Lovely restored machiya with modern amenities in an excellent location and a very helpful host.

The machiya is really well located and well appointed. We enjoyed the nearby shops and cafes, as well as the Gion atmosphere and temples/attractions. Inside, the house had good WiFi, heaters and washer/dryer. The bedrooms have tatami mats and futons with cozy comforters. The bathroom has lots of hot water and good shower pressure...and it was great to have each loo in a separate room. The house worked well for 2 adults and 1 kid, who had a futon laid out in the office downstairs. We slept upstairs in the larger main room. There is another room upstairs, separated by a sliding door. The house is SUPER clean and uncluttered, although there are pieces of art etc around but everything is simple and intentionally placed. The hosts are super responsive both before we arrived and during our 4 night stay. We recommend this home!

Artfully restored traditional home with all the peace and zen Kyoto can offer. Kind and helpful hosts and located in culturally vibrant area. A brilliant stay!

Wonderful home - great hosts and an authentic experience in lovely Kyoto. If you're tall, duck your head but otherwise be prepared for a terrific stay. Cozy bedding, access to everything, hosts who are available and helpful with just about any question - just charming all the way around.

We have stayed at Gion Kyuraku on two different occasions. It never disappoints. The location, very near Kiyomizudera, provides easy access to major sites in Kyoto. The set up of the machiya is comforable and provides great Japanese charm. And Thomas and Rieko are amazing hosts. We will stay here again.

Excellent small traditional Japanese home with great location for access in Kyoto. Comfortable, close to a supermarket, easy access to public transit. Great location close to Gion.

This property is in excellent condition and located just minutes away (by walking) from the Gion district and Kiyomizu-dera - as well as hundreds of restaurants and sites along the Kamo River. If you can walk 20-30 minutes, you can cover tremendous amounts- and the rest are simple cab/bus rides away. There are two bedrooms upstairs and one downstairs along with a living room and dining area. There is a modern kitchen that provides all the support necessary for your stay in Kyoto. The kitchen comes in handy for early risers as the city and its retail outlets/restaurants do not wake up until a bit later in the morning. This is a traditional home, complete with tatami mats, so you will be removing your shoes and experiencing Japanese living style first-hand....we found that to be a wonderful cultural enhancement to our trip and Kyoto experience as well. However, if you just cannot leave the tech world behind, the WiFi works great as well. Rieko and Thomas know the area well and were very helpful in assisting us in our stay - ideal hosts. We would return here without hesitation.

We visited Kyoto for a very special 16th birthday trip for our daughter. She loves culture and history, and this machiya was absolutely perfect! Our family of 3 stayed there 11 days, and we enjoyed every minute. *Rieko was a gracious and considerate host, quickly answering any questions we had, having the heat on, maps out for us, etc. *The home was labeled so that we were easily able to use appliances and things without worry. *The neighborhood was fantastic, with a market and store within a 1-2 minute walk. We quickly became friendly with the lady who sells baked goods near the market. :) Vending machines are at the corner if you want to try a coffee or soup. Just a few minute walk up the street leads you to a very busy area with shops, kimono rental and more. *Convenience - We had a guide a few days, and we also used a shuttle service, and meeting steps away at the corner was quite easy. You can easily walk to Kenninji Temple, the Gion district, markets, restaurants, Yasaka Shrine, and so many more places. We have shared photos of this lovely home on social media and are already referring people to Rieko. I am so happy we booked her and Thomas' machiya for our very special trip to Kyoto! Thank you so much, and for anyone reading this, please, do not hesitate to stay here. I can't imagine anywhere better, and we look forward to returning one day!

Having stayed in Kyoto several times already (even in other Machiyas) - this was by far the best place we ever had in this beautiful city. The location is perfect with most of the interesting places in Higashiyama and city center at walking distance. The neighbourhood is perfect - quiet but with shops, cafes and good public transport connections. And the Machiya itself is a dream. Room enough for a couple with two kids, all facilities (kitchen, bathroom, washing machine etc.) in good condition, excellent wifi quality, helpful descriptions/advice in English. The quality and tidyness of the house, the tasteful decoration, the nice, little garden and the terrasse on the 2nd floor make it a jewel. Booking, communication and reception were easy. Responses were very friendly and immediate. This was definitely not the last visit for us. Many thanks to Rieko.

Had a magical 5 nights at this machiya (4 adults). All communication with regard to various questions and our booking was always answers very quickly with detailed, helpful advice. The machiya was everything that we were hoping for - traditional but with all the mod cons! Everything is so tastefully decorated and well thought out. Rieko (and her lovely daughter) came around and met us and answered any and all of our queries. I highly recommend this machiya. The location is also very central. Many thanks Thomas and Rieko - we hope to be able to return to beautiful Kyoto again.

My husband and I stayed four nights here and were so thrilled with our accommodations! You could not ask for a better location. The back streets of Gion are only about a 1/2 mile away. There are two grocery stores minutes away (one is on the corner) and a wonderful lady with baked goods at the end of the street also. There are many landmarks nearby that are very walkable. The Machiya is very clean and comfortable. There were directions for using appliances,etc so you never had to guess how to make something work. The apple tv was great. Rieko left maps marked for sightseeing and was helpful with recommending restaurants and even offered to make reservations. If we are ever in Kyoto again we will stay here!

This vacation rental property exceeded our expectations in every way. The location is perfect and you could not find a more convenient base for exploring beautiful and historic Kyoto. Locating and entering the Machiya was easy with the thorough directions we received from the owners via email several weeks before we arrived. An arrival letter awaited us outlining some useful information and telling us of special events occurring during our six-day stay. We were fortunate enough to be in Kyoto for a nighttime illumination festival with 2,500 beautiful lanterns in the lanes and many illuminated temples and pagodas in the hills just a short walk away. Getting to the other sites on our itinerary was easy from this Machiya. If we had questions, the owners were available to help us via email. They helped us with everything from suggesting soba noodle restaurants nearby to providing us with scheduling information for Kabuki Theater. They could not have been more accommodating and the excellent wi-fi connection at the Machiya helped us stay connected. The Machiya is elegant and comfortable. The kitchen is sleek and modern, with a refrigerator, cooking surface, and microwave, toaster, and coffee pot. You have all you need for kitchenette cooking. We ate breakfast in everyday and kept the refrigerator well stocked with snacks and drinks from the excellent grocery store just down the lane. The washer/dryer in the kitchen was a nice bonus. Because we were two adult couples -actually brother, sister and our spouses- traveling together, it was convenient to have two separate bedrooms, one on each floor. The tatami mats are beautiful and the futons were comfy enough. The downstairs futons were especially plush. The bathroom arrangement, with toilets and bathing room all in separate spaces, worked perfectly for us. We even found time to enjoy the soaking tub. The Machiya has a beautiful small garden and a new deck on the second level. I hope other guests will have more time than we did to enjoy these special spaces. Our sightseeing schedule was full and when we returned to the Machiya it was either dark or raining. We certainly enjoyed our nights staying warm and cozy in this beautiful Machiya!

We stayed at Thomas and Rieko's machiya with our two adult children during the Christmas week. This was our first visit to Japan. The machiya is as nice and beautiful as the pictures portray. I was concerned about the apartment being warm enough in December but we were very comfortable and warm with the heaters in each room. The den was made up into a third bedroom so that each of our children could have their own room which was very nice. Thomas and Rieko were very helpful and gave us great information including restaurant recommendations. We enjoyed our stay immensely and would happily return again.

We stayed at this wonderful house for 3 weeks this fall. The house is clean, efficient and everything is in perfect working order. The location is very special. It is in a real Kyoto neighborhood with a terrific supermarket just 1 minute away and a 10 walk to the best of ancient Kyoto. The owners are the most accomodating vrbo owners that we encountered in over 20 rentals. Every request was dealt with quickly and competently within a few hours. It is a perfect opportunity to experience Kyoto at its best.

This is an incredible place to stay in the heart of historic Kyoto and is within walking distance to many important sites as well as a grocery store. It was a treat for our family to stay in this beautiful, traditional, comfortable, spotless machiya with every modern convenience and even its own small rock garden and water feature. It was a pleasure to work with Reiko by email before our trip and she patiently answered every question. Thomas came to meet us and give us a tour of the house when we first arrived and made us feel right at home. I would whole-heartedly recommend this machiya to anyone and hope that we will be able to stay here again someday. Staying here made our time in Kyoto absolutely prefect! Thank you!

It was such an amazing treat to live in a traditional Japanese home with every modern convenience! It truly felt like "home" and was a spotless, convenient, and comfortable place for us to be with our adult children. The machiya is perfectly located in the center of historic Kyoto within walking distance of many important sites. A large grocery store a minute away provides delicious prepared foods as well as any item you might need. The owners are incredibly kind and accommodating. We had many emails back and forth before we arrived and the owner personally welcomed us at the beginning of our stay. This machiya made our time in Kyoto VERY special. We hope to stay here again!

The machiya was immaculate and spotless! Everything you need (aside of food) was provided. Hats off to Rieko and Thomas for planning the restoration so well and making the machiya a lovely place to stay. My mother commented how new the tatami floor smelled. It's because they change the tatami mats every year (that's unheard of because of the expense) and shows the extra mile the hosts go to maintain the quality of the home. The layout of the home worked well for our family of five. My husband, my two kids (14 and 11), and I slept upstairs while my mother had the downstairs room with its own toilet. My mother was happy not to have to travel the stairs every night. When you 're used to having at least two bathrooms in the states, the extra bathroom was very appreciated. A supermarket (where you can also buy freshly prepared food) was a half block away, and the beautiful Kiyomizu Temple is in walking distance. The machiya was roomier and more comfortable than any hotel with the added benefit of a kitchen and a combination washer/dryer. We had a wonderful stay and hope to be able to visit again!