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Whole machiya rentals in Kyoto: 5 townhouses with kitchen and washer
Approximate, at the rate on 2026-10-02. You pay in yen.
- Kyoto machiya rental: five whole townhouses with a kitchen and a washing machine
- KANA Machiya is single-storey; Kaikoan is walkable to Gion; SEN Shichijo takes dogs
- Nishijin Kita Hagi (5) and Ajisai (6) can be booked together, with parking at each
The five
| Best for | Where to book | Score | Weeknight (per person) | Saturday |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best for no stairs, and two minutes from a train — if you can’t decide | Kyo no Koyado KANA Machiya Check price |
86/100 | ¥9,000 | ¥10,000 |
| Best for walking to Gion in the evening | Kaikoan Check price |
85/100 | ¥11,000–23,000 | ¥13,000–23,000 |
| Best for a family of four with a bath to themselves | SEN Omiya Gojo Check price |
82/100 | ¥15,000–28,000 | ¥20,000–37,000 |
| Best for bringing the dog | SEN Shichijo Hanabatake (dog friendly) Check price |
75/100 | ¥17,000–73,000 | ¥23,000–42,000 |
| Best for a car, a big group, or two families | Nishijin Kita Hagi & Ajisai Check price |
74/100 | ¥24,000–33,000 | ¥27,000–33,000 |
Prices are the cheapest per person found on Rakuten Travel for Wednesdays and Saturdays between 2026-11-14 – 2027-01-06, for 2 adults in one room (checked 2026-11-05). They move daily — the link shows live prices.
The booking links go to Agoda, which shows today’s price and lets you pay in your own currency. Its price can differ from the Rakuten Travel figures above.
Best for no stairs, and two minutes from a train
Reviews: Rakuten Travel 5.00/5 (132) · Google Maps 5.00/5 (5) · 137 in total
- High ceilings, on a residential street in Saiin
- The Hankyu line runs from the corner to Shijo-Karasuma and Kawaramachi without a change
Why it made the five
- A detached single-storey house to yourselves, one party a day, 1–5 people, 56 square metres
- A six-mat tatami room plus a 10.5-mat wooden-floored room
- Induction hob, rice cooker, microwave, crockery; washing machine with free laundry
- Two minutes on foot from Hankyu Saiin station; the owner lives nearby and meets you
- Five per cent off for three nights or more
Getting there: Two minutes on foot from Hankyu Saiin station. No parking — use a nearby coin car park. Last check-in 18:00.
Language and payment: There is no record of English-speaking staff, so expect to communicate simply. The owner living nearby is an advantage if something goes wrong at nine in the evening.
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Right for: Two minutes from a station, no stairs anywhere, and someone close by if you need them.
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Not for: Gion and Kiyomizu-dera need a train or a bus.
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Worth knowing: Last check-in is 18:00, which is early. No parking. Cleaning and linen changes during the stay cost extra.
Score breakdown — 86/100
| Criterion | Stars | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Quality | ★★★☆☆ | Rakuten shows no category scores, so this is our own baseline rating |
| Value for money | ★★★★★ | 57% of the median of everything we compared — the cheapest here |
| Easy to stay | ★★★★★ | Checkout 11:00, single storey, full kitchen, free laundry, two minutes from the station, owner nearby |
| Trust | ★★★★★ | 5.00 across 137 reviews on two sites |
| Only here | ★★★☆☆ | The closest to a station of the five, and the only one with no stairs at all |
Best for walking to Gion in the evening
Reviews: Rakuten Travel 5.00/5 (161) · Google Maps 4.40/5 (38) · Tripadvisor 5.00/5 (1) · Booking.com 4.75/5 (171) · Agoda 9.3/10 (10) · 381 in total
- Down a stone-paved alley, through a low door you stoop to enter
- Shikibu has a goemon-buro, an old iron tub heated from below, outdoors
- The museums and zoo of Okazaki are walkable as well as Gion
Why it made the five
- Five 1870s terraced machiya (Shizuka, Shikibu, Tokiwa, Komachi, Ukon), each let to one party
- Shikibu and Tokiwa sleep up to five, Komachi and Shizuka four, Ukon three
- A private kitchen in every house — hob, microwave, toaster, pans, crockery — and a free shared washing machine on site
- Seven minutes on foot from Sanjo-Keihan; about 1.0 km to Yasaka Shrine, 1.3 km to Nishiki Market, 2.1 km to Kiyomizu-dera
Getting there: About seven minutes on foot from Sanjo-Keihan station. Parking is four minutes away, by reservation and chargeable.
Language and payment: Rakuten lists a few staff with some English, Chinese and Korean. Bring your own toothbrush and nightwear — yukata are hired separately.
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Right for: You want to walk to Gion and Heian Shrine, at the lowest headline price here.
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Not for: The washing machine is shared between the five houses, not yours alone.
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Worth knowing: Ukon does not accept children under 12. The outdoor iron tub closes at 22:00. Parking is four minutes away and must be booked. Cancellation charges start 30 days ahead.
Score breakdown — 85/100
| Criterion | Stars | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Quality | ★★★☆☆ | Rakuten shows no category scores, so this is our own baseline rating |
| Value for money | ★★★★☆ | 87% of the median of everything we compared |
| Easy to stay | ★★★★★ | Checkout 11:00, five houses let individually, private kitchens, free shared laundry, seven minutes from Sanjo-Keihan, some English |
| Trust | ★★★★★ | 4.82 across 371 reviews on four sites |
| Only here | ★★★★★ | An 1870s terrace of five machiya, let house by house, within walking distance of Gion and Heian Shrine |
Best for a family of four with a bath to themselves
Reviews: Rakuten Travel 4.71/5 (85) · Google Maps 4.50/5 (32) · Booking.com 4.65/5 (24) · 141 in total
- A two-storey townhouse down a lane at Gojo-Omiya
- Sunken kotatsu table; the bedroom upstairs has beds rather than futons
- Nishiki Market is comparatively close
Why it made the five
- A whole machiya over a hundred years old, for two to four — the right size for two parents and two children
- A hinoki half-open-air bath facing the courtyard garden, yours alone
- Induction hob, microwave and kettle; washer-dryer with detergent supplied
- Baby equipment on request: cot, bouncer, baby seat, bed net
- Nine minutes from Hankyu Omiya, ten from JR Tanbaguchi
Getting there: Nine minutes on foot from Hankyu Omiya, ten from JR Tanbaguchi. Self check-in between 15:00 and 20:00.
Language and payment: Rakuten lists a few staff with some English. Check-in is self-service: the instructions arrive by email two days before and you must read them. Cards are not accepted on site.
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Right for: The best balance here of review volume and score, with a private hinoki bath.
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Not for: It sleeps four at most, so it will not take a group of friends.
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Worth knowing: Self check-in, 15:00–20:00, with the entry instructions emailed two days ahead. No card payment on site. The bedroom is upstairs with a lot of steps. No pets, no smoking. The partner car park is some way from the house.
Score breakdown — 82/100
| Criterion | Stars | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Quality | ★★★★☆ | Room and facility scores average 4.67 on Rakuten Travel |
| Value for money | ★★★★☆ | 85% of the median of everything we compared |
| Easy to stay | ★★★★★ | Checkout 11:00, whole house for 2–4, kitchen, washer-dryer, private hinoki bath, baby equipment, two stations nearby |
| Trust | ★★★★☆ | 4.65 across 141 reviews on three sites |
| Only here | ★★★☆☆ | A machiya at the end of a lane with a hinoki half-open-air bath over its own courtyard garden |
Best for bringing the dog
SEN Shichijo Hanabatake (dog friendly)
Reviews: Rakuten Travel 4.50/5 (64) · Google Maps 4.20/5 (28) · Booking.com 4.95/5 (12) · 104 in total
- North of Umekoji Park; nobody else is in the building
- An electric sunken hearth in the living room
Why it made the five
- Up to two small or medium dogs, 20 kg and under; the whole house for two to six people
- Dog lavatory tray, bowls, mattress, paw-washing shower and a dog bath provided
- Induction hob, microwave and kettle; washer-dryer with detergent supplied
- Five to eight minutes on foot from JR Umekoji-Kyotonishi station — one stop from Kyoto Station
Getting there: Five to eight minutes on foot from JR Umekoji-Kyotonishi station. Self check-in between 15:00 and 20:00.
Language and payment: Rakuten lists a few staff with some English. Dogs need vaccination certificates. Check-in is self-service with instructions emailed two days ahead, and cards are not accepted on site.
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Right for: Six people and two dogs in one house, with most of the dog kit already there.
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Not for: The most expensive of the SEN houses here, and the kitchen is basic.
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Worth knowing: Vaccination certificates required for dogs. Self check-in, 15:00–20:00, instructions emailed two days ahead. No card payment on site. The bedroom is upstairs with a lot of steps.
Score breakdown — 75/100
| Criterion | Stars | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Quality | ★★★★★ | The categories Rakuten does show average 5.00 |
| Value for money | ★★☆☆☆ | 115% of the median of everything we compared |
| Easy to stay | ★★★★★ | Checkout 11:00, whole house for 2–6, two dogs, dog equipment, kitchen, washer-dryer, near the JR station |
| Trust | ★★★☆☆ | 4.47 across 104 reviews on three sites |
| Only here | ★★★★☆ | A machiya equipped down to a paw shower and a dog bath, sleeping six people and two dogs |
Best for a car, a big group, or two families
Reviews: Rakuten Travel 4.83/5 (67)
- Two renovated machiya in Murasakino, in the north of the city
- Old beams and posts kept, plumbing brought up to date
- Take both to sleep eleven
- Breakfast can be ordered in from a caterer
Why it made the five
- Hagi (76 sqm, 2–5) and Ajisai (84 sqm, 2–6), let house by house — take both for two families
- Full kitchens with rice cooker, microwave, toaster and pans; Ajisai also has a dishwasher
- Washer-dryer with detergent and softener supplied
- Free parking for one car at each house; dogs and cats welcome, with a warm-water paw-washing tap
- Two children aged six and under stay free
Getting there: About four minutes on foot from the Kenryukomae stop on city bus route 206. Free parking for one car at each house.
Language and payment: Rakuten lists a few staff with some English. Last check-in is 18:00 and checkout 10:00, so plan the first and last days around that.
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Right for: Eleven people across two houses, with a car and a dog.
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Not for: Far from Gion and Kiyomizu-dera, and not within walking distance of a train station — you will use the city bus.
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Worth knowing: Last check-in 18:00, checkout 10:00 (booking direct gets you 11:00). Pet conditions are described differently on different booking sites, so confirm when you book.
Score breakdown — 74/100
| Criterion | Stars | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Quality | ★★★★★ | The categories Rakuten does show average 5.00 |
| Value for money | ★☆☆☆☆ | 159% of the median of everything we compared |
| Easy to stay | ★★★★★ | Two houses let separately, full kitchens, washer-dryer, free parking at each, pets welcome, under-sixes free |
| Trust | ★★★★☆ | 4.83 across 67 Rakuten reviews |
| Only here | ★★★★☆ | Two neighbouring houses you can take together, each with free parking, laundry and a paw-washing tap |
Know before you book
- For walking to Yasaka Shrine and Kiyomizu-dera, look at the machiya near Sanjo-Keihan or Keihan Shichijo; Kawaramachi is also within walking distance from there.
- The machiya near JR Umekoji-Kyotonishi station are five to eight minutes from Kyoto Aquarium and Umekoji Park, and one stop from Kyoto Station.
- If there are six or more of you, check the capacity before anything else: the Kamogawa house sleeps up to eight, but the Shichijo-Mibu and Nishijin houses take between two and six.
- You can cook what you buy in Nishiki Market. A washer-dryer with detergent included means you can travel with less.
- Where check-in is self-service, the instructions arrive by email two days beforehand. Reception hours are typically 15:00–20:00, and one house closes at 18:00.
- Coming by car or with a dog? The Nishijin houses have free parking and a paw-washing tap; the dog-friendly house takes up to two small or medium dogs with vaccination certificates.
How we chose: theme, conditions, scoring
How we chose
- Candidates: every property in Kyoto listed on Rakuten Travel — 2277
- Passed the review filter (counts and averages on Rakuten Travel, the one site that lists every property in the area): 212
- Met every condition below: 8
- Kept: five, each the best at something different
Where the facts come from
- Facts: Rakuten Travel property information (in some articles, each hotel’s own site too)
- Prices: Rakuten Travel live availability, Wednesdays and Saturdays over eight weeks
- Reviews: counts and averages from Rakuten Travel, Google Maps, Tripadvisor and Booking.com, added up in each hotel’s Trust row. Agoda’s reviews are shown under each hotel name for reference only and do not count towards the score
Conditions (all of them, not most of them)
- The whole townhouse is yours — one party a day, or one party per house
- A kitchen with a hob and a microwave, including compact kitchens
- A washing machine, in the house or free to use on the property
- Reviews hold up: at least 30 reviews averaging 4.2 or better on Rakuten Travel, the one site that lists every property in the area. Shortlisted properties were then checked against Google Maps, TripAdvisor and Booking.com as well — the Trust row for each place shows the breakdown.
Scoring
Five criteria, one to five stars each, weighted to one hundred points. Every star says where the number came from.
- Quality25 pts
- The average of the room and facility scores guests leave on Rakuten Travel. Where Rakuten shows no breakdown, we say so and give a neutral rating.
- Value for money25 pts
- The price against the median of everything we compared. 80% or less is five stars, 95% four, 110% three, 130% two.
- Easy to stay20 pts
- Starts at one star. A point each for checkout at 11am or later, the kitchen and laundry provided, how many it sleeps, the walk to a station, and anything else that makes this particular trip easier.
- Trust20 pts
- Review counts and averages added up across booking sites, weighted by how many reviews each site has.
- Only here10 pts
- What you can only get here. Our judgement, with the reason stated.
What we dropped
| Property | Verdict | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Tamami, by the Kamo river | Runner-up (66/100) | 66 points, below the lowest of the five (74) |
| SEN Nanajo Mibu, a Kyoto machiya | Runner-up (60/100) | 60 points, below the lowest of the five (74) |
| Guesthouse Chihayafuru | Needs checking | A whole house of 65 square metres for five, rated 4.96 across 91 reviews, with a compact induction kitchen and baby equipment — but we could not confirm whether there is a washing machine. |
| Ueno-ya | Needs checking | A one-party machiya with 322 reviews, close to Keihan Shichijo, but neither the kitchen nor the laundry could be confirmed on its Rakuten page. |
| Amiya | Outside the theme | A one-party machiya rated 5.0 across 106 reviews, but it accepts only guests aged 13 and over, so families cannot use it — and the kitchen could not be confirmed. |
| SATOI Omiya Gojo Tessen | Outside the theme | A one-party machiya, but the house states its compact kitchen is only good for instant noodles and reheating pouches. |
Questions visitors ask
What does renting a machiya actually get me over a hotel?
One shared living room instead of separate rooms, a kitchen for what you buy at Nishiki Market, and a washing machine, which on a two-week trip is worth a suitcase. The trade is that nobody is at a front desk: check-in is often self-service, and there is no restaurant, no daily cleaning and no concierge.
How does self check-in work?
At the SEN houses the entry instructions are emailed two days before arrival, and you let yourself in between 15:00 and 20:00. Read that email — it is the only way in. Note also that those houses do not take cards on site, so settle payment through the booking. Kaikoan and KANA Machiya have someone to meet you instead.
Are machiya difficult with small children or older relatives?
Often, yes: the staircases are steep and the bedrooms are upstairs, and the SEN houses say so plainly. KANA Machiya is the exception here — a single-storey house with no stairs at all. SEN Omiya Gojo will supply a cot, a bouncer and a bed net on request.
Which can I walk to Gion from?
Kaikoan — about a kilometre to Yasaka Shrine, 1.3 km to Nishiki Market and 2.1 km to Kiyomizu-dera, with Sanjo-Keihan station seven minutes away. The others need a train or a bus to reach the eastern sights.
Can I bring a dog?
SEN Shichijo Hanabatake takes up to two dogs of 20 kg or less and provides the bowls, bed, tray, paw shower and a dog bath; vaccination certificates are required. The Nishijin houses take dogs and cats and have a warm-water paw-washing tap, though the conditions are written differently on different sites, so confirm when booking.
What if there are more than six of us?
Take the two Nishijin houses together — Hagi sleeps five and Ajisai six, eleven in total, next door to each other. Kaikoan’s five terraced houses can also be taken in combination, with up to five people in each of Shikibu and Tokiwa.
Changes
- 2026-11-07 First published. Scored from 2277 candidates.