Kadensho

Recent Reviews: 371

• User:Culture06102737523

  Trip type: Couples

  Horrible experience

  08 Jun 2026

  Totally disappointed and so ridiculous that there are no hot water supply and no onsen available in the hotel, no advance notice from the hotel until we check in, just compensated by a free drink for dinner. Also insufficient stock of slippers for guests to use outdoors as requested by the hotel, will never come back again.

• User:Noe C

  Trip type: Family

  Terrific location!!

  28 Jan 2026

  We loved our stay here! The breakfast and dinner was included each day and it was delicious! This hotel is across the train station and just a 10 min walk to the arashiyama bamboo forest. So close that we walked back to shop before checking out of the hotel on the last day. We loved getting coffee and tea in the lobby and also enjoyed popsicles from the onsen area. And we made use of the complimentary laundry. The staff members were all very nice and accommodating.

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• User:normad88

  Trip type: Couples

  Large ryokan...decent amenities but not quite authentic

  25 May 2025

  My wife and I made last minute bookings for Chinese New Year period travel and Kadensho was the only acceptable choice available. With lowered expectations, we found our stay pleasant enough. There was constant flow of guests checking in and out daily and mainly Japanese tourists from the region. The staff were efficient but lacking in the usual Japanese style hospitality. The kaiseki dinners were disappointing, without anything of "wow" standard, and served in hurried manner, especially for the first seating at 5.30. The dining area had cubicles that provide privacy, but unfortunately the diners in the next cubicle on our first night were rather loud. The onsen was thankfully quiet and authentic, with 5 private baths aside from the public ones. Location was perfect, being next to the train station, and short walk to tourist sights. All in, we enjoyed our stay, but wouldn't recommend this to seasoned ryokan travelers. Perhaps the experience would be better during off peak season, when there are less noisy guests.

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• User:Paul C

  Trip type: Couples

  Convenient Location, Poor Service and Quality: Questionable Value for Money

  14 Dec 2024

  The hotel is conviently located opposite to the Arashiyama train station. The rooms are tidy, but the check-in process and amenities arrangement leave much to be desired. Whilst the staff is generally helpful, communicating in English can be challenging, and they have to adhere to the y strict rules and standard operating procedures of the property, and no flexibility at all. As an example, they only give you the room at or after 3pm even if there are available rooms. The food, including breakfast and half-board dinner, falls below the expected standard for a Japanese inn, let alone a hotel. They offer complimentary late-night ramen, though, disappoints in both taste and quality. Overall, many reviewers consider that the hotel is overpriced - I agree too.

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• User:803RichardB

  Trip type: Family

  Bad hotel, high prices

  27 Sept 2024

  As a long-time global traveler, I must say this hotel is pretty much a rip-off, especially at its $330/night price. Our room was so tiny one can hardly turn around in it and it had no window view at all, the “private” hot springs bath was clearly heavily used by visitors and did not seem clean, the meals were terrible, there is apparently no concierge, and the front desk staff are utterly unaccommodating. We had purchased very expensive dinners for 3 nights ahead of arrival, but they were utterly unsuitable for a gluten-intolerant diet, but when we explained we could not consume gluten they said they could not accommodate dietary restrictions. When we requested to unschedule the second two dinners we’d paid ahead for, we were told “we cannot refund what you have already paid, sorry.” There were no alcoholic beverages available the entire 4 days we were there; the “bar” was closed and the single vending machine that dispensed beer was “out of service.” Not even a glass of saki could be found. The hotel’s flooring was tatami mat, as is often the case in Japan, so shoes are not allowed (they must be left near the front desk). About half the guests thus walked the halls and lobby area in bare feet, with who knows what microorganisms they were leaving behind, yet in four days I never once saw anyone cleaning those floor mats. None of the staff spoke enough English to help us out (we had to rely on GoogleTranslate). The front desk was even reluctant to call a taxi for us. Certainly one of the worst hotel stays we’ve ever experienced. When in Kyoto, I recommend the Umekoki Kadensho Hotel next to Kyoto Station. When in Nara I recommend the Iroha Grand Hotel.

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