Review and Blog,Kyoto Ryokan Yachiyo,Hotel/Inn

Geisha and Maiko host “Nodate” (an outdoor tea ceremony) beneath the plum blossoms during the Baika-sai (Plum Blossom Festival), which takes place at Kitano-tenmangu Shrine each year on February 25.

Visitors to the shrine can look on as they commemorate Sugawara Michizane on the anniversary of his death.He was a well-known scholar, politician, and plum-blossom aficionado of the Heian-era who is celebrated as the god of study in the shrine on the anniversary of his death.

Advance tickets to the festival are available and highly recommended as Baika-sai usually attracts a crowd of thousands.

Baika-Sai (Plum Blossom Festival)

Location: Kitano-tenmangu Shrine

Date: 25th February

Religious service: 10:00 – (at the main shrine)

Nodate (tea ceremony): 10:00 – 15:00

(* Advance tickets are required to participate in “Nodate”. Tickets go on sale for the first 3,000 people from January 25.)

Special opening of the plum blossoms garden

Period Early Feb. – Mid Mar.

Entrance Fee: Adults 600 yen/ Children 300 yen

Shrines and temples hold rites to exorcise demons at an event marking the start of spring according to the lunar calendar. On this day, every family takes dried beans called “mamemaki” and throws them at costumed demons while yelling, “Out with the demon, in with good fortune” to drive away the ogre. People also eat “futomaki” sushi while facing a direction that has been decided as auspicious for that particular year. It is also customary to eat one more bean than your age.

The Setsubun Festival at Yoshida-jinja Shrine is especially lively, lined with stalls and crowded with people.

The biggest attraction is the Fire Festival. The ceremony begins at 11 PM when a seven meter tall fire is used to burn the offerings of worshipers. A broad, blazing column of fire scorches the chilled night air.

Yoshida-jinja Shrine Setsubun Festival

Dates: 2nd-4th Feb. 2009

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Other Events

It’s been almost a month since 2010 has started.

Kyoto is completely calm not to be compared with the fall season which is the busiest season in a year, and we finally could have chance to take a “new years break”.

As you know, the first three days of a New Year’s Day are one of the important and special days for Japanese. We celebrate New Year by having sake and special food which is called “Osechi” and soup called “Zouni”.

Here is the explanation of Osechi http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osechi

and Zouni http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Z%C5%8Dni

Please read the article and learn about Japanese traditional culture.

The main subject, “iphone rental”.

We started to lend three iphones in total for our guests for free.

Some of the Yachiyo staff, including me, has their iphone and it IS convenient to do everything.

We hope that this new service would help you to travel around Kyoto by providing convenient applications.

The service details

1. Hana (flower) navigation

Delivering you the latest information about the most beautiful flowers in Kyoto

2. Around me

Information about bank, pharmacy, cafes, and restaurants around you. The required time, route to get your destination

3. iDict

Use this application to translate from your mother language to Japanese.

4. Rote map in Kyoto

Navigation and information about all train line in Kyoto from subway to tramway

In addition, there are many convenient applications on the iphone to make your travel easier and enjoyable.

How to borrow the iphone?

You need to make reservation to borrow iphone at the reception desk.

(Please show your credit card and card detail.) The service is free on the first day of your stay. From the second day, it costs to borrow.

When you come back to Yachiyo, please bring it back at the reception desk.

*Attention*

1. Please do not use phone and mail application on the iphone. The skype is available instead to make phone call.

2. You can make a phone call to Yachiyo by using iphone.

3. Loan period for iphone is from 9 a.m. of check in day to 11 a.m. of check out day.

4. You can not take iphone after 11 a.m. of check out day.

It is cold to have snow sometimes, and it’s good chance to see the beautiful view with snow in temples.

Thank you

We enjoyed our stay immensely. The service was wonderful, the staff were very helpful and attentive. The room was exactly as shown on the website and the garden view was beautiful. The sound of water from the garden while we were sleeping was heaven! And having internet access was a bonus!

Our only suggestion…our room was nice and warm, but when going from our room to the public bath and the breakfast hall, the hallways were not as well heated.

Overall, we had a lovely experience at Yachiyo!

Christina

Very good staying, very good food,  maybe only to improve heaters in the corridors when you move wearing yukata. We wil recommend it for sure!

To the Kyoto Garden Ryokan Yachiyo:
We had a lovely and delightful stay. Everyone was very friendlly, the food was delicious (and different every day for four days, for two meals each day). And the location is extremely convenient. We would have wished for some more storage space (perhaps some drawers), but we want to stress how happy we were that we had chosen the Kyoto Garden Ryokan Yachiyo.
Sincerely,
Morris Beja

Dear Sato-san  kyoto Garden Ryokan Yachiyo,

We liked it at Yachiyo which is quiet, tranquil and beautiful.

The food is wonderful and the service is excellent!

My wife and I only stayed for 1 night but we are sure to come back again, hopefully in summer 2010.

Keep it up!

Br,
Patrick

May the New Year turn out to be the happiest and the best for you.

Kyoto Garden Ryokan Yachiyo

My fianc��� and I had a fantastic stay at the Ryokan. The place is just magical. Everyone is very helpful and flexible and the surroundings with all the temples around are breath taking. Dinner and breakfast are certainly not to be missed. We loved it.
Sandra

We came to this ryokan as part of our honeymoon in Japan and were pleasantly surprised by the traditional structure of the place. Seems like it brought us back to what it was like to live in Japan in the olden days, only a lot more refined and comfortable.

The food itself was elaborately-prepared and healthy. Staff was friendly and helpful. The garden view from the room was soothing, while the onsen was quite an experience.

The price is a little bit on the high side, but I have to commend on the location and easy access to a few popular shrines around the area. Overall, we were very pleased. Thank you for letting us experience an authentic ryokan-styled Kyoto.

Jimmy T