| Date | Rating | Comment
[Guest Comments: 16 positive, 0 negative]
|
| 11/14/09 |
Positive
|
Tanaka-san made us very comfortable in his Hanare-style guesthouse.It is a
roomy and elegant space in traditional Japanese style. Quiet, private, convenient and beautifully appointed. Tanaka-san even brought us extra futons because our old hips were complaining. After that it was perfect. He also brought us a list of Kyoto antique fairs and flea markets which we used and enjoyed. Thanks so much. |
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darl kleinbach, USA West Coast
502-222-1927 |
|
| 10/28/09 |
Positive
|
| Do yourself a favor and stay here. The guesthouse is sublime, the Tanaka's gracious and friendly and the Arashiyama area is the only place to stay in Kyoto for the most authentic Japanese experience. Try a small restaurant just up the road, "Aoi," for a yudofu lunch. Not a lot of English is spoken here but don't let that hold you back. A friend and I stayed here this month and could not have been more delighted. I will be coming back as soon as possible. |
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John Gilmore, St. Paul Minnesota
651-402-2354 |
|
| 10/26/09 |
Positive
|
We found the Hanare House to be a magical place with all the amenities you could want. We stayed there in July 2009 for 5 days with our two little children (2+5), who were also enchanted. The attention to detail was great (I am still searching for similarly soft bed linen) and Tokuji, the owner, very helpful and knowledgeable.
We also loved the location close to the Unesco World Heritage Site Tenryu-ji temple, the bamboo forest, the fishermen with their cormorants (a must evening outing) and lovely Arashiyama. Central Kyoto was easy to reach with a pleasant tram ride. |
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Kristine, Oxford, UK |
|
| 10/18/09 |
Positive
|
My husband and I were fortunate to stay at the lovely Arashiyama Hanare for six days. We very much appreciated our gracious host,the beautiful traditional Japanese decor, and the peace and quiet. Arahiyama has much to offer tourists, especially its temples and natural scenic beauty. It is also very quick and easy to hop a frequent train to central Kyoto or beyond, as we did. We enthusiastically recommend Arashiyama Hanare as a place for tourists or business persons to stay.
R. P. & L. P. from Western Canada |
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Anonymous |
|
| 10/13/09 |
Positive
|
This is a lovely and well cared for little house. We particularly enjoyed staying in it for its basic Japanese style (be prepared for sleeping on matresses on the floor). It is in a really lovely location, a short walk from a beautiful spot with a river, mountains and forests. It is also convenient as you can bet basic necessities within walking distance and can access the center of Kyoto easily by the local train.
Thank you for welcoming us so well.We had a lovely few days. Our baby particularly enjoyed crawling at speed around the house.
The only issue we had was storage space, particularly in the kitchen.
We have already recommended this house to friends and would come again. |
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Anonymous
|
|
| 09/26/09 |
Positive
|
i can't imagine a better place to stay during a first
half of our first trip to japan (surely not last). place
was so calm and in tune with nature outside (even
air conditioner was making wind noise), not to
mention amazing interior that i used to admire only
in japanese interior design books. can't ask for
better area, beautiful gardens so well taken cafe of,
and so close to kyoto center. host was very helpful
and interested in our plans for our stay, full of
helpful advice. for the most part we didn't even
want to leave the house, just hang around on tatami
mats and drink tea. it's hard though, kyoto is
beautiful and full of things to do and see. one
thing, nearby bank - they don't speak english so
the process of exchanging money was a pain, you
need to have arashiyama guesthouse address on
you and be prepared to do some paperwork.
we didn't eat out in this area, but this one time we
went to coffee shop nearby JR station - cheese
toast and coffee was amazing (and it's the only
breakfast place around that has menu in english, i
think).
i would stay there millions times more, each time i
am in kyoto. the whole process of renting the
place was a breeze as well, thank you curtis. |
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ania and lane, milwaukee, wi, usa.
|
|
| 09/16/09 |
Positive
|
| Wow, what a neat place. I lived in Japan as a young man for two years and this was so reminiscent of my stay back then. The town is a little ways out of Kyoto (fifteen minute train ride) but that is what you really want. The little guest house was perfect for my wife and I. We are in our fifties so sleeping on a futon had our attention before we got there. Our bed at home cost around $5000 so we had some trepidation about sleeping on the floor. Well, forget that. We slept like logs. They were comfortable and cozy and romantic and representative of a era where simplicity trumped decadence. We cannot say enough good things about our 7 night stay there. You do have to plan a day trip to Uji and a day in Nara. Uji was spectacular. A train ride to Kameoka and boat ride back was worth every penny. Thanks so much Tokuji Takanaka for being such a gracious host. |
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Ken Karger, Arlington, Texas
817 917 1458 |
|
| 08/20/09 |
Positive
|
All of us, including our 5 year old son, enjoyed our stay at Arashiyama Hanare tremendously. We appreciate this opportunity to experience this wonderful house which is authentic and serene in every detail, yet very comfortable to use. We also thank the owner's hospitality. As somebody wrote down, he was attentive yet not-too-intrusive, meaning just perfect.
The neighborhood Sagano-Arashiyama area was very beautiful and special place. I could easily imagine why this place is well loved by ancient aristocrats as well as anybody in modern days. Also, it was very easy for us to go to Kyoto central area by train. Thank you!
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J, R and Y, New York, NY, U.S.A. |
|
| 07/21/09 |
Positive
|
| The Arashiyama Hanare was a great spot to spend a 3-day weekend! We loved the traditional decor of paper screens, tatami mats and a beautiful garden, coupled with the modern amenities of air conditioning and a spacious bath. The Hanare is conveniently located, about 8 minutes from the JR Saga Arashiyama station, within 5-15 minutes of many excellent restaurants and shops, and also very close to the major temples and bamboo forest. Downtown Kyoto is less than 30 minutes by JR train. The Tanaka family are perfect hosts! They ensured the Hanare had everything we might need, were available for questions, and yet provided the right amount of privacy for our stay. |
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Amy Gift, Vernon, CT, USA |
|
| 07/11/09 |
Positive
|
| Arashiyama Hanare is the sweetest and most peaceful place to stay that anyone could wish for. Located only a few minutes from the Randen streetcar we found we could use it to easily access all the sites of Kyoto, retreating at the end of the day to our Hanare. The owner was very attentive without being intrusive and helped us to experience the gentleness of Japan we hoped we would find. |
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John G., Mt. Martha, Victoria, Australia |
|
| 07/04/09 |
Positive
|
| I wanted my family to have a traditional experience. Staying in this little treasure offered us just that...from the tatami mats, futons, traditional bath area, rice paper and glass doors and serene garden. Most of all it is located in a real neighborhood where we watched a family making tofu and bean paste. Our daughters loved the soy milk samples that they offered. The local people were so welcoming and helpful. We had many experiences like this. Tokujisan and his wife and kids were very helpful and friendly as well (I know if we lived there we'd be close friends!). There is so much to do in this area of Kyoto. Our top picks were the monkey park and the bamboo forest and the local temples. It was an easy train ride to the south where we saw Geisha girls and a few more lovely sights. I know that our family will never forget this adventure, neither will yours! |
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April |
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| 05/23/09 |
Positive
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Our stay at this hanare was everything we had hoped for. If you want an experience of a traditional Japanese setting in a friendly atmosphere, accessible to many wonderful Kyoto sights, then this is the place. Our hosts were exceptionally kind, helpful, and knowledgeable which added to the overall experience.
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Michael & Thu Skees, Oahu, Hawaii |
|
| 04/22/09 |
Positive
|
Our stay at the guesthouse was outstanding! The
hosts made us feel welcome and were extremely
helpful. There is a very helpful booklet of
information about the immediate area and Kyoto,
containing maps, bus/train information, sights, etc.
that was thoughtfully put together. We enjoyed
having the kitchen and laundry facilities, and the
spa-like bathroom was a real treat. At first, the
house seems a little out of the way, but we realized
later, after staying at large tourist/business hotels
in Osaka and Tokyo, that this is what makes this
place so special. The buses and trains are close to
the house and convenient and the neighborhood
and Arashiyama district are beautiful places to
explore. Our stay at the house is one of the best
parts of our trip to Japan! Anyone who wants to
stay in an "authentic" neighborhood and traditional
style house should stay here. |
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Nicki and Daniel, Boulder, CO USA
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|
| 04/13/09 |
Positive
|
Our stay here was so relaxing that we lost track of
the date and ended up staying an extra night. The
place is beautiful - our 2 year old now refers to it as
"our little house". Our hosts were incredibly thoughtful and helpful, providing information about
Kyoto and the local area. We loved the Arashiyama
area, and spent more time than we anticipated
wandering around the area and surrounds. The
house was very easy to get to by train - and
although a little bit outside central Kyoto, was a
much more pleasant place to stay. |
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Alex Matovic, Victoria Australia |
|
| 02/24/09 |
Positive
|
| Our week long stay in this beautiful guest-house was wonderfully memorable. The house itself is so beautiful and traditionally Japanese, with everything you could possibly need. At first glance Arashiyama seemed a little far from the 'action' in Kyoto but we ended up spending 2 full days exploring this beautiful district. I highly reccommend hiring a bike! The station, supermarket and post office are all a short walk away, everything is so convenient. Trains to Kyoto station run very frequently and if you have a Japan Rail pass that trip is free! We enjoyed every moment of our stay in this beautiful guest-house and would love to stay here again in the future. |
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Tam & Dimitri, Australia
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|
| 12/10/08 |
Positive
|
We stayed here and then moved to the Osaka Ritz and the Ritz came off badly in comparison - an assault on the senses after the calm of the Hanare.
The owners are perfect, caring hosts. We found it is very easy to explore Kyoto from here. Shopping and key Arashiyama sites, like the Bamboo forest, are a short walk away.
Lastly, this is probably the closest one can get to experiencing an authentic Japanese house (with a few very modern conveniences added!). Even my 12-year old fell in love with the place. We will definitely be back if fate allows! |
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Anonymous, Boston, USA |
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