“My mother and I stayed 7 nights in mid November in the larger of the two machiyas (Benten East) and thoroughly enjoyed it. The house has been thoughtfully and tastefully re-fitted (only the structure is original I believe) with good attention to detail and is equipped with all mod cons. It was clean, warm and very comfortable. Location wise it is close to the Gion District and Kiyomizu temple and lots of eating places. This was our first visit to Japan and we had our itinerary organised by Shimaya's e-concierge service. We had given them an idea beforehand of the things we wanted to do in Kyoto and they took care of everything - from cooking classes to visiting Kyoto's main sights, with transport and English speaking guides. It worked really well for us. We would be happy to stay here again and certainly hope to return!”

— G.E.

“Fantastic place and service! When I take my elderly parents (dad is 70) with me on holidays overseas, convenience, accessibility and comfort is usually my primary concern. It was our first time in staying in a machiya and while my parents were a bit hesitant when I told them that we were going to try "a new type of accommodation", they were really impressed by the place when we arrived - the interiors, carpentry work, the details, furnishing, etc. My dad cannot stop raving about the architecture and thought given to the design of place. My mom feels really comfortable with the amenities provided. I particularly like to the decor (beautiful water color pieces in the bathrooms) and the surrounding areas provided a nice environment to explore during my morning runs. The concierge was very helpful and thoughtful about my family's needs - their recommendations were customized to our likes and dislikes. They even arranged for lunch to be delivered to the lodging cause we were scheduled to arrive past lunch and were trying to catch a tour. All in all it was a very good and comfortable stay. My parents insists on going back sometime soon! Thank you Shimaya!”

— H.J.