Our first visit to Japan and to the beautiful city of Kyoto has given my wife and me enormous pleasure and its was an experience of a lifetime. A great part of the success of this incredible vacation was due to the quality and the location of the vacation house Shimoza-an and even more to our lovely host Mariko.
First things first: Mariko's presence was a joy on its own, she is to us the personification of 'das Land des Lächelns', Japan as 'the country of smiles'. Her omnipresent assistance, the abundant fountain of information, her accompanying us on an introductory walk in the neighbourhood, Mariko as help desk at the phone when we needed her during our Kyoto walks, her tips for interesting addresses and people (on our request she even took us to a carpenter in Arashiyama for a talk about wood carving and Japanese chisels and whetting stones), her visiting the vacation house to check if we needed something: Mariko has been our ever smiling personal guide, private shopping assistant and interpreter. Arigatissimo, Mariko. You are a jewel in Kyoto's crown!
We were lucky to stay in Shimoza-an for two weeks. And even after a brief Ryokan experience at the more than superb Shiraume Ryokan, we were glad to return to Shimoza-an, a large and comfortable renovated machiya close to Sanjo-dori. This is smack in the cosiest part of Kyoto city center and yet in an extremely quiet location in Kamanza-dori. No loud taxis during the night like in Gion, no drunk tourists, no unrealistic touristic surroundings like Gion, no crowds of school children shopping in souvenir and snack shops. This neighbourhood is real, with real Kyoto people, buying fruit at a local fruit stand, riding a bicycle to work or having a coffee at nearby Starbuck's. But also, the big shopping district is just a short walk away.
Do not hesitate: Shimoza-an is the ideal place for a vacation in this miraculous, fantastic, beautiful, easy going city of Kyoto.