PRICE:
Frommer's Very Highly Recommended

Keiji and his wife, Hiromi, opened this hostelry in 2003 in a former apartment building with six tatami rooms (three of which are gilded in gold and have refrigerators) complete with private bathrooms and balconies, plus two dormitory rooms with beds that sleep up to five persons. The level of caring is impressive, with little maps of the neighborhood given to guests that show the location of restaurants, supermarkets, and more; tips dispensed on what's going on and how to spend rainy days; free coffee and tea in the communal kitchen; and the chance to try on a kimono. With its convenient location, English-speaking staff, clean rooms, free wireless Internet connection, and other amenities, this place beats most other budget accommodations hands down. Keiji offers an additional 13 rooms (including Western-style twins) and three dormitory rooms at his nearby Tour Club, 362 Momiji-cho, Kitakoji-agaru, Higashi-Nakasuji Dori (tel. 075/353-6968; www.kyotojp.com), a 9-minute walk from the station. With similar facilities and amenities, it offers twin/double rooms from ¥6,982 ($58/£29), triples from ¥8,880 ($74/£37), and dormitory beds for ¥2,415 ($20/£10).

Copyright: Excerpted from Frommer's Japan, 9th Edition, (c) 2008, Wiley Publishing, Inc.

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