Travel back in time at Kinse: a unique former ryokan with a 250-year history. Please read through the entire listing before booking to make sure our listing is a good fit for you.

The suite spans the 2nd floor. AC units in bedrooms and living room, soaking tub, futon bedding, and tatami floors. (Please note: NO kitchen.)

Located in a quiet neighborhood in south-central Kyoto, 7 min walk to Umekoji Kyotonishi station on the JR line. Good access to most Kyoto sights via transit and bicycle.

The space
Before booking, please read our entire description carefully to see if the space is a good fit for your needs. Our antique building is suited best to travelers who appreciate its quirks and care about preserving it for future generations.

The building began its life over 200 years ago as an ageya where geisha entertained, and then became a ryokan about 100 years ago. Now we only take one booking at a time for the second floor suite. It has been officially recognized as an historic scenic property by the city of Kyoto.

Your private space on the second floor includes:
-three bedrooms
-1 living room
-1 parlor room
-1 toilet
-1 shower room with soaking tub.

On the first floor there is a unique event space with stained glass windows and vaulted ceilings. This space is where flower arranging workshops take place and where we sometimes host special events and live music. It is also open once a week on Friday nights as a bar with a quiet and cozy atmosphere, 5:00pm-10:00pm. Please feel free ask us to see if there are any events happening during your stay.

There is one main entrance to the building and it is used to access both the 1st floor space and the 2nd floor Airbnb space. However, only Airbnb guests are allowed into the 2nd floor space.

Guest access
Important things to note:

*The guest space does NOT include a kitchen or any place for food preparation. There are a variety of restaurants within walking distance.

*The space does NOT include a laundry facility. There is a small coin laundry about a 5 minute walk from our place.

*Our building does air conditioning and heating in the traditional way: the units are located in each room meaning that the bedrooms and living room are easy to heat and cool, but the hallways, bathrooms, and parlor room will be chilly in winter and hot in summer. Most older buildings in Japan do it this way so if you are especially sensitive to heat/cold we recommend staying in a modern hotel or apartment.

*There is only ONE toilet and ONE shower/bath.

*This is an old building, so the floorboards creak and the windows rattle loudly on windy days. The shoji paper screens in the bedrooms let in quite a bit of light, especially in the mornings. If you are sensitive to light and noise, especially while sleeping, we kindly recommend looking for other accommodations or bringing your own eye mask and earplugs.

*No shoes allowed on 2nd floor (please use slippers in the hallways, socks/bare feet on the tatami mats). Shoes are okay on the 1st floor.

*There are sometimes events or concerts in the 1st floor event space (2~3 times per month). If you stay upstairs, you are welcome to come to our public events. Events/concerts usually finish by midnight.

*The 1st floor space is open to the public as a bar every Friday from 5:00pm to midnight. The atmosphere is usually cozy and quiet. Airbnb guests are very welcome to come to the bar.

Your 2nd floor Airbnb space includes:
-3 small tatami mat bedrooms
-1 large tatami mat living room
-Western-style parlor
-Traditional futons for sleeping (set up according to number of guests)
-Free Wi-Fi
-AC in bedrooms and living room for heating/cooling
-Large bath/shower room with soaking tub
-Western style toilet
-Minifridge
-Hot water kettle and tea
-Small electric lock safe

Other things to note
Events at Kinse: We occasionally have concerts in the 1st floor space, often jazz, DJ events, singer/songwriters, or instrumental music. Guests are always welcome to attend our live music events for no charge. We ask musicians to finish their sets by 10:00 p.m. which means that all is usually quiet by 11:00 p.m.~midnight. If you have any questions about planned events, just send us a message before booking and we'll let you know what's on the calendar.

Ikebana workshops: Seanacey is trained in Japanese flower arranging (ikebana) and has been certified by the Sogestsu school of ikebana as an instructor. She offers ikebana workshops in English in the 1st floor space in the mornings and afternoons. Airbnb guests are welcome to book a workshop and can bring finished flower arrangements up into the guest space to display after the workshop. Especially in Autumn and Spring workshops can book up quickly, so we recommend booking in advance. Please ask for more information.

Multi-Use Building: The 2nd floor space will be yours to use exclusively, but the front entrance and lobby are shared with the 1st floor space.

Registration number
Hotels and Inns Business Act | 京都市 | 京都市指令　保保生　第４５２号