We found it very hard to choose a ryokan for our first visit to Kyoto, the big 'famous' ones sounded good but we didn't want to stay somewhere full of Westerners - so we picked Shiraume, which got a good write up on concierge.com but their website (http://www.shiraume-kyoto.jp/jpn/index.html) doesn't work in English so we figured it wouldn't be too 'Westernised'.

I sent a fax asking for a reservation and the reply was a little slow, but eventually I got an email from the manager Tomoko who is LOVELY and speaks very good English. We made a booking, and were very glad we did, it is a really wonderful place.

It is in a great location in Gion, on a quiet cobblestoned street, and you have to cross a little canal to get to it. Very friendly staff, and the advantage is you don't have to have the kaiseki dinner each night which you do at a lot of the posher ryokans. We had the dinner on the first night, which was great, then breakfast only on the next two nights. The breakfasts were HUGE, Japanese or Western, and very yummy.

We stayed in the Umemi room, it had a shared bathroom but the cypress baths were really lovely and just across from the room so no problem. We chose that room because it had a little private garden on the canal, and when we stayed there the signature plum blossoms were blooming (particularly amazing as it was also snowing!). The place was full but we never saw anyone else, very private.

I don't know how this place compares to the famous ryokans, Hiiragiya etc, but we loved it and felt very loved by the staff. They even gave us a present when we left!