Guest House Bola-Bola

Sweet and Homey -- The Real Japan
It was March. It Was cold -- very cold. The washroom is not heated. That said, this is probably the most charming place I've ever stayed. It's in a nice little neighbourhood with the most wonderful bakery for breakfast. The owner is helpful and kind. I would highly suggest trying something like this for at least a couple of nights. Hotels are comfortable and easy, but you can really get a sense of Japanese life if you stay in a home. The house had a dog and a streetcar (tram) that starts running (and dinging), very early in the morning. Some people would find that annoying, but really this is the sort of experience you never forget. On the map the location seems a bit far from some of the sights. However there are some very interesting things to see and do in the area including the river boat ride (definitely not to be missed) and the JR station is very close by.

Lots of room -- for smelly sheets!
when I first arrived there, I was kind of happy since there was no space in Kyoto. The prices are ok, and the private room is actually big. One piece of advice, never smell the sheets! I did this once and after that i just wanted to avoid sleeping, I think they never wash them! No free internet, no internet for more than fifteen minutes, oh and the bathroom is like a bunker. The young guy at the reception is quite helpful, and the owner is just there. Kyoto's weather is really crazy, raining all day and kind of hot on summer. You just can't leave your bags in the hostel, so if you take the night train to Tokyo good luck with the rain! Bola Bola doesn' t care much about it. Once again, the young japanese guy with fluent english gets ten out of ten, the rest including owner and hostel -- failed!