The location is superb if you are looking to be at the heart of gion. The old streets and temples are a close walk. The room itself was very tidy and having a ryokan experience was nice. The shower for me was great it had a sitting shower design as in onsens. The staff were really nice and helped with all our logistical needs. They do offer massages at an additional cost.

I think that it's a bit overpriced because you don't get any emnesties beyond tea that you make in your room with a tea pot.. I get that it's traditional....but you know..still. Even for drinks you need to get them at the machine. Also I must say that the lighting could be better as the night lamp was really low so we almost always stayed with the main white light..

The ryokan is obviously well used but this didnt in any way detract from it. It is very popular. The onsens were very nice with very clean washing and bathing facilities. We selected breakfast and dinner options for both our nights. Both were overwhelming in their quality, presentation, and amount of food. The seafood was so fresh and diverse. Both meals were totally worth the extra money. All hotel staff were so helpful, polite and cheerful. Nothing was any bother. Our room steward who looked after assembling and dissassembling our bedding as well as serving our meals in the room was so delightful, patient, and informative with a great sense of humor. The ryokan's location right next to the river and on the main street is perfect. Family wants to return and stay.

No issues

Ryokan Karaku is well situated in the historic Gion neighborhood, making it super easy to walk to all the lovely streets and shrines. The traditional style of this hotel was a really cool experience. Everything from sleeping in the traditional Japanese style on the floor to tasting the delicious Kyoto style breakfast was a really special experience!.

I got sick (I'll spare the details) towards the end of my stay-I asked one of the hotel concierge for a bowl of rice for lunch until my friend got back from touring the city later that evening. I was informed that it was not possible to have anything from the kitchen. I may not be familiar with all the rules of the ryokan, but I found this to be disappointing as I was too weak to go out for a snack at that time.

The friendly and polite staff is the highlight of our stay at Gyon Ryokan Karaku. They were all stars. The Japanese bed and pijama were very nice to try during our stay. The location of the hotel is great if you plan to explore the city, but there will be about 10min walk to the closest station for transportation.

Well, it won’t be fair if I say the only downside was the breakfast because it was totally Japanese and this stay meant to be Japanese style. But it might be good to offer some tourist- friendly options to eat. We were leaving hotel every day hungry as we could not have the given foods. But it was great seeing they change the contents of the breakfast with information paper explaining what they put into all those tiny cute dishes.

From the moment we arrived we were met with smiling staff who were there to help with anything and everything our entire stay. We had reserved a room with private bath (onsen but without the mineral spring water) which was a wonderful experience as we weren’t comfortable going to a public onsen. My son and I loved exploring, and there is so much to see in the area. From traditional breakfasts to a Kaiseki dinner, futon beds and the bathing room it summed up a traditional Kyoto experience for me.

The property was lovely, with an outlook over a shrine from our room. The futon is a little thin for my back, but this was to be expected.

The staff is incredible and will bend over backwards to all your demands. They speak English which helped a lot. They made us feel welcome. The breakfast is very balanced and very good overall. Our room was spacious and quiet.

It's a traditional ryokan so keep in mind that you will sleep on futons mattresses on the tatami. I piled up 3 for comfort. I wish there was a way to log in to our streaming services on the TV as we got tired of watching Japanese TV.

The staff were very helpful and extremely curious. They helped us book restaurant reservations... and the places they chose were out of this world. The room was traditional with tatami which was wonderful to walk on, but we also had a water cooker and a refrigerator in a separate section of the room. We booked the breakfast as part of the package, and that was just wonderful! It included a Bento box. So if you are going to book the breakfast, you have to be into Japanese food. This was perfect for us.

I can't say that there was anything I did not like.

The staff were absolutely wonderful, our train to Kyoto was delayed until 0100 due to the typhoon, but they stayed open until we arrived. The staff were smiling and cheerful every day. The location is fantastic, right in the middle of old Kyoto and walking distance from many of the sights, as well as all the restaurants in Gyon, but it's also in a very quiet area. Traditional breakfast wasn't always a success, but a lot of effort went into it and on 3 consecutive days it was never the same. Traditional ryokan room was also fun.

No laundry service - we were directed to a coin laundry nearby. No proper chairs to sit on in the room, I had to sit in the wardrobe ! No wifi reception in the room. No view from our room - there's a beautiful old pagoda next door, but a bamboo screen outside the window blocks the view, making the room a little claustrophobic. I also felt the price was very high, but I guess that's to be expected in old Kyoto. Taxi drivers also struggled to find it, even with a print out of the booking and Google Maps location in Japanese.

In the quiet edge of Kyoto. It feels authentic, and hidden away like a little gem. We had futon beds on the flow, and even though that was just 60 mm (or so) of foam rubber mattress, they were surprisingly comfortable.

The taxi driver's could not find it, did not speak english, and could not read the address with latin letters. So a little hard to get to. The traditional Japanese breakfast was fun to try, but one morning was enough for us. The location at the edge of Kyoto, means walking the same route every day to get somewhere.

Breakfast was amazing, and had a lot of variety. The location was quite accessible to some really nice areas to enjoy Kyoto's sights. Additionally, getting to and from the inn was convenient to get to from Kyoto Station.

As the rooms use physical keys, they ask that you leave your key at the front desk when leaving. Although they were always present at the front desk, it did make me worried that if I got back too late that I might not be able to get into my room without bothering someone.