2nd Visit

Guest: justin (Shanghai)
Date of Stay: 10/01/11 Review Submitted: 11/20/11

1 week stay with the Family. Will come again

Owner response:Thanks again. It was great to see you in April and again in October. These are two beautiful months in Kyoto. Hope to see you again soon...maybe for a bicycle trek in China. Cheers.

Recommended for:Sightseeing, adventure seekers, families with young children, tourists without a car.

Quiet Enjoyment in Kyoto

Guest: David (Hong Kong)
Date of Stay: 10/06/11 Review Submitted: 10/31/11

We enjoyed a wonderful 4 days in this well restored traditional Japanese House. It is a great loaction, only 5 minutes walk from the Imperial Palace Gardens and close to the subway to get anywhere else in Kyoto ... or you can walk to restaurants and shops at a leisurely pace in less than 20 minutes. The home has been beautifully restored and well appointed with modern amenities in the kitchen/utility area, whilst reatining the traditional feel in the rest of the house. In each room there is a view of the gardens, which are maintained in the traditional Japanese style. For those wanting to experience a convenient retreat in Kyoto without the formaility of a hotel or the timetable of a Ryokan this is the perfect solution. We will definitely return

Owner response:It was great to see you both in Kyoto. We look forward to having you back early next year.

Recommended for:Sightseeing, age 55+, tourists without a car, romantic getaway.

Our family home in Kyoto

Guest: gimlet (New York, NY)
Date of Stay: 07/12/11 Review Submitted: 10/12/11

Our family spent a wonderful 5 days in this gem of a house. Of all the gorgeous sites in Kyoto, our own house was one of our favorites, and it is is a great base for seeing the rest of the city. It is beautifully traditional in architecture, but has brand new appliances and amenities. The bath room is a mini-spa. The host and hostess were great about answering our questions beforehand and when we arrived. They should be so proud of this beautifully restored and edited property. The gardens are beautiful, and it was a privilege to water and sit in them. We also appreciated the collection of guide books and Japanese architecture books in the house. Our sons, aged 4 and 5, loved staying in a home that looked so much like the palaces we visited, and they loved the tatami bedrooms. While this house is elegant, it is still great for families.

Owner response:Wow! I am so glad to hear that you had so much fun in Kyoto and the house. We hope to see you back here again sometime. Cheers.

Recommended for:Sightseeing, families with teenagers, families with young children, tourists without a car, romantic getaway.

Mother and Adult Son Traveling to visit former Rotary Exchange Student

Guest: Stephanie (Port Angeles, Washington, USA)
Date of Stay: 09/24/11 Review Submitted: 10/03/11

My son, our former Rotary Youth Exchange Student and I stayed at Karavansara for 4 days at the end of September 2011. The house really is a typical Japanese house, though with an upgraded kitchen and bathroom. We rented the entire house and found it to be perfect for the three of us......though sleeping on the floor on a futon was a little challenging for my old 60+ year old back. The house is ideally located near the Imperial Palace and is close to bus transportation. Taxis are easy to catch and are not nearly as expensive as in Tokyo or Osaka. The house was very quiet and well equipped with kitchen items, linens, etc. Kyoto is a fascinating city.......and we were told that there were more UN Heritage sites (17) in the city than in any other place in the world. Yes, you should stay here!

Owner response:Thank you for the great review. You bring up a very good point and one we debated for a long time: beds vs. futons. In the end we selected futons because we thought that it would make the experience more authentic. It is also more flexible and fun being able to move the futons around the house. The downside of futon is that many of our guests are not accustomed to sleeping on the floor. We figured that the fun of going authentic out weighed the 'difference'. All the best and we hope to see you in Kyoto again some time. Cheers.

Recommended for:Sightseeing, girls getaway, adventure seekers, families with teenagers, age 55+, tourists without a car.

Great location for everyone!

Guest: Jennifer (Portland, OR)
Date of Stay: 07/22/11 Review Submitted: 08/12/11

We used the full house for six people, most of whom were attending a conference at the Kyoto Conference Center. The house was located close to the subway line in a nice neighborhood, allowing easy travel to downtown or to the conference center by subway, and local markets, shrines and other sites via walking! Loved the style of the home and enjoyed spending the late evenings in the "common room" sipping sake. The owner was very helpful in recommending local sites and restaurants. Thanks for great week in Kyoto!

Owner response:Thank you very much for the review. We are glad that you all had such a nice time.

Recommended for:Sightseeing, adventure seekers.

Kyoto brief visit

Guest: David (HCMC, Vietnam)
Date of Stay: 06/01/11 Review Submitted: 08/04/11

Centrally located opposite the Imperial Palace within walking distance of public transport and easy to get taxis and with great restaurants and shops in the close vicinity. A beautifully restored wooden Japanese house with modern facilities tastefully installed. My daughter and I spent 3 days exploring Kyoto using the house as a base and had a wonderful experience and I would highly recommend it over staying in any hotel.

Owner response:I was very touched that your daughter called our place her 'Dream home'. Come back again soon and we can have another dinner at the fabulous French restaurant next door...don't normally think of Kyoto and French food...but that place was delicious. Cheers.

Recommended for:Sightseeing, girls getaway, adventure seekers, families with teenagers, families with young children, tourists without a car, romantic getaway.

Great Property in a centrally located part of Kyoto

Guest: Michael (Corte Madera, California)
Date of Stay: 07/15/11 Review Submitted: 07/27/11

Our family stayed for five nights at the property and it was an ideal setting for our visit. There were six of us and we felt comfortable with four of us sleeping in the upstairs tatami room and two in the downstairs bedroom. The house is a perfect mix of traditional features and modern convenience with an updated kitchen and bathroom on the ground floor. The gardens add a very peaceful feel to staying at the property. We also liked the local, restaurant which is literally across the street with good traditional set meals at reasonable prices. We also appreciated Joshua's personality and experience around recommendations for touring in the area. We highly recommend their property.

Owner response:It was a pleasure to meet you all and I am glad to hear that you enjoyed Kyoto and the machiya. It would be great to see you guys next time in Cambodia. Cheers!

Recommended for:Sightseeing, girls getaway, families with teenagers, families with young children, tourists without a car, romantic getaway.

Fantastic house and owner

Guest: L + U (Oakland CA)
Date of Stay: 06/27/11 Review Submitted: 07/06/11

A great house for those who want the traditional experience with contemporary comfort (yes, even air conditioning!), more wonderful than the photos and description. The location is great - a quiet non-tourist neighborhood, convenient to the Imperial Palace and easy transportation without the noise or aggravation of fellow tourists. The house provides a futon, tatami and shoji experience so you can understand life in the traditional houses, but also has been recently redone with good design, a great bath, good kitchen, washing machine for laundry. Joshua (the owner) was helpful, engaging, highly responsive and full of great suggestions for things to see while also being relaxed and respectful of our privacy. This is a great base of operations for seeing the palaces and temples of Kyoto, sampling the great restaurants and good shopping, and taking a day trip to Osaka or Kobe or the mountains and rivers around. We will return whenever we come back to Kyoto and recommend this to anyone interested in discovering life beyond a hotel room.

Owner response:Thank you very much for staying with us in Kyoto. It was a great pleasure to meet you and learn about all the interesting architectural works that you are doing. It was also nice to share a glass of delicious Sake. We hope to see you again soon. Cheers.

Recommended for:Sightseeing, age 55+, tourists without a car, romantic getaway.

Guest: Martha (-)
Date of Stay: 05/02/11 Review Submitted: 06/22/11

Thank you so much for the use of your beautiful Japanese house. We enjoyed living here in the quiet, still house. Thank you again for this wonderful experience! Namaste.

Recommended for:

Excellent!

Guest: Lori (Honolulu, HI)
Date of Stay: 05/24/11 Review Submitted: 06/03/11

The 4 of us (2 couples), just returned from a 1 week stay at this property and had a wonderful time! The house is PERFECT for 2 couples traveling together as both the upstairs (steep stairs with rail) and downstairs have it's own living room, bedroom and private toilet/sink, which was a MUST for us! Japan rental homes with 2 or more full bathrooms are nearly impossible to find, so this setup was more than acceptable to us. Granted, the toilet/sink area is especially tiny, but it was better than sharing! The kitchen and Japanese style tub/shower are shared areas, which never posed a problem for us. We all especially enjoyed the spacious bath and great shower with a garden view! The house is very clean and the futon bedding was comfortable. It was truly home away from home! The house is conveniently situated and traveling with 4 people was the perfect # for taking taxi cabs everywhere. Just walk out the door to the nearby corner and there are cabs running constantly in both directions. Also, you can literally throw a stone to the front doors of a small convenient store and a next door, wonderful family run restaurant called "Kurikuma", which serves a wide variety of reasonably priced, homestyled cooked meals as well as izakaya fare. Thank you Joshua for your expedient service and for a wonderful time in your machiya! Aloha from Hawaii, Pat, Lori, Glenn & Susan

Owner response:Thank you very much for the kind review. We know that your group has stayed in VRBO rentals before and we really appreciate your opinions. We hope to see you in Kyoto again soon.

Recommended for:Sightseeing, girls getaway, adventure seekers, families with teenagers, tourists without a car, romantic getaway.