Reikaku Kiyomizu-Gojo Geisha Area | Authentically restored Machiya

Reikaku Kiyomzu-Gojo was initially owned by a wealthy landlord in Kyoto with large number of properties around where our Machiya is located. This is the reason why there are number of buildings with similar design close by. Despite the fact that this Machiya is close to 100 years old, it was extremely well maintained and therefore we were able to retain the original structure and interior of the building during the renovation process.

The Space

At the main entrance, we have preserved the original door leading to the kitchen and redesigned it as doors for the entrance shelf. On the ground floor, there are three separate original rooms that will allow you to appreciate the sophistication of Japanese people back in the early 1900s. The purpose of the front room ( Omote-no-ma) was to allow the resident to greet guests at the main entrance. The middle room ( Naka-no-ma) is a section of the house that allowed the resident to go to the kitchen without interfering with the day to day activities of the main living quarters in the back. The backroom ( Oku-no-ma) was the main living quarter with a beautiful view to the Japanese Garden. There is also an additional walkway in between the backroom and the Japanese garden to insulate from the winter cold as well as acting as a private location for meditation right in front of the garden.

On the way up to the second floor, we have preserved the original stairs. Although it may be a little steep for some, it will give you valuable insight on the ways of life of Japanese people. There are two tatami rooms on the second floor and from there you can clearly see the intricacies of the window frames from 100 years ago, it is something that cannot be replaced with todays craftsmanship. From the second floor, you will also see a large opening directly down to the kitchen area as back in the old days, the heat and the gas from cooking was designed to exit the building from the opening and the back window.

Of course, we have modernized the Machiya with modern facilities such as additional washroom facilities both on the ground and first floors as well as an open air bath room with direct access to the Japanese garden. We are sure Reikaku Kiyomizu-Gojo will provide full relaxation that our guest need as well as the opportunity to enjoy the authenticity of the building across all seasons.

Special Features:

1. Luggage storage room is available on site for our guest prior to check-in and after check-out
2. Floor heating is available in all room including bath room to ensure our guest stays warm in colder seasons
3. Independent building rather than a Terrance Machiya located on a quiet public road ensuring our guests is not distracted by noise at night and can locate our Machiya easily
4. Western living room with sofa and Japanese Tatami style living are both available
5. Toilet available on both floor
6. Western bed and Futon style (Traditional Japanese floor Mattress) are both available for our guest
7. Large Kitchen
8. Large Japanese Cypress bathroom with large window overlooking Japanese Garden

Guest access

We want to ensure full privacy is provided to our guest and therefore we rent out our accommodation to one single group at a time.

Entire building is available for our guest.

Interaction with guests

At Reikaku, we will organise a host to welcome you on arrival. The host will take the opportunity show you how to use Japanese home appliances and answer your query in relation to attractions and restaurants.

We are also reachable by telephone or email to answer your query and our staff is able to communicate in English, Chinese and Japanese

Other things to note

Reikaku Kiyomizu-Gojo's offering at HomeAway website is for traveller who are looking for self-service experience. However, given the delicacy of the building, we request our guest to give our clean staff permission to enter and clean the building at least once when the stay is more than 4 days.

We do provide equipment such as vacuum cleaner to allow our guests to perform basic cleaning during the stay. However, due to the delicacy of tatami, please only use it for area with wooden/tile flooring.

Concept and Neighbourhood

Our interest in preserving the culture landscape of Kyoto is the underlying reason behind why all the accommodations offered at Reikaku are fully restored Machiya that date back to the early 1900s. At Reikaku weve made the decision to focus on the restoration of Machiyas in our favorite area of the city in between the historical area of Gion-Shijo and Kiyomizu-Gojo in the Higashiyama-Ku. This area has the highest concentration of historical sites in Kyoto and is only a short stroll to the central commercial shopping area of Kyoto.

Getting around

Reikaku Kiyomizu-Gojo is in the most historical part of the city in between Gion Shijo station and Kiyomizu-Gojo Station of Higashiyama-Ku.

Transport: Kiyomizu-Gojo Station (5min) Gion-Shijo Station (11min)
Attractions: Kiyomizu Dera (10min) Kenninji (5min) Hanamikoji (7min) Rokuharamitsuji (2min) Ninenzaka (10min) Yasaka Jingja (10min) Gion Shijo Shopping district (10min)
Supermarket: Happy Rokuhara (4min)
Convenient Store: Family Mart (5min) Lawson (5min)