Guesthouse Itoya Kyoto

The personel in the reception was extremely helpful and easygoing. His energy was easily felt by our side. The overall atmoshpere of the hostel is great however it felt quite according to usual hostels.

The hostel was not encouring connection and communication amongst people who stay via events or such. If someone expects to be walking distance to center of Kyoto, location would be far away.

The bike rental was amazing! The staff was also extremely kind.

The whole atmosphere of this place makes you feel back in time and allows you to imagine what it was like to live in such a house with a small business up front. Massa-San is a proud and kind owner who seems to do everything around the hostel. People respected each other's sleep and privacy, but socializing went very naturally in every space. The calm area is an old textile district with many two story buildings and families that live there.

I loved the setup with the outdoor showers and bathrooms, it felt old timey, but I would say that it is weather dependent. You might need some getting used to the frequent change of slippers, as you move around the hostel from sock tatami/wood to outdoor concrete area and back. I did feel I travelled by bus a lot during my stay to see sights because the subway wasn't as well connected. Would recommend renting a bike in Kyoto, beware you cannot just freely park it anywhere.

Nice common room with traditional tatami design. Sound isolation is better than I thought. Nice place if you would like to experience living in traditional Japanese House. Shops around is quite interesting.

Toilet is too small and my leg can touch the door. There are many doors and corridors, as part of the house is outdoor area and without roof. You need to put on the wooden sandals if you would like to go to other places like toilet, shower rooms and kitchen. Not very convenient living experience.