also very comfortable and surprisingly roomy for its compactness. The internet Wifi and combination washer/dryer were also big pluses(it is wonderful to not have to switch clothes from the washer to the dryer). In short, we had a great time and would enthusiastically recommend your home to everyone visiting Kyoto (and we will!). Thank you again!

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  • Guest Albert & Gonny from the Netherlands
  • Date of stay 07/19/10
  • Review Submitted 07/26/10
  Domo Arigato for a wonderful stay at Gion Machiya. The house and its location in the great city of Kyoto were perfect for our week stay. We can only hope to enjoy seeing the rest of the country in this way, too. Greetings and thank you again!

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  • Guest The M Family
  • Date of stay 04/20/10
  • Review Submitted 07/26/10
  Thank you for the use of your house. During our stay here we were able to explore the sights in the eastern part of Kyoto easily on foot, and felt very much at home. With any luck in the future, we will be back to your lovely house again.

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• Great location, very clean

  Great location, very clean

  • Guest Asiatraveler
  • Date of stay 04/18/10
  • Review Submitted 05/01/10
  This Gion Machiya is spotless and very well located in a residential, accessible area. Walking to cultural sites is easy. Grocery store, bakery, taxis 2 minute walk. The owners help with classes and provide tourist information in the Machiya. I have allergies and did not have any problems here. We stayed with our two small children and it was perfect for them, too.

  Recommended for: Families with young children, tourists without a car, romantic getaway, sightseeing.

  Owner response: Thank you very much for staying with us. We are glad that you found our Machiya comfortable to stay!

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  • Guest Ingrid & Bruno, Sydney Australia
  • Date of stay 04/11/10
  • Review Submitted 07/26/10
  We LOVED "living" in a Japanese neighborhood. We were surprised to realize how close the house was to such major sites - Sanju Sangendo Temple and Kiyomizu Temple. We were also lucky to have several Geisha encounters in the nearby Gion and Miyagawacho. Thank you very much for making us feel so at home!

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  • Guest Shane & Monica
  • Date of stay 04/02/10
  • Review Submitted 07/26/10
  Being able to stay in Gion Machiya truly enhanced our visit to Kyoto. As suggested, we went to the corner bakery almost daily and Rokuhara Happy Supermarket to buy fresh fish and vegetables. The children played with a neighbor girl about the same age. Although we were in Kyoto for five days only we sense its treasures are never exhausting and we hope to be back from time to time. Thank you for offering your beautiful home to interested travelers!

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