Hiiragiya Bekkan (Annex)

Hiiragiya Bekkan was a completely charming ryokan stay in Kyoto! Location was perfect, close to everything. The place was gorgeous, our room faced the garden. The breakfasts and dinners were incredibly good, and we loved the private onsen! But most of all the service was superlative - our room attendant Haru-san was the nicest, most endearing person we encountered in Japan. Arigatou gozama****a!

We are Americans who live in Tokyo several months a year and we took a family couple to Kyoto and tried to give them a representative ryokan experience in the old capital. We thoroughly enjoyed the ambiance of the one hundred year old plus building, the service of the wonderful staff members and the delicious cuisine presented, both in the elaborate evening meal and breakfast next morning. At current exchange rates, the one hundred thirty dollar per person tariff was an amazing bargain for what we received in accommodation, service, and food. Well located and accustomed to foreigners. Highly recommended.

We first stayed here over 30 years ago and with kids in tow, we visited again for 3 days this year. The highlight is the service, specifically the room attendant in our case Aki I believe was her name. You are served a 6-7 course japanese meal every day in your room. Many things we do not consume in the US makes for a very interesting experience. The chef spends alot of time putting everything together, you can tell. We sampled and ate almost everything placed before us, the only exception was the octopus with suckers still attached, was too rubbery for everyone in our party. The attendants bring every course upstairs and its alot of work. Despite this Aki was personable and handled our english well enough. So memorable for our 17 yo twins. Our next to last day, Aki informed us she did not work the next day, and had taken the time to write in english a touching message for the family. Traditional Ryokan has community bath that has to be scheduled and sleeping directly on the floor are expected, so go with the flow, you will have a most memorable stay. The bekkan annex is smaller and more intimate than its big sister hiiragiya bekkan. We plan to return in another 30 years GOD willing.

Traditional Ryokan w hot springs bath in quiet neighborhood not to far from the Imperial Palace. The service is impeccable and the rooms have western chairs for comfortable seating overlooking a small central Japanese garden.

We stayed here with a family of 4 ( 2 sons aged 12 and 11yo) for 2 nights. We had the 8+6 tatami room upstairs and had inclusive dinner and breakfast provided. There was some uncertainty when making this booking as most reviews on tripadvisor were pre-covid, but google reviews had more up to date 2022 reviews from japanese locals ( we are not japanese locals). Overall, we had a wonderful and most memorable stay and would definitely want to stay again. Room: 8+6 tatami room was massive, and had it own toilet in room and sink. We did not have our own bath/shower, but had bookings for these in a seperate floor of the hotel and this worked just fine. The building is old, but inside is extremely clean. Our room, upsatirs looked out to a private indoor garden. As a tatami room, our beds were made after each dinner by the host on futami's and although the pillow is quite different ( small and grain-like), it was comfortable and the blankets were amazing. Rooms had 2 air conditioners that provide excellent heating or cooling. Toilet in room was extremely clean, and sink had provided all bathroom amentiies. Onsen: small onsen, but enough to fit 2-3 ppl and had adjacent showers. Able to book 30-60m each time and very relaxing and very clean. Kaiseki Dinner and Breakfast: this was a massive highlight of Kyoto foods the multi course was so well presented, and so tasty - hjigh quality. Service by the host was amazing, very courteous and they admit their english is limited (so is our japanese), but we were able to appreciate their kindness and excellent service. There are also drink menus and we had a pairing sake/wine with our meal. Amazing combination to have this served in your room, and then you can go straight to bed! Staff: extremely strong point. All staff courteous, helpful, kind and very attentive. front desk staff english is good. Locaiton: not really knowing Kyoto, and map scale appreciation in google, this location is fantastic. Its not in Gion district, but close to subway line, but very close to the nishiki market, and massive undercover shops - all south. Overall, this was one of the most memorable experience of a trip to stay in a experienced servicing ryokan, with classic tatami/futami room, kaiseki meals and staff were excellent. Thank you to staff at Hiri***a Bekkan Annex. I highly recommend this if visiting Kyoto, post-COVID and hope to come again!

We chose to stay at the Hiiragiya Bekkan Ryoken during our family vacation to Japan and were blown away by the experience. The hotel is a traditional Japanese Ryoken with communal bathing areas and separate living quarters for the guests. As a family of four we had a single room (with our own separate bathroom) which was laid out as a dining room for our meals and then converted into a bedroom with four futon beds for sleeping. We were served a multi-course degustation menu for dinner and then a similarly elaborate breakfast comprising a range of traditional Japanese dishes, including some seasonal specialities. Our hostess was amazing and was able to attend to our every need - whether it was getting us checked in, fitting our yukatas / kimonos for dinner, or serving us the dozen or so course for dinner. The room was very private and included access to a beautiful formal garden area. This visit is something we will remember for a long time. If you are travelling to Japan, I would highly recommend staying at least one night here.