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Hirota Guest House

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  • 665 Seimei-cho
     Kyoto, Japan
    075/221-2474
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Idler
Idler
First Reviewer
4 out of 5
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1
Review
4
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Hirota's Guesthouse

  • July 9, 2007
  • Rated 4 of 5 by Idler from Poolesville, Maryland
Hirota's Guesthouse

I had dreamt of staying in a traditional ryokan in Kyoto, those legendary refined inns, but when researching them I was horrified at the prices quoted. I set my sights instead on the "next best thing," namely a minshuku, the Japanese equivalent of a bed and breakfast. Similar to a ryokan, though not as upscale, guests at a minshuku stay in a Japanese-style room with tatami matting and a futon to sleep on.

The appeal of Hirota’s was its central location, reasonable price, and above all its proprietor, Mrs. Hirota, a former interpreter who speaks perfect English. Upon my arrival I was greeted by Hirota-san, who ushered me into a lovely downstairs room and served me green tea and cookies. Relaxing Japanese music played softly on the stereo as we chatted and made small talk, with my hostess full of information and recommendations of where to go in Kyoto. I’d been in the city for a week already, staying with my husband in a hotel where he had a conference, but now with the conference over and my husband gone, having some guidance in my last few days was welcome.

My room overlooked the pleasant courtyard garden and was simply furnished with a small TV, futon, and low table and floor pillow. One concern I’d had was that I’d feel a lack of privacy with a sliding screen door rather than solid door, but I found the other guests’ conversations, while faintly audible, not to be intrusive. I was instructed in the art of "bathroom slippers" and other household matters, such as the location and operation of the main bath downstairs, and I was also pleased to learn that there were bicycles to rent and a traditional breakfast served (for an additional ¥1050 fee).

This breakfast was the highlight of my stay at Hirota’s. Hirota-san prepared numerous small dishes, including cold salmon, miso soup, little fermented beans that I decided were an acquired taste, pickles, rice, seaweed, seasoned spinach, tofu, and tea. It was, as she explained, much larger than the typical Japanese breakfast, but it gave me a good idea of the range of breakfast foods in Japan. I also enjoyed the morning views of the small garden, and while there were no flowers in bloom, a famous haiku by Bashō came to mind:

I am one
who eats his breakfast
gazing at the morning glories.

One morning I had breakfast with two couples – one from New Jersey and another from Montreal. This was the occasion of an unforgettable moment of my stay – observing Hirota-san’s look of horror as the fellow from Montreal drenched his carefully prepared and delicately seasoned breakfast in shoyu sauce. He was impervious.

I could only suppress a laugh and wonder how this would have gone over at one of Kyoto’s ultra refined ryokans.

After three days, my bill came to a modest ¥22250. I left Hirota-san’s a complete minshuku convert.

From journal Kyoto in Seventeen Syllables

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