Matsui Honkan

The best accommodation of my life so far! Extremely cozy place, clean, cultured. The staff is kind, direct and helpful. The rooms are perfect. The spa is also wonderful and tattoos are no problem either.

Matsui honkan had comfortable and cozy rooms and a great kaiseki!
Rooms:
Hotel room 🚪: 9/10⭐
The room was spacious and comfortable. The one thing that didn't suit me was the bathrooms. I found the shower hard to operate and the bathroom a bit tight. Other than that, I really enjoyed my stay here!
Cleanliness 😷: 10/10⭐
Every part of this room felt clean. Unlike other hotels, the room floors are clean, so you can walk barefoot here. I couldn't find a single spec of dust anywhere. The cleaners also polish your shoes for free!
Kaiseki (a traditional multi-course meal that you can eat in a room on your floor) :
Food 🍣: 9/10⭐
Most of the food was already perfected. However, a small fraction of the dishes tasted a bit fishy.
Service ♥️: 9.5/10⭐
The waitresses were super kind and polite.
Atmosphere🪑: 8.5/10⭐
Nothing was uncomfortable except for some of the chairs.
This hotel is great if you want to stay a night or two!

Like lots of tourists, we wanted to experience a ryokan but just went for one night, with the rest of the stay in a Western style hotel. This was perfect for that, traditional but comfortable!
We stayed in a Japanese style standard room, it was SO spacious, spotlessly clean and well located. The futons were very comfortable. We easily could've spent the whole trip there.
The staff & customer service were lovely. When we arrived, they brought us iced matcha & sweets. When we checked out, they gave us each a pair of chopsticks and brought out a banner as a send-off. It was a really nice touch!
I went to the onsen around 5pm and had the whole place to myself.
We got the Japanese style breakfast, which they altered for me to be vegetarian.
Overall it was a great experience! I would stay here again!

We had a wonderfully authentic stay in this high service Japanese Ryokan.
The staff were fantastic, our room was exactly as we imagined a room in a ryokan would be, the level of cleanliness and servicing of the room was exceptional and soaking in the onsen every night was a wonderful way to finish our day in fabulous Kyoto.
Absolutely, definitely recommended.

We had a fantastic stay at this ryokan! From the moment we arrived, the staff was incredibly welcoming and helpful, making sure we had everything we needed for a comfortable experience. The futons were surprisingly cozy, providing a great night’s sleep.
The highlight of our stay was the onsen—absolutely amazing and so relaxing after a long day of exploring. The traditional breakfast was another standout, with beautifully prepared dishes that gave us a true taste of Japanese cuisine.
Overall, it was a wonderful experience, blending comfort, hospitality, and cultural immersion. We highly recommend this ryokan to anyone looking for an authentic and relaxing stay!

Amazing Hotel. Great service. Traditional Style with amazing amenities and staff. Rooms are extremely spacious. This hotel deserves 6 stars. I have stayed at many 5 star hotels around the world and this hotel is one of my favorites now. Will be back, thank you.

Superb traditional Japanese inn experience in the heart of Kyoto. Very convenient location to walk, near a great market for food and lots of tourist attractions. The service is excellent. The beds are comfortable and the breakfast is fantastic. Served in your room once you wake up. The onsen/bath is really nice as well.

Excellent service, amenities and breakfast was amazing and different each day and place was well located! Staff were super attentive, kid friendly. Rooms were very warm and place was super clean. Family room was very spacious and futon on tatami was so comfortable, we highly recommend you stay here. We used the onsen on site each day. Loved it!

Staff are incredibly friendly and helpful. We needed help calling our next onsen for late check-in and staff here were very willing to help with that. We stayed in the suite which was very large and spacious. The public bath was very atmospheric and clean, and they provided many free supplies. Would happily stay here again as it is only 2 minutes walk from the Nishiki market yet very quiet nonetheless.

This Ryokan deserves no less than 5 stars! It was the best stay in Japan—everything was perfect! The room, the staff, the location—absolutely flawless. The Japanese people are incredibly kind and helpful!

I didn't realise how incredible this hotel was when I booked from Australia. This place gets 5x5 stars on every front.
Even if it's just for the traditional breakfast alone.
Perfectly situated & so comfortable. Very traditional.
An authentic experience in all the best ways.

Our stay at Matsui Honkan was nothing short of incredible. Our stay there has been the highlight of our trip.
Matsui Honkan is a short walk away from the Nishiki market which has much to offer.
We had a beautiful room that felt extremely homely. There was a comfortable amount of space for a family of four.
There is an incredible attention to detail regarding hospitality. We truly felt appreciated and welcomed while there. From being greeted with a refreshing matcha drink at check in to being sent off by the staff waving as we walked away, the warmth we felt will be something we forever cherish.
The traditional Japanese breakfast service is a must try. Workers come to your room and arrange a beautiful assortment of many traditional dishes. It is a colourful display of foods that will leave you marvelling at the feast before you.
The public bath is very calming. As a foreigner, I was nervous to try but we were given instructions to follow which made the process simple. The public bath itself is beautiful with a nice outdoor view. You will leave the bath feeling refreshed and energized.
Thank you for making our stay so memorable :)

Beautiful Ryokan. Amazing staff and wonderful service. Breakfast was amazing and the bath was great! The rooms were really spacious and it felt like renting our own apartment!
Mostly foreigners at this place when I was there and enjoyed the whole bath to myself whenever I went down to take a bath!

Very nice experience in a traditional ryokan. However, the price is too high. Furthermore, we were disappointed when we realised that our traditional Japanese room with a garden was just next to a construction site, which caused noise and of course it was almost impossible to use the garden. I understand that they could not do anything with the construction, but at least not advertise the room as such and charging so much money. Also, very few members of the staff were not as polite as in every other hotel we stayed in in Japan.

Service 5 — Rooms 3 — Location 4
By far the best service we received in Japan. Staff were above and beyond friendly and hospitable. I am grateful to their hospitality.
Our room was very old, probably the oldest hotel I’ve ever stayed. I read other comments which makes me think they are being renovated slowly. But it was clean which is the most important.
We liked the location although you are 6-10mins walking distance to public transport.
Over all, this was a slightly overpriced hotel with extremely charming staff.

Incredibly friendly, helpful staff — all speak English. A wonderful greeting with matcha before they explain how the rooms work for you.
We also enjoyed a Japanese breakfast every morning, served in a traditional style and it was delicious. Beds are comfy, room has air conditioning and heating.
It also has an onsen that is free for guests and as tattooed people, it’s one of the few in Japan we could use. Brilliant at the end of a day.
A great experience and well worth the money.

This hotel was one of the best hotels I've ever stayed at. Upon our arrival, we were greeted very hospitably with tea and sweets before being led to our room. The corridors seem to be made to look like old Kyoto and add to the hotel's traditional charm. The room was flawless, nothing to add there. The breakfast the following morning was an excellent Japanese breakfast, it was so big that it took all of our room's table space. We also had the opportunity to try a Japanese public hot bath for the first time, it was quite an experience! The bath is very beautifully decorated with views of an indoor garden. When we left, the hotel's staff came out with a banner to wish us a pleasant trip. Excellent hotel, would not consider going anywhere else if I ever return to Kyoto.