Indigo House

Hotel review

The owner of the Indigo House instructs arriving guests to take a taxi from the train station and the advice is sound because you are not going to stumble upon the place unaided as it is situated in a cul de sac at the end of a warren of little roads in the busy Gion district of Kyoto. The apartment is traditionally Japanese, simple, stylish and very compact, so mind your head on the beams. It is lightly furnished, as you’d expect, and a marvel of ergonomics, making use of every inch of space available so, with the washing machine facing the lavatory, when nature calls you can watch the world go around, or at least your underwear. The bedroom is the biggest room in the house and a godsend if you are claustrophobic. It overlooks a graveyard, to remind you of the transience of this mortal life, but is strangely peaceful nevertheless. While the apartment can accommodate four people at a pinch (with the addition of a surcharge and a pull out futon in the living room) don’t be tempted. This is a two person place, no more. If you are four, then book the adjacent downstairs apartment too. There is a pleasing mixture of modern and ancient. So you have most of the mod cons, fridge, coffee machine and hob in the small kitchen area which also boasts a table to eat at, all in a traditional Japanese setting. The bathroom is a case in point. The rectangular bath is typically Japnese in design and probably not the most comfortable if you want to wallow but why bother when the brilliant overhead shower produces a tsunami of water that is powerful enough to wash away your sins. The immediate area is almost free of traffic and blissfully quiet, a blessing in downtown Kyoto, but not more than a short walk from a host of little bars/restaurants that dot the surrounding streets, one of which even boasts a doggy in the window (not for sale). These are difficult to book and the good ones get busy quickly so you might want to eat early or late. Nowhere is this more true that the famous Ponto-cho Alley, something of a tourist trap but great fun all the same. Incidentally the flocks of Asian women wandering about Kyoto dressed in kimonos are almost certainly tourists from China, Taiwan or Korea. Don’t ask why, just enjoy the spectacle?

Iain Morrison Review published: 03/12/2024