Gion Shinmonso Hotel

Japan , Kyoto
Kyoto, Hanamikohji Shinmonmae, Higashiyama-ku
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50 reviews shown

10/10

Exceptional

16 Aug 2025

Noah

Great and welcoming staff, clean rooms, and awesome onsen and shower area. The futons on the floor were comfortable, could use slightly more padding tho but still slept very well. Overall I’d give this a 9.5/10. Also great location

10/10

Exceptional

15 Aug 2025

James

Very comfortable ryokan, the futons were comfortable and the the rooms were clean. We stayed in wakanae room and had our own private bathroom and shower. Outside hotel was quiet and not busy and within 5-10 minute walk from downtown Kyoto. 1 block from a family mart and so many restaurants. Also with 5 minutes to shopping area in Gion district.

Friends_and_family Family

10/10

Exceptional

11 Aug 2025

Miss A

Would definitely return. My young children have enjoyed have enjoyed the onsen

Leisure Family_with_children

8/10

Excellent

06 Aug 2025

Anna

Kind staffs, clean room. I wish there was a provate shower in the room.

Leisure Partner

8/10

Excellent

27 Jul 2025

Katarzyna

Hotel is located within walking distance to all the attractions and train/bus stations. Rooms are spacious and unique. No personal showers in room. Only toilet and sink.

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

21 Jul 2025

Brenna

10/10 stay

It was amazing! I had reached out to see if we could drop off our luggage before check in to store at the hotel (instead of at a coin locker) and they let us! It was really convenient, and they were very kind about letting us do so. We essentially checked in early (we didn’t go to the room though), and when we actually went to check in they let us know that they stored our luggage in our room so it was already there waiting for us. Overall amazing! The only downside (which really isn’t one) is that I am a side sleeper and find futons to be a little harder for me to sleep on, but honestly the futons were super comfortable and the person I traveled with (who is a back sleeper) slept amazing on it and didn’t even snore! The bath was so comfortable and warm it made the whole experience so much better! Would love to go back to the hotel again! We loved that the rooms all had names and they weren’t by number, it made everything feel more personal and fun.

Friends_and_family Family

10/10

Exceptional

09 May 2025

Christopher

Everything about it was nice!

Business_and_leisure Friends

10/10

Exceptional

06 May 2025

Hsuanhui

Beautiful spacious room and their public bath was amazing. Staff also very helpful with providing baggage delivery and answering questions

Business_and_leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

15 Apr 2025

Chelsie

This was a great stay in Kyoto. It was easy to walk to various landmarks from this location as well as a train station. Staff were extremely friendly and helpful.

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

07 Apr 2025

Dulce

Love this place, great location

Friends_and_family Family

8/10

Excellent

05 Apr 2025

Rudy

The ryokan property is in quiet side of Gion area and good enough to provide quick access to the tourist attractions in Gion and Higashiyama areas. The property has public hot bath facilities for gents and ladies in the lobby floor to use.

The room is quite good and provide guest with traditional futon sleep and room with sliding door. The private shower and toilet are modern standard, so no need to worry on this issue. The only downside is the staff members don't communicate in English sufficiently, but they try their best to communicate using translation app / tool.

I like the fact that they provide the kimono / yukata style sleeping gowns for guests in the room and bottled water to drink.

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

05 Apr 2025

Anh

Everything was walking distance! The area felt safe and clean. Loved every second of it!

Leisure

10/10

Exceptional

04 Apr 2025

Daniel

Lovely ryokan experience in the heart of Gion with a great public bath on site.

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

03 Apr 2025

Caroline

The family suite space worked really well for our family of 4. The space was very large, and we had family staying in another room join us for dinner in our suite with plenty of room for everyone. Within the space there is a full living room, bathroom, and space for 4 to sleep comfortably. The Gion district is historic and beautiful, and the hotel is close to so many attractions and transportation options. The front desk staff communicated well with translators and gave us great recommendations and service, including helping with forwarded luggage. We had our final breakfast at the hotel and opted for the traditional Japanese breakfast - it was delicious and extensive.

2/10

Poor

31 Mar 2025

Melanie

So uncomfortable and impractical

I wanted a Japanese experience of a Ryokan. I stayed in one the night before in Hakone, however this had a foam layer underneath the futon, so was quite comfy. I was expecting the same. Sadly it was the most uncomfortable night ever. The room is large and clean, although nowhere to put anything other than the floor. There are huge cupboards with no shelves. No shelves or hooks in the bathroom, and the sink surround is sloping so you can't even put a toothbrush there. Everything has to go on the floor. There are no comfortable chairs to sit on and relax. The beds are in the midd6of the room so you are unable to sit up in bed and rest against a wall. There is absolutely no comfort in the room at all, which is needed after walking miles around a city every day! The bathroom and toilet are in separate rooms, which is fine, but on the opposite side of the room
No soap or towels in the toilet, so have to open doors with dirty hands on the way to the washbasin in the bathroom. Very unhygienic.

Partner

8/10

Excellent

26 Mar 2025

Ryan

A wonderful, first-time, ryokan experience. Staff were very accommodating. Convenient walkable location close to the metro station and Yasaka shrine.

Leisure Friends

10/10

Exceptional

25 Mar 2025

Alexander

A very authentic and comfortable experience

This hotel delivers an amazing experience, blending aesthetic beauty, Japanese tradition, comfort, and warm hospitality.
The lobby is stunning, and the public bath is pure joy — beautifully designed, it soothes every tired muscle after a long day of walking and sightseeing. The attention to detail is exceptional: shaving accessories, ear picks, makeup remover pads, and more.
The rooms are... spacious! Unlike all the other hotels we've stayed in. That’s the first impression. The second is the style: shoji screens, tatami mats, traditional closets, calming colors... and a password-protected door lock — no key card needed!
I honestly think this is the best hotel I’ve stayed in during my last several trips abroad, not just to Japan.
And most importantly — the staff is wonderful. So friendly, attentive, and genuinely warm. They made us feel welcome from the very first moment.
A truly wonderful experience!

Friends_and_family Family

10/10

Exceptional

16 Feb 2025

Jerrell

I cannot speak highly enough about this ryokan. From check in to check out the staff was very attentive to our needs and helpful with whatever we needed. The rooms were clean and traditional style, but included a tv with streaming services, which I loved as a traveler! And the onsen was like heaven after walking around Kyoto in February. It was always clean and well organized. When I come back to Japan, I will def stop here to rest!

Leisure Partner

8/10

Excellent

11 Jan 2025

Tram

Nice and traditional stay. Good experience

It was a nice experience. Very good customer service. Tradition Japanese living style.
The only thing was the heater smell like exhaust fume for the entire stays that flared up my sinusitis.

Friends_and_family Friends

10/10

Exceptional

27 Dec 2024

Kinjal

The room felt very spacious, and very aesthetically pleasing.

10/10

Exceptional

26 May 2024

Alberto

A great Ryokan in the city! Bonus: a renovated Onsen! Rooms were traditional and clean. Not your western experience as there are no beds or in-room shower, but we slept like a baby! Staff super friendly. Highly recommended!

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

04 Apr 2024

TIMOTHY

Great Onsen!

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

13 Feb 2024

Sabrina

Clean and nice place to stay. Walkable to the train station. Friendly staff and good customer service.

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

03 Jan 2024

Ana

Beautiful ryokan!
Facilities are super clean. Staff is amazing.
We love the onset.
Unfortunately couldn’t try the restaurant as it was only with reservation.
I would definitely stay here again.

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

24 Jul 2023

Verified traveler

Very caring

The owner clearly cared and helped us a lot

Friends_and_family Friends

10/10

Exceptional

22 Jul 2023

Yasumi

Great place to stay !

10/10

Exceptional

01 Aug 2018

robert

Highly recommend

Great place!

Family

8/10

Excellent

22 Apr 2018

David

Traditional Kyoto hotel

We stayed in a tatami mat room. It was all very traditional including the kimono, an in-house onsen, a tea set as per the hotel pictures. There's a rooftop area for the warner months (July-August) which would be good.
There was a private toilet but not a shower or bath. You had to use the onsen.
The location was good for seeing the main shrines etc.

While I would recommend it for an experience of the traditional I'm not sure I'd stay again myself. No problems with the room, hotel or anything. It would be good for a family with kids simply for the experience. But there's not a whole lot to do.

6/10

Pleasant

21 Apr 2018

Tyler

Not the exoerience we expected

We thought a ryokan would be a nice Japanese experience. This place was pretty disappointing, therr were no meals available as was advertised on tripadvisor, and it just felt like staying in a cheap hotel (except with tatami mat floors and tea in the room). Our expectations were high because everything/everwhere else in Japan was awesome, and this was not. The location is good in Gion, but I would not recommend it to anyone.

10/10

Exceptional

09 Apr 2018

Brian

Unforgettable Ryokan Experience

This is the first my family and I have ever experienced a traditional Japanese ryokan stay and we absolutely loved every moment of it. Thank you.

Family

10/10

Exceptional

06 Jan 2018

Melody

One of the best ryokans I have ever stayed

Excellent environment and location. The room are relatively large and it includes all the devices you need. Staffs are accommodating and gentle. Futons will be setup nicely before bed time.

8/10

Excellent

20 Feb 2017

Michael

Great service, loud at times during meal preparation

Partner

6/10

Pleasant

25 Jan 2017

Anthony

Nice Ryokan marred by current construction work

Stayed here for 2 nights
Staff very helpful and polite
Smoking being allowed in the hotel lobby and current construction work on the hotel wall detracted an otherwise nice ryokan
Our room window was taped over with opaque wrap and scaffolding covers the outside of the hotel
Also it's quite noisy during the day though that didn't really affect us as we were out most of the day
They have a public bathroom downstairs if you have a room without a private bathroom
Our private bathroom was quite small
Location of the hotel is fantastic as it's situated right in the district of Gion
Plenty of dining options nearby though we had a lot of problems finding a non smoking restaurant, so beware if you have young kids or respiratory issues
I would say wait until the construction work is completed before staying here

10/10

Exceptional

15 Jul 2016

Amazing Value in Central Kyoto

The Gion Shinmonso is an amazing value, a 5 minute walk from the central area of Gion just of Shijo Avenue, closer to the Kamo River but between it and the Yasaka Shrine. A very nice onsen (hot springs bath) to refresh one after a long day of sight-seeing!

10/10

Exceptional

25 Mar 2015

Ryan

Great service but I wish the futons were longer

This ryokan, in the heart of Giin, was an excellent one. The staff were all pleasant and polite, especially if you can speak some Japanese. The rooms were in excellent condition an, and while I personally wasn't able to eat their breakfast or dinner while I was there, they looked delicious. The internet they offered was respectable: not fast but not slow either. Finally, the sento they had on the first floor was excellent.

As for the traditional aesthetics, I think this ryokan did very well. All the staff were wearing very nice spring kimono, which were appropriate for the season. The rooms each had three ikebana: one under the shoe box at the entrance, one in the tokonoma, and one on a side table. Of course, they had a yukata for each guest available as well as towels for the sent. It was all very nice.

As far as complaints go, the only one I have is that the futons were a little short for me. Of course I'm a big American guy so I find it hard to fault them for that.

8/10

Excellent

20 Feb 2015

Verified traveler

Great location, traditional ryokan experience

I was here in the middle of the week in January and had a great stay for a quite reasonable price. Very spacious room/suite, good climate control, absolutely no competition for space in the bath house, etc. I'm sure the crowding situation can be quite different during busy weekends and festivals, however. The ryokan is ideally located for sightseeing, shopping and nights out in eastern Kyoto.

6/10

Pleasant

27 Apr 2014

Suyi

Bedroom was slightly smelly

Overall, it was a good stay. But the bathroom had urine smell and walls were slightly stained. Possibly due to peak season and cleaning was compromised, but as we only stayed one night, we just soaked in the Japanese accommodation experience.

8/10

Excellent

25 Jan 2014

Verified traveler

Good but expensive

It was great place but quite pricey. Also, not very close from public transportation.

10/10

Exceptional

18 Jan 2014

Cycloman8888

Traditional features, friendly and helpful service

Lovely tatami room which was terrific accommodation for our family of two adults and two small children. We enjoyed the new and varied flavors of the traditional Japanese breakfast and the kaiseki banquet dinner, while the kids were well catered to with their breakfast too. Shinmonso was also well located, in the heart of the Gion district and within easy walking distance of the southern Higashiyama tourist attractions. One piece of advice for non-smokers would be to specify a non-smoking room. We hadn't thought to do this and needed to \"upgrade\" to this on arrival as our designated room was uninhabitable for our family, as we are sensitive to recent and old tobacco smells. The staff was very accommodating in this regard, and in all our interactions during our stay, despite variable English-speaking ability (and our woeful level of Japanese!).

Family

10/10

Exceptional

06 Aug 2013

David

Love this Place

Very comfortable room , wished we could stay much longer. Good breakfast.i would recommend this lovely place for a special time in Kyoto. Very interesting area.

8/10

Excellent

18 Feb 2012

Verified traveler

Nice location and atmosphere but...

Hospitality felt a a bit cold.

6/10

Pleasant

01 Dec 2010

Anonymous

While this place is technically

While this place is technically a \"ryokan\" it has none of the warm hospitality usually associated with such establishments. It also gives one the feeling that if the economy was better they wouldn't accept foreigners at all. The staff are not helpful.I have stayed at minshoku that are better than this. Its location though is excellent.

8/10

Excellent

23 Aug 2010

Daniel

very good location, big room for

very good location, big room for family with 2 to 3 children and staff giving helpful advises for sightseeing

10/10

Exceptional

31 Mar 2024

Yohei

スタッフの方が丁寧で、応対の感じが良く、
旅の良い思い出の一つになりました。

Leisure Family