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Reviews of Matsubaya Ryokan

3 out of 5
Matsubaya Ryokan
Higashinotoin Nishi-iru, Kamijuzuyacho-dori, Shimogyo-ku, Kyoto, Kyoto

Reviews

9.0

Wonderful

Rating 10 - Excellent. 187 out of 354 reviews" "
Rating 8 - Good. 135 out of 354 reviews" "
Rating 6 - Okay. 25 out of 354 reviews" "
Rating 4 - Poor. 6 out of 354 reviews" "
Rating 2 - Terrible. 1 out of 354 reviews" "

9.4/10

Cleanliness

9.2/10

Staff & service

9.4/10

Amenities

8.6/10

Property conditions & facilities

9.2/10

Eco-friendliness

Reviews

10/10 Excellent

James

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
The staff were very friendly and the room had a nice garden view. The location was nice, about a 10 minute walk from Kyoto station, making it easy to get to all sides of town and see the major sights.
Stayed 4 nights in Nov 2023

8/10 Good

Salome

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Matsubaya Ryokan is a 15-minute walk from Kyoto Station where many food options are available. There is a convenience store in between. We split our time in Kyoto between this ryokan and a modern hotel near Kyoto Station. The modern hotel was wonderful, however, it will in time be blended in with all the other wonderful hotels we've stayed at, while it's unlikely we'll forget the traditional Japanese experience we got at the ryokan. We had a deluxe room with garden view. It was clean and had everything we needed. The futon beds were very comfortable. The only issue we had was that we couldn't turn off the lights at night while keeping the air-conditioning on at the same time. We opted for a Japanese breakfast - booking ahead of time is a must - and we really enjoyed it (we even learned from our host the correct way to eat the rice, namely, wrapping it in the seaweed wraps provided). In short, we recommend this ryokan if you're looking for a traditional Japanese experience in a reasonably-priced ryokan.
Stayed 2 nights in Oct 2023

10/10 Excellent

Ali

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
I really enjoyed the friendliness of the staff. Thank you!
Stayed 3 nights in Sep 2023

10/10 Excellent

Timothy

Stayed 3 nights in May 2023
Response from Matsubaya Ryokan on 28 May 2023
Great thanks for choosing us among the hotels and inns in Kyoto, as well as grading us. We are delighted that you like our Ryokan. We are looking forward to serving you again in the future.

10/10 Excellent

Ming-Hsiang

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Very Friendly.
Stayed 1 night in May 2023
Response from Matsubaya Ryokan on 31 May 2023
Great thanks for staying with us and writing the comment. We are glad that you like our staff and we are looking forward to seeing you again in Kyoto. Have a lovely day.Kind regards,matsubaya Ryokan

10/10 Excellent

Benjamin

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
I only stayed a short period of time, but it’s a nice little property that’s a short distance from the station
Stayed 2 nights in May 2023
Response from Matsubaya Ryokan on 11 May 2023
Hi Benjamin, Thanks a lot for staying with us and writing the comments. We are delighted that you like our ryokan and location. We are looking forward toserving you agian in the future.Have a lovely day.Regards,Angeline TauMatsubaya Ryokan

10/10 Excellent

Dianna

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Cozy Japanese style rooms with table, futons, water kettle, fridge, Yukata. Excellent host - super warm, welcoming and helpful. Friendly staff. This Ryokan is very convenient to Gion and the Kyoto Station. Bathroom is not large but it's not too small either.
Stayed 2 nights in Mar 2023

10/10 Excellent

Denise, Sunnyvale, CA

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
The property and service was lovely. The private bath was very relaxing.
Stayed 3 nights in Feb 2020

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Travelled with family
Liked: Staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Location to the train station my second time saying here
Stayed 1 night in Jan 2020

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Travelled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Excellent and kind staff. Even helped us order food in the rain. Only complaint is that the bathrooms are a bit cramped.
Stayed 4 nights in Oct 2019

10/10 Excellent

Jo, Tel Aviv

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Very quaint, old world style. Clean, well located.
Stayed 2 nights in Oct 2019
Response from Matsubaya Ryokan on 21 Oct 2019
We thank you very much for your stay with us and would like to express our great thanks to you for choosing us from many hotels in Kyoto and writing your comment. We are all waiting for your visit and are looking forward to seeing you again. Thank you so much again and Best regards, Matsubaya Ryokan

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
We stayed here 15 years ago, although the building has been renovated it still retains the charm of a Ryokan.
Stayed 1 night in Oct 2019
Response from Matsubaya Ryokan on 21 Oct 2019
We thank you very much for your stay with us and would like to express our great thanks to you for choosing us from many hotels in Kyoto and writing your comment. We are all waiting for your visit and are looking forward to seeing you again. Thank you so much again and Best regards, Matsubaya Ryokan

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 4 nights in Sep 2019

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Stayed 5 nights in Sep 2019

10/10 Excellent

Tim, Brooklyn, NY

Travelled with partner, Travelled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
I had the pleasure of staying at Matsubaya with my class a week and a half before my stay with my wife and both times were a true pleasure. The staff there is phenomenal and quite kind. I will definitely return the next time I find myself in the Kansai area.
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2019
Response from Matsubaya Ryokan on 23 Jul 2019
We thank you very much for your stay with us and would like to express our great thanks to you for choosing us from many hotels in Kyoto and writing your comment. We are so delighted to hear that you enjoyed your time at Matsubaya Ryokan. We are all waiting for your visit and are looking forward to seeing you again. Thank you so much again and Best regards,

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 2 nights in Jun 2019

8/10 Good

Carmen

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Part Traditional
Great stay but rooms modern and renovated not Ryokan however traditional breakfast was excellent! Staff great, location a little confusing but original old area
Stayed 3 nights in May 2019
Response from Matsubaya Ryokan on 19 Jul 2019
We thank you very much for your stay with us and would like to express our great thanks to you for choosing us from many hotels in Kyoto and writing your comment. We are all waiting for your visit and are looking forward to seeing you again. Thank you so much again and Best regards,

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 3 nights in May 2019

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
The tatami room had a strong smell bcoz of the bamboo mats... so you might need to keep the window open all day.. not recommended if you stay during winter or summer coz u can't open window all day... the ryokan said to be opened in 2016 but everything inside is old style... the tv is like the size of my android tablet ... and toilet is old style as well..lol... but overall was ok if you want to try out Japanese ryokan.
Stayed 2 nights in Apr 2019

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
The Japanese breakfast was great! The staff was welcoming.
Stayed 2 nights in Mar 2019

10/10 Excellent

Chang Xian

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Exceptional service
Wonderful showcase of Japanese service. We were given a welcome tour of the hotel and when we came back to check in, they had moved our luggage into the room. Also, guests who do not have their rooms cleaned receive a free gift. One downside is that the room walls are thin.
Stayed 2 nights in Mar 2019

8/10 Good

Laura

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Decent place to stay
Lovely staff, decent English, and helped me when I was sick. Rooms felt like apartments rather than a ryokan.
Stayed 4 nights in Jan 2019

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 3 nights in Dec 2018

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Stayed 2 nights in Nov 2018

8/10 Good

Susan, Kyoto

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Convenient, clean, quiet, efficient. Balcony a nice touch. Easy to find from train station.
Stayed 1 night in Nov 2018

10/10 Excellent

Jade

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great hotel apartment
Amazing rooms all u could ever need! Able to cook noodles and wash and dry our cloths and all.
Stayed 1 night in Oct 2018
Response from Matsubaya Ryokan on 5 Nov 2018
Thank you very much for a good review about Matsubaya Ryokan. We are so delighted to hear that you enjoyed your time here in Matsubaya. We hope that you would visit Kyoto again and it would be so wonderful if we could welcome you again. We are all waiting for your visit and are looking forward to seeing you again. Thank you so much again and Best regards,

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2018

8/10 Good

Benjamin

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stay in Japanese style room
Stayed in the Japanese style room. The room was large enough for us. It was a 10 minute walk to get to the subway area. Some members of staff were more helpful than others, but good overall.
Stayed 4 nights in Jun 2018

10/10 Excellent

Dawn

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
A lovely small ryokan
Members of staff are all very friendly and eager to help. The ryokan's location is also very convenient for any activity. The roomis comfy and quiet. Highly recommendable.

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great location and extremely helpful staff
Great location, close to train station and attractions but on a very quiet street. Very friendly and helpful staff going out of their ways to help us. Japanese style room and very comfortable. Great Japanese breakfast

10/10 Excellent

Andrew

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

10/10 Excellent

Christian

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great hotel with helpful and friendly staff. I stayed in a Japanese style room which was comfortable, compact, and had all that we needed.

8/10 Good

Koby

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

10/10 Excellent

Michael

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Comfortable stay for family
Modern new tatami style room with small kitchen. Suitable size for 2 adult 2 young children. Only 1 washing machine, 1 dryer. Small TV. Wifi unreliable and slow during peak, otherwise good speed. Close to train station
Stayed 3 nights in Nov 2017

10/10 Excellent

Michael

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great place, great location!
We love the Japanese room for our stay. Very comfortable and unique experience. Would recommend it.
Stayed 3 nights in Nov 2017

10/10 Excellent

Gerry, Jedburgh UK

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Excellent hotel, clean, practical and comfortable.
Can't put it better than the title, super staff and just a ten minute walk from the railway station.. Breakfast extra but good. All round a terrific place to stay.
Stayed 4 nights in Sep 2017

6/10 Okay

oc, london

Liked: Cleanliness, room comfort
Good hotel near Kyoto station
The hotel was clean and the staff were friendly and helpful. We stayed in a western room which was somewhat outdated but spacious.
Stayed 5 nights in Aug 2017

10/10 Excellent

Anne

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Fabulous tradition ryoken with great staff
Amazing traditional ryoken in great, convenient and interesting neighborhood. Staff give excellent advice for sightseeing and restaurants. Absolutely great experience. Perfect place to stay for experiencing Kyoto.
Stayed 5 nights in Jul 2017

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
cozy and comfortable
friendly staff and clean. Great way top experience a ryokan in japan
Stayed 3 nights in May 2017

10/10 Excellent

Jacob

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 2 nights in May 2017

8/10 Good

Japan vacation

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Good location and very courteous staff
The location is about 10 minutes walk from Kyoto station and 2 minutes from Higashi Honganji temple. The staff is very courteous. Japanese breakfast is the best bargain. There are eggs, salmon, vegetables, soup, and assorted pickle dishes which change daily. The room is relatively small but clean. Hot water kettle, tea pot, and green tea bags are provided. Building insulation is not good.
Sitting area
Tatami floor with fulton

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Friendly, almost traditional ryokan. Clean!
Very friendly staff. Clean everywhere you go. Since I got the type E room, it was small, but enough for one person. Only complaint is that the wall was not sound proof and could hear person next door when person was on the phone. Stayed 3 nights, and they cleaned my room every morning after I left for the day. Ryokan was about a kilometer away from Kyoto station. Just walk.

8/10 Good

Morgan

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Traditional Japanese experience
You won't get luxury but you will be looked after by the friendly, welcoming staff at this small, local ryokan. The rooms are small with traditional futons and yukata provided for sleeping. They are adorned with traditional Japanese artwork to add to the overall experience. It's close to Kyoto station (~8 minutes walk), Higashi-Honganji (<5 minutes) and many other destinations are within 30 minutes walking distance. They offer a great looking Japanese breakfast, which you need to order the night before, in a pleasant lounge. Eating in the hotel is advisable as many places don't tend to open early in the local area.

10/10 Excellent

Siew Thin

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
A cosy and convenient place
Owner was super friendly and helpful. It was a very pleasant stay.

10/10 Excellent

Ashley, Seattle, WA

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great location, convenient but quiet
This was a great place to stay in Kyoto! The hotel is an easy walk from Kyoto station making it super convenient not only to arriving, but also for getting around and exploring the city while you're there. And it's on a safe and quiet side street, which was really nice. The staff were all so friendly and helpful, they were great! Their English was some of the best I encountered on the trip so there were no communication errors. We stayed in a Western-style room and the beds were comfortable and the room was very clean. There is a Western-style breakfast too that was cheap (not the best quality, but when all you want is eggs and toast after a week of Japanese breakfasts, it hits the spot). Highly recommended!

8/10 Good

Yin Chau

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

10/10 Excellent

yuxuan, singapore

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Best place I've stayed in
The staffs here are so kind. They make me feel at home.When i went back,the gentleman still sees me outside in the cold weather.The room is so comfortable I slept like a baby.Thank you and I will stay here again:)

10/10 Excellent

Irfan, Jakarta

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Simple & Friendly traditional Inn.
It's was nice, located in very quiet neighborhood with food and shops nearby; the room is small but the futon & the shared bathroom is very clean. the optional breakfast is very good.

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Nice hotel walking distance to Kyoto Station
We loved our stay at Matsubaya Ryokan! Location was key for us since we intended to travel by train quite a bit during our stay in Kyoto. So we picked a hotel that is walking distance to Kyoto Station. Aside from the good location however, we were pleasantly surprised by the size of the western room we booked. It is definitely larger than most typical Japanese hotel rooms. Our family comfortably fit in it. The room and the rest of the hotel was always clean and tidy, our room was comfortable to stay in. Hotel staff were very warm and welcoming and it felt like we were staying over at a family's place. Overall, very well run hotel with clean and roomy amenities in a great location. Would definitely recommend this hotel.