Machiya inside Chomoji temple, near Gion, downtown

We absolutely loved this place and would happily come back. The house was very well equipped, with two excellent bathrooms and toilets, a washing machine, a coffee machine, a microwave, a fridge and freezer, a good hair dryer, and many other useful appliances. One of our favorite features was the beautiful terrace with its small Zen garden, where it was wonderful to enjoy a morning coffee. The location was simply magical. The house is situated within the grounds of a Buddhist temple, which is home to six or seven adorable cats. It felt incredibly peaceful and unique. There is also a great supermarket nearby. Just follow the path toward the main road (not toward the temple), turn right, and after a few hundred meters you’ll find a well-stocked supermarket and an excellent bakery on the left-hand side. The futons looked quite thin at first, but they turned out to be surprisingly comfortable. The toiletries were also of excellent quality.

The only issue we experienced was that the staff accidentally threw away some of our groceries. Fortunately, we were able to get them back, but it was bery stressfull. It would be very helpful if guests received information in advance about where to dispose of their own rubbish. This is especially important in Japan, where a large amount of waste is generated because so many products are individually wrapped in plastic. It would be helpful to have more places to hang clothes. The wall with the TV could be used much more effectively by adding hooks or a clothes rack. Nowadays, very few people watch TV—especially while traveling in Kyoto—so using that space for storage would be much more practical.