We had a great time in this Kyoto apartment. Its location is superb, only a two minute walk west to Higashi Oji Dori street where there are lots of buses and taxis. There is a Fresco grocery store about 5 minutes walk north on this street, and lots of restaurants too. The Matsubara-dori tourist street which leads to more restaurants and the Kiyomizu-dera temple is only a two minute walk to the north. The apartment is perfectly located as a base to explore the southern Higashiyama temple district, and is a 30 minute walk from central/downtown Kyoto. It is also handy for the Gion teahouse/geisha district. The area is quiet and we slept well every night. It was great to come back here to recharge after a long day of walking in Kyoto.
The apartment itself is a little small by western standards, but this is pretty typical for Japan. It is set back from the street and is quite secluded. The kitchen is small but very functional, there is a small sink and one-ring induction cooking ring. The microwave also functions as a small oven, which is very useful. There is a small fridge which is perfectly fine.
The bathroom is excellent, there is a heated floor with big bath and a shower, and lots of natural light; it is screened very well from the outside. There is a washing machine/dryer too which is very useful.
The bedroom is upstairs, and it is a lovely traditional Japanese bedroom, and there is lots of light in the morning. The floor is tatami mats and the beds are futons with single quilts.
The living room is a good size, it has a heated floor and lots of storage space, with a small dining table and 4 chairs. The sofa is comfortable. There is a ‘vertical garden’ outside the window. The room is a little dark in the daytime, but there is good artificial lighting.
A really unique feature of this place is that our hosts were so very kind. They picked us up from Kyoto station, checked on us to make sure we were doing OK, and then picked us up again and took us back to the station. This is a great service, it was very much appreciated!
In summary, we stayed here for 4 nights and really enjoyed our stay. We would recommend this to others, and would stay here again. Thanks to Yumi and Mariko for taking care of us!