西陣之郷 NISHIJIN NO SATO "Kyoto's Best, 77 installations! 100yrs Off Grid Amazing Smart Townhouse"

This house was fun! A machiya of the 21st century, full of gadgets, quirky and amazing, with every niche giving a different surprise. We loved the garden, had some dinners outside looking into it. We LOVED to use the bikes around the neighbohood, especially going to the bathouse, temples and restaurants - that made us feel really like the locals. The nearby Kyoto-style restaurant, and its next door sushi place are amazing. The location of the house is great - quiet old neigbohood, close to the center and ideal point from which to explore such a special city/province.

It took a little time to learn all the commands and switches to all the sensors and actuators, but once we got it, it was smooth to 'operate' the house.

I usually never write reviews but I enjoyed the stay very much. We were worried about the place being far from Kyoto Station but transportation was not a problem. About 30-40 min from Kyoto Station but the bus that goes straight to the station is very close by so it was fine. Also the buses nearby take you to the most famous areas without the need to transfer. There are enough convenience stores in the area and food places. The host was very very kind and explained everything about the property. The place was very spacious for two people, Nintendo switch, blue tooth speakers, TV was great and functions very well. Could also do the laundry, all the things we needed for cleaning were there. The bed was very comfortable. You must be careful to be quiet because the neighborhood houses are very close to each other and the walls are not that thick.

The house is very smart to the point where the automatic lights got kind of annoying when they turned on at night and it was hard to figure out which switches turned off the light. However, this was not a huge problem because the light from the first floor did not leak into the second floor bedroom when we closed the doors.

Location was excellent and the amenities overall were good. It offers a rare opportunity to experience life in the old textile area of Kyoto. The house is genuinely old but with a very modern update. The host has gone to a lot of trouble with instructions on how to instruct Alexa but mostly in Japanese which, sadly, I could not read. The kitchen, bathroom all worked well with plenty of cooking utensils provided. The host was very generous with his time and provided excellent directions.

I was a bit frustrated by absence of instructions, particularly turning the lights on and off and operating the hot water system.

Beautiful garden, convenient with kitchen facilities, great with free-to-borrow bikes.

Not ideal for guests sensitive to dust, although mostly well-cleaned in places used daily such as toilet and kitchen. Not told about CCTV in garden and outside.