Japanese House in Central Kyoto: 2-Stops from Kyoto Station!!

• Convenient and relaxing

  Convenient and relaxing

  • Guest Keith H.
  • Date of stay 05/04/13
  • Review Submitted 05/12/13
  This place was the perfect relaxing place to stay in Kyoto after the hustle and bustle of Tokyo. It is very convenient to almost everything Kyoto has to offer. There is a full super-market just down the street and small wonderful restaurants just outside the door on the main street. We loved that it is off a secluded private alleyway, yet you can catch a taxi if need be by just walking about 20 steps to the main street. It has all the modern conveniences, yet gives the feeling of living in a very old Japanese style home. Our hosts thoughtfully provided all instructions in English on cards placed throughout the house and gave us a map in English with various points of interest already marked. It was exactly what we needed. We walked to most of the shrines and parks we visited, although the subway is very close by and taxis are plentiful. We didn't get our fill of Kyoto and will need to go back. This was a great place to stay while in Kyoto. We loved it and I highly recommend it.

  Owner response: Thank you for a heartfelt review of your stay at Senraku house. We are so delighted that you were able to explore Kyoto in a variety of different ways, and experience the real Kyoto. We are pleased that you were able to feel the traditional elements along with the modern conveniences that are built into Senraku house. We hope to see you back one day. At that time there will be new shower room in the house. We have scheduled the renovation to start in mid-June. Thank-you once again for a wonderful review.

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• Mark

  Mark

  • Guest Mark
  • Date of stay 03/20/13
  • Review Submitted 03/27/13
  Wonderful...Great location and the washing machine with dryer was a plus. Very very clean. We would stay here again

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

  Owner response: We are so happy that you had a wonderful stay. Thank you for your succinct review. Glad you liked the washer and dryer. Again thank you for choosing Senraku House. Hope to see you on your return trip to Kyoto one day.

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• luxurious

  luxurious

  • Guest la famille
  • Date of stay 12/28/12
  • Review Submitted 01/15/13
  Our family of 4 stayed 5 nights at Senraku house. This beautifully renovated traditional machiya house was the highlight accommodation of our 3 week Asia trip. It was such a treat for us to the stay there. It felt very luxurious. We were travelling with a 15 year old and a 6 year old, and none of us had difficulties with the steep staircase, you just have to keep your head low near the top of the stairs! The apartment was even more spacious then the pictures lead you to believe, and the 4 single futons side by side actually ended up creating way more sleeping space than other places we stayed at, plus they were very comfy. The house is 5 minutes from the metro, so very convenient for getting around anywhere. The 24 hour fresco market on the corner was a regular pitstop for us at the end of the day. Amongst the many memorable things we did in Kyoto, we would recommend the Gokoyu public bath house, a local traditional bath house with a whole range of different temperature baths and sauna, (20 minute walk southwards) our kids loved the experience there. We regret that the day we decided to go the Nishiki neighbourhood bathhouse (which i heard is very beautiful and an inspiration for Miyazaki in one of his films), it was closed for the new year period. I hope one day in the not too distant future to come back and stay here again. Thank you for having us Rieko.

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

  Owner response: Thank you for an enjoyable review. We are delighted that your families of four were able to enjoy Senraku House so much, and what Kyoto has to offer including the public bath houses. For those reading this review, ’24 hour fresco’ is a chain of supermarkets/grocery stores in Kyoto that offers everything you need, plus prepared foods, a selection of beers, wines, and sake. The best thing is it is only a short walk from the house. Looking forward to your return visit to Senraku House in the near future.

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• A great home in Kyoto

  A great home in Kyoto

  • Guest Jane Z.
  • Date of stay 11/28/12
  • Review Submitted 12/13/12
  It is our first time to stay in "home" other than hotel for overseas trip. When we arrived, we located the Senraku house without difficulty with the clear map from Rieko. And the city map and transportation map and the welcome letter in the house brought our trip much convenience and pleasure. The bathroom is spacious and Joe likes the cooking set in the kitchen so much. Jason loves the monkey place recommended by Rieko and we found the most beautiful and colorful tree ever in that place too. We hope we will come back to Kyoto in Spring time in the future. Again many thanks to Thomas and Rieko as Senraku house made our Kyoto trip even more impressive. Jane, Joe and Jason

  Owner response: Thank you for your personal, and genuine review of Senraku house. We at Kyoto Machiya Living try to make all of our guests stay in Kyoto a special occasion with personal touches and advice. We hope to see all of you during the spring season in Kyoto in the near future. Thank you once again for choosing Senraku house.

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• Kyoto Experience

  Kyoto Experience

  • Guest habershamer
  • Date of stay 10/02/12
  • Review Submitted 10/15/12
  After some initial difficulty finding the townhouse we were pleased upon entering the property. The townhouse was situated in an excellent location close to markets, shopping, transportation,and restaurants. The owners provided detailed information for using the facilities in the home and a map with all the sites circled making planning our days much easier. The staircase to the sleeping area was as steep as the owners had noted...sleepwalkers be warned! We loved the house and the location and the owners were wonderful and very helpful...from initial booking to departure.

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

  Owner response: Thank you for the personal review and feedback on your stay at Senraku House. We are constantly improving the way that we guide our guest to the Machiya (rental property) from the train station, and/or the airport, because Kyoto City is one of the oldest cities in Japan, only main streets are named. As a result secondary streets, allies, and lands are not named. Therefore, we provide a detailed map in English and Japanese to our guests to locate Senraku House, along with a detailed map of Kyoto City, and its attractions. Most, if not all Machiya’s have a steeper staircase than western homes. We believe this is one of the charms of a real Machiya stay. We have installed a hand railing, and rubber tread stoppers on each step to help our guests up and down the staircase. Thank you for your review, and comments.

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• Kyoto adventure

  Kyoto adventure

  • Guest Carla P.
  • Date of stay 08/14/12
  • Review Submitted 08/21/12
  We found this house to be ideally located and very quiet. We were able to explore Kyoto in the two full days we had and see as much as possible because of all the great information that was left in the house for us. When we returned at the end of the day, we found a cool oasis and we slept very well. The house was just perfect and we will definately try to stay there again when we return.

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

  Owner response: Thank you for the 5 out of 5 review. We at Kyoto Machiya Living are always happy to hear that our guests enjoyed their stay at Senraku House. Hope to see all of you the next time you visit Kyoto.

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• Very pleasant stay

  Very pleasant stay

  • Guest Sandeep S.
  • Date of stay 06/21/12
  • Review Submitted 06/28/12
  We are a family of 4 including two teenage daughters. We enjoyed the stay at Senraku and appreciated all the help and support from Rieko before and during the trip. The house is excellently located close to the Karamasu/Shijo crossing and minimum taxi fare to Kyoto station. It is very close to convenience stores, a bakery and a 24 hour super market. Internet connection is very good. The house is typical japanese style - which was a unique experience for us and the concept of sitting on the floor for meals and sleeping on futons took a bit of a getting used to - but it was very comfortable. I would recommend this house with only word of caution - the steps are quite steep to the upper floor and not suitable for elderly. In summary, a very enjoyable stay. Thank you Rieko - only guidance would be the access to the apartment is through a narrow passageway. Fine by day - but for anybody arriving first time to the house at night there might be a slight problem although the taxi driver was able to find the house with the help of japanese instructions. Sandeep Singapore

  Owner response: Dear Sandeep Thank you for the lovely and honest review. We are delighted that your family enjoyed their stay at Senraku House. We at Kyoto Machiya Living are constantly trying to improve our guests stay in Kyoto, but some things are just out of our control; for example, the stairs are typical for a Machiya of Senraku age. We did have a couple in their seventies stay for a week with no problems. As for the lane that leads up to Senraku House, we have installed a motion detector light. The lane is a public lane and meets all regulations set forth by the City of Kyoto for lighting requirements. Again thank you for your review and we hope you will choose Senraku House for your next visit to Kyoto. Thomas and Rieko

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• Senraku House so great !

  Senraku House so great !

  • Guest Shi C.
  • Date of stay 05/06/12
  • Review Submitted 05/16/12
  Senraku house is a cosy nest,pratice and functional,situated well,near everything (supermarket,bakery,restaurant,bus stop).The cottage is very well equipped all that you need.The informations wich you left us helped well us and that since our first contacting. We have appreciated our stay,a town very pleasant,and beautiful with all those historical places,and people are very nice and kind. We want already to come back again,and we hope that the next time,we wil can to see you Cyril (France) et Kotomi (Osaka)

  Owner response: To Cyril and Kotomi, Thank you both of you for a delightful review. We at Kyoto Machiya Living are always thinking about our guests: what they would like to have in the house, what amenities are necessary within walking distance, and what extras will make our gusts stay that much more memorable. We have added the Eco friendly washer/dryer. Hope it was useful. The bakeries and supermarkets make it feel like you are at home. We look forward to your next stay in Kyoto. How about trying our newly restored Machiya in Gion, Gion-Kyuraku?

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• A fantastic traditional home in Kyoto

  A fantastic traditional home in Kyoto

  • Guest Nicola H.
  • Date of stay 03/31/12
  • Review Submitted 05/08/12
  My husband and I stayed at this fantastic charming traditional machiya in March/April and we loved every minute of it. The house is nicely located and is close to a lot of the great sightseeing spots. The house itself is perfect. We got a taxi from the station and the driver dropped us right at the ally way entrance! Walking into the house, we felt immediately at home. Even though this is a traditional house, there are some great modern touches which don't deflect from the tradition. The tatami mats were more comfy than I thought and we both slept so well on futons - they were perfect. Though, we did struggle a bit with the table and chairs - but that more to do with us being westerners!!!! The free wifi and laptop were put to great use in preparing for the next day. The kitchen is well equipped and the washer also came in handy. The bathroom was big and the shower room was very welcome after a LONG day of sightseeing!! One problem we had was the low door ways . . but again that is down to us being tall rather than a negative on the house - we just learned to duck ;-). The house is big enough to sleep 4 easily so would be great for families. The location is perfect - there is a bus stop just a short walk away (we used buses A LOT) and there is also a good couple of supermarkets for those late night treats. Rieko was very helpful even before we arrived. The directions she sent us before we left were a great help and very accurate. Rieko also booked the Miyako Odori for me (which was one of the best afternoons ever) and also left a load of leaflets, information and sightseeing interests. Thanks for telling us about Kiyomizedera light up and the 'free for all' at the Imperial Palace. We LOVED Kyoto and staying in Senraku House made our trip more perfect. We would absolutely recommend Senraku House to everyone and we plan to be back again very soon. Thank you for letting us stay in your home . . . . Nicola and Scott

  Owner response: Dear Nicola and Scott. We are thrilled that you enjoyed Senraku House and Kyoto so much. It was our pleasure to make your stay more pleasant, enjoyable, and to experience what Kyoto has to offer that is not in any guidebook.Just for your information we have replaced the washer with a more efficient, eco-friendly, and larger capacity washer/dryer. For larger groups this was a frequent request. Also, may we suggest that on your next visit to Kyoto you might want to consider staying at our new machiya,‘Gion Kyuraku’. Thank you again for a thoughtful review, and we look forward to your next stay at one of Kyoto Machiya Living’s properties.

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• traditional japanese home in a fabulous location

  traditional japanese home in a fabulous location

  • Guest kymbo
  • Date of stay 04/22/12
  • Review Submitted 04/29/12
  This is the most amazing place to stay, set in a quiet neigbourhood with easy access to all major the attractions Kyoto has to offer. A beautiful apartment filled with traditional Japanese fittings. including tatami flooring and all the necessary modern conveniences. We were provided with lots of maps, walking intineraries and suggested restaurants and places to visit which made planning our sightseeing so easy. We hope to return one day and would definitely reccomend this place to anyone planning a visit to Kyoto.

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

  Owner response: We are delighted that you had an amazing time at Senraku house. From the beginning there was an effort to keep the old elements of a traditional Japanese house, and incorporate the modern necessities of today’s world traveler, like Wi-Fi throughout the property. A recommendation was given to us regarding adding a clothes dryer to Senraku house; we were able to find a model that met the needs of our guests, the environment, and the space limitations. A new 2012 model washer/dryer that has a high capacity drum and is environmentally friendly will be installed in the next few weeks. Thank- you once again for the wonderful review, and if you do return to Kyoto one day, may I suggest our new property Gion-Kyuraku.

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Year 2013
15,000YEN/night (per property based on 1-2 person(s))
 High Season ** March, April, May, July, October, November,End/BEG Year **
17,000YEN /night  (per property based on 1-2 person(s))
**Minimum stay is 3 nights. 
Rates are per property based on 1-2 person(s). 
For a party of 3 or 4, extra 2,000 yen per person per night will be charged.
Payment in Yen. The above rates fluctuate depending on exchange rate.

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