Our Machiya Rental in Kyoto, Japan

This is a continuation of my Japan/China trip report. See also Back from China and Japan Trip! 5 Takeaways, Worth it: JAL Premium Economy Award Seats, Better Than Expected: AA Premium Economy Shanghai PVG to DFW, Hits and Misses from our day at Tokyo DisneySea, Take this Line and Shove It (Literally): Shanghai Disneyland Hits and Misses, Dormy Inn Shibuya Jingumae Hot Spring in Tokyo, Highlights of our Tokyo Shenanigans, Surprise Upgrade at Hyatt Regency Tokyo Bay, Our Machiya Rental in Kyoto (this post)

My original plan for lodging in Kyoto was to use points for a few rooms at Hyatt Place Kyoto. But Leana’s post about staying in a traditional Japanese townhouse (machiya) convinced me to seek out a machiya that would fit all 6 of us.

Booking the Machiya

It took some research to find a machiya in Kyoto that fit my requirements of:

• At least one bedroom with a Western-style bed instead of traditional Japanese floor mattresses (for me and my husband, we’re old!)
• At least two bathrooms

Many of the machiyas I found for rent either had all traditional floor mattresses or just one bathroom. So I didn’t really have too many to choose from.

Thankfully, I found BenTen Residences online. I booked the BenTen East unit through Booking.com (our affiliate link). The cost was around $400/night, including all taxes and fees.

Location and Arrival

The BenTen East machiya is in a great location in one of the old, traditional sections of Kyoto. The streets were very narrow, and the area had a lot of character. We were just a 7-minute walk away from this:

The machiya was a short distance to several temples, and we saw many locals and visitors walking around in traditional Japanese clothing.

We were only about a 10-minute walk to the Kamo River and the popular Shijo-dori shopping area, with tons of restaurants and shops.

The property manager had been in touch with us on WhatsApp, and he met us at the townhome when we arrived. He showed us how to get inside and demonstrated how to use the amenities.

The Machiya

The townhome is a duplex, with its sister property attached (BenTen West). We never heard our neighbors during our stay.

The main area had a small sofa and a table with floor chairs. The sliding glass door revealed a small rock garden. A sliding wooden door led to the downstairs bathroom (with tub and shower) plus the washer/dryer combo. We used the washing machine, but unfortunately the drying part of it was not great. But, that is common in Europe and Asia.

The kitchen itself was quite small, but it suited our needs since we only ate breakfast in the unit. The restaurants in Japan are just too good, so we didn’t plan on cooking lunches/dinners at the rental. The higher table had 6 seats.

Upstairs, the small loft had a seating area:

The Western bedroom with two beds plus a walk-in closet:

The hallway had a small bathroom, and on the other side was a bedroom with traditional Japanese floor mattresses:

Downstairs behind the kitchen was another bedroom similar to this one.

Overall, we loved the machiya, and I’m glad we chose it over a regular hotel. The location just couldn’t be beat, and I’m glad we found a traditional rental with the beds and bathrooms we needed.