Spring. News of cherry blossoms. We will not go this year. My wife does not want to. Instead, I retrieve memories of Kyoto. The machiya with the children. Those few days.
The inn was near Higashiyama Station in Kyoto.
It was called Washi no Yado Nazuna Higashiyama. A two-story wooden house, all to ourselves.
Location Info
- Name: Washi no Yado Nazuna Higashiyama (now known as Nazuna Kyoto Shirakawa / NAZUNA 京都 椿通)
- Type: Ryokan (Traditional Japanese Inn) / Luxury Machiya
- Known for: Renovated machiya stays, traditional Japanese architecture with modern amenities, private open-air baths.
- Address: 379-2 Horiikecho, Higashiyama Ward, Kyoto, 605-0038, Japan
The map offered no sense of its quietness. A neighborhood preserving old Kyoto. Our machiya was tucked down an alley. Only a large lantern at the entrance marked it.
We arrived. Spoke to the concierge through the intercom. Received the code. Opened the door. Soon, the manager came. Lee. Korean-Japanese, he said. He served matcha. His movements were serious. We knelt to receive the tea. The welcome ceremony ended. He filled the refrigerator with beer, wine, sake. No extra charge.
The first floor. A simple reception room. A small kitchen behind it, with dishes, cups, a refrigerator, and a coffee pot. Connected to the reception room, a tatami room. Nine mats. Enough space for two children, two adults. But the morning sun was fierce. Facing east, it seemed. Without blackout blinds, the light pierced our eyelids. That light woke the children early.
Beyond the tatami room window, a small garden. An open-air bath. I gave the children bath bombs and told them to soak. They played for hours. Came out. Fell asleep. I never used that bath. The regret lingers.
The stairs to the second floor were steep. Upstairs, a room with a semi-double bed. My mother-in-law and wife slept there. The old furniture felt natural, not forced. A small lounge, separated from the bedroom by a door. An LP player was there. Earth, Wind & Fire. Outside the window, a small stream flowed. We spent most of our time there.
Near the inn, there was a bicycle rental shop. The owner was kind and spoke good English. We rented bicycles and rode to Heian Shrine. And the Kyoto City KYOCERA Museum of Art. The museum has probably been renovated and reopened by now. It was very close to the inn.
Morning. The first-floor tatami room was bright with the early light. My father-in-law was already up, looking out the window. “Father, you’re up early.” “The light. Too bright to sleep.” He looked like a kung fu master. We all laughed.
The second-floor lounge. Listening to Earth, Wind & Fire’s “September” on vinyl. Outside, time seemed to stop. The sound of the stream. Snacks from a nearby convenience store. Capsule coffee from the inn. A simple breakfast. Checkout was at 10 AM. Most Japanese inns are like that. The quietness, the pleasant dissonance with “Boogie Wonderland.” We could not enjoy it for long. We had to leave.
If our Kyoto trip had been longer, we would have stayed more nights. Kyoto with the children. The machiya’s scent of wood, the morning sun, the music. They remain.