Historic and Elegant Suite in Kyoto

We had a lovely time at the Kinse Inn and would highly recommend it to anyone interested in an authentic, Japanese experience in the heart of a residential area near Kyoto central station.
Seanacey was lovely and so helpful, answering any questions we had and offering helpful advice on what to see etc. The place is absolutely beautiful, so authentic and real, lovely floorboards and Japanese antiques and stained glass, we couldn't stop taking photos. The futon beds were super comfortable and the sheets so soft and everything smelled great... it was cold when we forgot to turn the heating on when we went out, but it would warm up within about half an hour of being back home. Everything worked and made for a relaxing, fun and authentic experience. Highly recommend.
Just a note to those with children, make sure you let the kids know the paper walls and sliding doors are fragile in the bedrooms, our little toddler (2 years old) put his hand through 4 panels that needed fixing - luckily Seanacey was not too worried and was able to fix them, but a heads up there! Thank you so much Seanacey and Kojiro!

This is some place special! Ambiance, location, service and hospitality, all Five Star. Would highly recommend and definitely stay there again

Kojiro And Seanacey were lovely. Relaxed and very hospitable. Their cafe and inn is a beautiful old timber building with loads of character. It was a pleasure to have so much spaciousness which seems rare in Japan in general. The Inn is located in a centrally and is within a lovely neighbourhood in itself.
Being an old building in the middle of winter, it is hard to heat. We wore socks in bed, so be prepared. However this is nothing a couple of whiskeys from Korojo's extensive collection can't fix.
It was a pleasure staying there and our only regret is we didn't stay longer.
Make sure you leave enough time to hang out in their cafe/bar. Something we didn't do enough of (They have great taste in music - something else to enjoy there).
All in all a memorable experience and as my son said, "the coolest place we stayed in Japan".

We stayed with Kojiro and Seanacey for two nights just before christmas and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. The house is beautiful and well heated, was convenient to get to, and food recommendations around the area were very good. Definitely loved having drinks at the bar at night and chatting with Kojiro and Seanacey, who are very interesting people. Thank you for your kind hospitality!!

Great place very close to the train station one stop from Kyoto station. Excellent value and lovely old place above a pub. You get a lot of private space and great hosts.

Kojiro and Seanacey were excellent hosts. Following my dinner at a fabulous nearby seafood restaurant, I had an enjoyable chat a Kojiro and his friends in the Historic Inn's bar/coffee shop.

Thank you for your warm hospitality and helpful suggestions to maximize my visit to Kyoto.

David

Staying at Kinse Inn was like going back in time. What an amazing place! The chance to stay in such an original ryokan is a rare priviledge. To put this in perspective, we visited the Imperial palace, but were less impressed that we might have been because we felt were living in just as genuine a historical home at Kinse.

We were staying there in December and were worried about it being cold. But in spite of it being such a huge space, and old, we found it warmed up well with the modern heating system they have installed. Seanacey and Kojiro's tips on the local area were invaluable. We highly recommend the nearby chankonabe and okonomiyaki restaurants. Chankonabe (sumo wrestlers' hotpot) is now our kids' favourite food! When upstairs we were left to our own devices, but when we wanted a little social interaction we would head downstairs to the cafe to chat with our hosts and meet some of their friends/customers. Their hot chocolates are excellent! We were all sad to leave but we will be back. The stay will be a memory our kids will keep for ever.

Ben, Caz, Sholto and Jetta

PS - If you're staying a few days I recommend hiring a bike. Kyoto is pretty small

This place is amazing! Kojiro and Seanacey were so helpful and accommodating, even providing us with a map of all the local places to eat and see. The living areas are beautiful and comfortable. I stayed with two friends and it was definitely one of the highlights of our trip - our only regret was not spending more time there! We would love to stay here again and recommend it to everyone!

This is my absolute favorite airbnb place I have ever stayed at! Kojiro and Seanacey do an absolutely remarkable job at being excellent hosts and the place is utterly gorgeous. Any issues that came up during our stay were addressed promptly and with the convenient location right near a train station, we were able to travel to the places we wanted to see in the city easily. The photos really don't do the place justice, it is absolutely a magnificent place with oodles of character and tons of space, a welcome change after the tight quarters of Tokyo. The only thing that is worth noting is, for any older travelers or people who have mobility issues, there is a single flight of relatively steep stairs to get to the second floor where the rooms are, and they can be slippery if you're wearing just socks. But there are handrails so it's not bad at all for the able-bodied traveler and is definitely not a good enough reason to skip this amazing experience! I cannot recommend this place and these wonderful hosts enough!

My husband and I stayed at Kinse Inn for a couple of nights mid November, and we absolutely loved it! The house is beautiful and Seanacey and Kojiro couldn't be better hosts. Not only did they provide us with great suggestions for where to dine in the neighbourhood, but they also took the time to chat with us about the house, Kyoto and life in Japan.

If I have to come up with a "minus", I'd note that like all old houses in Japan, Kinse Inn can get quite cold in the winter. However, as the bedrooms are well heated and we didn't find that to be much of a problem even though night temperatures fell to nearly 0°C during our stay.

On a whole, I'd recommend Kinse Inn to anyone visiting Kyoto, and I definitely hope to return soon again!

Kojiro is laid-back, kind, and knowledgeable about his hometown, Kyoto!

Whether you're interested in drinking a quiet bowl of tea in a local temple garden, sampling Kyoto nightlife at an old school izakaya, or wandering through the bamboo groves in Arashiyama, he can point you in the right direction.