Seikiro Ryokan Historical Museum Hotel Kyoto by the sea

Hotel location is very good for self driving travelers. The hotel is a traditional building with very good service. The staff are friendly. There were two issues due to our room location. One of them was our room located next to the public toilet. When we passed through the toilet going back to the room, it was a bit smelly. The second issue was the guest making noise by stepping around upstairs during the midnight. Other than that, the hotel itself is fantastic.

I love this hotel, a traditional hotel with roomy guest rooms. They have no heated tatamis, but worry not as you'll can hug those hot stone while sleeping. ||||You should order breakfast or dinner which was cooked in Miyazu style and tastes great! It is a little bit on the sweet side rather than savoury like most Jjapanese cuisine. However you should tell them in advance that you wanted to have breakfast or dinner otherwise they won't be able to prepare anything for you. ||||Don't worry tough if you've forgotten to reserve the food. This hotel is located in strategic location, as it is close many local restaurants just across the road, and a shopping mall 5 minutes away by foot, and train station is just 10 minutes away.||||In addition to this hotel's lush garden, this hotel is located adjacent from public park and seaside. ||||Oh yes, you are not allowed to wet the wall as its traditionally made. Also for some rooms, the toilet was located outside.

The building itself is quaint and has a traditional design as do the rooms (see photos).||The staff are friendly and they’re obviously used to non-Japanese guests. |Upon check in they’ll show you to your room and point out the various things of note (closet/ air conditioner/ bathroom etc.)||They’d obviously specially prepared for my arrival as just the one futon had been laid out and a lovely hot (actually very hot!) water bottle had already been placed under the covers. (The room could easily accommodate up to 5 or even 6 futons if needed).||Upon arrival they’ll also point out location of the communal bath and no doubt give you directions on how to use it if you ask.|As I had a selected a room with an en-suite bathroom I declined the offer of this tour.||I gather not all rooms have en-suite bathrooms as there is a shared toilet (men’s/women’s are separate) and a communal sink in the hallway which was ‘interesting’ to see in such a location.||Please note upon checking in shoes are to be removed and left at the front door next to reception and not to be worn/taken to the rooms (Don’t sweat it. It’s Japan so nothing is going missing). |As the reception area has tatami flooring there’s also a sign to ask not to drag heavy suitcases across it or wear slippers while walking on it||The building is old and quaint but it is showing it’s age (The Fujiya or Nara Hotels this place is not!). I suspect they use the word ‘museum’ in it’s name at times to excuse themselves of how run down it’s looking in places. |That being said it does have old world charm so no complaints here!||Please note that the reception closes at 23:00 as I was informed upon arrival. Not really an issue as most businesses seem to close long before that in the town.|However there is a shopping center a 2 minute walk away that has a supermarket on the 1st (ground) floor, various stores above it and a few restaurants on the top floor one of which has a fairly ‘western’ menu. You can’t miss which one it is ;)||Receptionist mentioned there wasn’t a convenience store very near by so this is your best bet to pick up whatever you might need.||The rooms are (at least the one I had) are huge compared to Japanese standards so a great place to relax after a day at Amanohashidate for example.|Again they are showing their age though. |The bathroom is distinctly Japanese 70’s style (no washlet) and tiny. |Curiously there was just a hand towel in the bathroom itself and a regular towel in the closet (which I didn’t find until the next morning).|I went in early spring on an uncommonly warm day but I can well imagine the rooms to be very (very!) cold in winter and very hot in summer though there is an A/C though such is it’s age I wouldn’t be surprised if it made quite a racket.||The futon was nice and cozy as was the pillow but at 6’0” my feet were hanging off the end.|I would have had a good sleep if it hadn’t been for being awoken numerous times by the loud (!) rattling of the old window panes every time the wind picked up. |Thankfully I’d brought some ear plugs which I dug out at 03:30 a.m. after having been woken up numerous times already. So yes, bring ear plugs!||The entrance to the building isn’t facing the main road but down a side street.| Not easy to miss but worth a mention as a few approaching guests were obviously a little surprised by this.|The hotel is an easy 5 minute walk from Miyazu Station (2 hours by the ‘Hashidate Express’ from Kyoto Station). Not worth taking a taxi to unless you have a lot of heavy suitcases.||All in all a good place to stay but don’t spend over a $100 per person (I spent around $70 for just myself).|Good for a night’s stay while visiting Amanohasidate and an interesting experience.

This is a very traditional Ryokan that operates as a local museum during the day.||The rooms are quite spacious, and ours overlooked a beautiful and serene garden. Staff was very friendly and helpful when it came to information on local sights and how to get to them. Bicycles can be rented and are really a nice way to see the area. We biked to Amanohashidate rather than take the available train or bus. My bicycle was in need of some TLC - but rentals from other services seemed to be in the same condition.||Breakfast is very traditional Japanese style and served in a large room on the third floor. As a Westerner I am not used to sitting cross legged on the floor in my yukata and a chair was offered to me. I toughed it out.||Location is quite nice - there are very few places to eat in the immediate area, but quite a few nice places in Amanohashidate - which is about 2km away.||The lobby is filled with books and brochures - many in English - which can provide a sense of history for visitors.||I was quite pleased with my stay.

This is an old traditional ryokan with history in its walls - probably was amazing some years ago but it is not kept with care - neither the building nor the garden. We travelled for three weeks in Japan and this is the only place we cut short due to the hotel facilities (we had booked two nights but left after one). The bathroom was so tiny and rusted down that it was not pleasant at all. The room itself was ok, and had old «charm», I guess, but it was most of all just old. The view was nothing like the photos at Hotels.com or Tripadvisor. The garden had not been tended to at all and the whole place just had a gloomy feel. Location was ok - not too far from train station but a half hour walk from Amanohashidate. They do offer bicycle rental though, but not exactly cheap.

Have you ever toured a historic home and wondered what it would be like to stay there? Well this is it. Built in 1690, and still run by 13 generations of family, you may see some wear and tear, but you will also be treated to 13 generations of hospitality (they're currently training the 14th generation). Obviously, not much is original to 1690, but you can see each generations upgrades through the years. I was amused by the early 1970s Japanese bathrooms and lighting and hope they keep it, it's just as much apart of history as the rest of it. After a long day of travel, to get here, we ate a great sushi dinner near by and came back, showered and put on kimonos in this room, well it turned into a total photo shoot, because the room is that cool. Slept great on the mats and woke up and had coffee delivered to the room to while looking at the gardens. We loved it so much, we wanted to stay another night. But they were sold out. This is when Seiichiro, the owner really made a difference. He called someone during an almost sold out weekend and got us another room. We were sad to leave, but will never forget his kindness. Before we left Seiichiro took us on a tour of the hotel to show us the artwork and amazing craftsmanship in the oldest parts of the hotel. This was truly a highlight of entire time in Japan.

This is a very traditional Ryokan that operates as a local museum during the day. The rooms are quite spacious, and ours overlooked a beautiful and serene garden. Staff was very friendly and helpful when it came to information on local sights and how to get to them. Bicycles can be rented and are really a nice way to see the area. We biked to Amanohashidate rather than take the available train or bus. My bicycle was in need of some TLC - but rentals from other services seemed to be in the same condition. Breakfast is very traditional Japanese style and served in a large room on the third floor. As a Westerner I am not used to sitting cross legged on the floor in my yukata and a chair was offered to me. I toughed it out. Location is quite nice - there are very few places to eat in the immediate area, but quite a few nice places in Amanohashidate - which is about 2km away. The lobby is filled with books and brochures - many in English - which can provide a sense of history for visitors. I was quite pleased with my stay.

Great historic museum for over 200 years that come to be a uniquely nice hotel. Grand spacious hall is exquisite and a must-see. Hostess and host are really friendly and helpful. Calligraphy lovers should definitely love since there are genuine calligraphy arts by famous people for decades' history.