Best Place We Stayed In Japan
By A Yahoo! Contributor, 10/1/07
Kazuo, the owner is possibly the nicest man I have ever met. He and his wife were great to us on our trip and really made Kyoto a special place for us. The Guesthouse had reasonable size rooms, excellent hygene, great amenities such as a full kitchen, a nice communal space, internet that you can use any time of day and a great smoking area.
The location we thought would initially be a problem but it is only ten minutes walk from a subway station that goes right to Kyoto station as well as the other main areas and even closer to the many bus routes around the city. Added to that the fact that Kazuo is more than happy to give you a lift if he has the time (which he usually finds) to the station and will pick you up when you arrive.
There are a few good restaraunts around the area and if you ask you will be pointed in the direction of the best (try the okonimiyaki round the corner) though many close earlier than in the main city, the shops stay open later and theres plenty of choice of those.
Kyoto is a great city to cycle in and thankfully Bon has a choice of street and mountain bikes for hire at only 500 yen.
As Im sure you have gathered already the real reason this place is such a gem is the owner, I will really miss him and we were only there 8 days! I cant stress enough that so long as you dont mind staying a little (and it really is a little) away from the real buzz of the city and in a more peaceful area Bon is the perfect place.
PS Kazuo doesnt know that Ive written this review, I know it has been ridiculously positive but I really did love this place that much.