Motonago

What an experience! For those doubting, doubt no more. The room is very comfortable, the floor is warm/heated, service is impeccable and the bath is not communal as you might think. You reserve a certain time and you go in alone with your partner. The staff is really nice and the massage was the best ever! Early mornings are the best to walk around that area.

This was my first time staying at a ryokan, and the experience was wonderful. The service felt more like the care you’d get at a grandma’s house rather than typical service. The host was incredibly sweet. Overall, it was worth every bit. We chose a room with a garden view, and on one rainy day, the scenery was absolutely breathtaking.

Unbelievable experience for our last night in Kyoto. So peaceful and the staff were wonderful. The onsen experience was great, and you can book a time slot so it’s private. But the highlight was the food - you must have dinner and breakfast there! A true Japanese experience. The staff couldn’t have done enough and it was a really mindful way to end our time in this beautiful city.

An exceptional first-class traditional Japanese ryokan in the heart of picturesque Gion district. This ryokan clearly works hard to maintain its traditional details and keep everything in excellent condition--from the immaculate shoji with yukimi (snow-viewing) panels to the freshly pressed yukata and coat in your room. We stayed one night in a room for four and then in two rooms for two--all were very comfortable and spacious tatami rooms with pretty views, air conditioning, and low tables and cushions for taking tea that appeared in the room in the afternoon. The common o-furu is reserved for your room and has a wonderful deep wooden soaking tub. ||Breakfast was available at 7:30, 8:00 or 8:30 am and matched the exquisite detail of everything, both the Western breakfast (with egg, ham, toast, salad, a cute little cereal, and coffee) and the Japanese breakfast (with grilled fish, hot pot tofu, tamago rolled omelet, rice, miso soup, and tea). We did not have dinner at the ryokan so I can't comment on it. ||The staff and owner are extremely friendly and helpful--appearing as if by magic when they are needed, such as to take your shoes when you arrive and make them appear when you about to go out.

We decided on Montonago after browsing TripAdvisor and other travel sites very thoroughly. We arrived a few hours before check in, but the kind host welcomed us with a nice iced hand towel, and was ready to take our bags as well as guide us to a great lunch spot nearby. Their English is limited, but we were able to communicate very easily. When we returned after check in time, we were greeted by multiple staff, who led us to our room, gave us hot tea, sweets, and immediately scheduled the baths for the evening and the next morning. We chose the Aoba room as our accommodation, which had its own toilet and bath, as well as a spacious and warm traditional Japanese styled room. It was slightly pricey, but 100% worth it as we had a view of the garden, and lots of space and a private toilet. We also opted for the traditional Japanese breakfast every morning of our trip which is definitely the way to go, as we had no other Japanese breakfast options during the rest of our 16 days in Japan. The breakfast was great, I recommend it to anyone who wants a full immersion of Japanese culture. The hotel’s location was also in an amazing spot as well, we were able to walk everywhere and only needed a taxi once! We also chose the traditional Kassegi dinner which was prepared by the hotel, we had a beautiful dinner room with amazing food! If you have picky eaters in the family, that may be a little difficult, but we felt it was worth it and delicious. We slept on the traditional Japanese beds as well, which was the best nights of sleep we had the whole trip! Don’t be scared of trying something new, it was always worth it. We left the ryokan longing to go back. Staff was amazing, helped us the whole way. We couldn’t recommend this place more. Go to Montonago!!!

Ryokan Motonago was our first traditional ryokan experience and it was terrific. We selected the traditional Japanese room with dinner and breakfast included. At check-in, we were asked three questions: what times we wanted to have dinner, bath and breakfast. The room was a large space covered in tatami mats overlooking a small private garden, with ensuite toilet (no shower / bath). It also had wifi and air conditioning (critical for summer!). Futons were laid out for us after dinner. The lovely kaiseki dinner was a multi course extravaganza served in our room by a sweet lady. Similarly, the traditional breakfast was an impressive array of delicious food that kept us full till well past lunch time. The bath situation wasn't as hard as I'd feared. We had the bath for an hour from our booking time. It was a good way to try out a traditional Japanese bath experience in private. Not sure how it works if you wanted to have multiple baths during the day as we were only there for one night. Location is excellent for exploring Gion. We really enjoyed our stay and all the staff at the ryokan were so helpful and warm.

Absolutely lovely! Staying at the Ryokan Motonago was one of the highlights for my family and myself during our trip to Japan. ||It is located right in Gion and the neighborhood around the ryokan was beautiful. The streets still maintain much of a historical and traditional feel that seem to sweep you to another era in history as you’re walking through it.||The ryokan itself was just as wonderful! The staff was very courteous and welcoming. Even though our Japanese was very limited, they were able to speak some English and in the end, we did not have any major issues with language. They introduced us to our room, which was spacious and had a view into a small garden area outside. Then, they also provided a simple tea service with mochi. The room comes with internet as well, albeit somewhat slow at times.||We did not opt for kaiseki dinner, so we went out to explore the street and sightsee at night. When we returned, our futons were set up and we were treated to more tea. Then, when our reserved times for the baths came, everything was already set up for us - the bath was overflowing with hot water and they even had a small clock in the corner to help us keep time lol. It was perfect!||The next morning, we had a Japanese breakfast, which was delicious and beautifully prepared. Then when we returned back to our room, our futons were already put away for us!||If you’re looking for an experience in the ryokan, I very much recommend coming here. The staff is wonderful and staying here will make for a memorable night in Kyoto!

Exceptional is the only way to describe this place. The room was perfect, and sleeping accommodations were so comfortable. We enjoyed both a delicious breakfast and dinner served in our room. The service was impeccable and the onsen was to die for--we were able to book it for an hour in the evening and another hour in the morning. We'd recommend Motonago as a fantastic ryokan experience

Fantastic place. Feels very authentic Japanese yet also incredibly welcoming of (and tolerant of!) nom-Japanese. Can't say enough about the friendly staff. Japanese breakfast was fresh, varied, tasty. And did I mention the wonderful staff? Great location, too. Highly recommend if you want to stay in a ryokan.