The Kokusai hotel is located a couple of minutes walk from Nijo Mae metro station and across the road from Nijo Castle, a samurai castle which could be taken right out of the set of the Shogun tv-series.

If you arrive Kyoto by train, the easiest way to get to the hotel is to take the metro a few stops to Nijo Mae station and walk a couple of minutes to the Kokusai Hotel.

The hotel reception looks a bit aged, but is generally well kept. My room was of good size and clean, and the beds were comfortable enough. There are coin-operated computers in the reception area which provide internet access.

I can echo other poster's comments about this hotel being a bit outside the city center but it never felt as a problem for me. The metro system is easy enough to use, and there are also several bus routes stopping outside the hotel. For example, should you wish to visit the famous Zen rock garden of Ryoanji Temple, there are bus routes running to/from the temple stopping outside the hotel. The staff at the front desk will be happy to tell you which bus to take.

The hotel is surrounded by traditional Kyoto style wooden houses and it's well worth to have a walk around the area which at night have several small family owned restaurants serving traditional Japanese food. If you use the entrance at the back of the hotel, once you get out of the car park, you are right in the middle of the traditional wooden houses. It is a safe area, so be brave and explore a little. I ended up in a sushi restaurant run by an elderly Japanese gentleman who didn't speak a word of English. At first he seemed reluctant due to the language barrier, but by the use of sign language and my very limited Japanese vocabulary (Sashimi! Sake! :) ) I managed to explain what I'd like, and he was only happy to take my order. It ended up to be a fantastic meal and something I will remember for a very long time. It wasn't outrageously expensive either. I can't remember the name of the restaurant, but I reckon you'll get the same experience in either of the restaurants in the area. I didn't see many tourists there, but there were many Japanese diners.

Kyoto is a wonderful city, very traditional and full of history. The Kokusai hotel is a good place to stay for a few days.

this was the 3rd hotel we stayed in when we were in Japan, we used this hotel as the base for exploring Nara, kanazawa and kyoto. we stayed here 4 night.

hotel itself is an average, nothing special and nothing bad. big rooms though.

the location is next to the nijo castle and also good place to get the metro, station and bus.
its 2 minutes to the metro, 8-10 mins to Nijo station where you can use your JR pass. and the main tourist buses also stop right infront of the hotel.
we used all three during out stay in Kyoto although everyone seem to be on bikes as its a very flat city.

The rooms were average. Bigger than usual hotel rooms in Japan, but old and not very clean.

The value for money was average.

The service was average: bureaucratic, but works in the end.

The location was quite okay, close to a subway station and right next to the Nijo temple. Also there was a shopping street pretty near and they rented bicycles that were a blast to around with in Kyoto!

Wi-Fi didn't work in the lobby, so I had to use the paid internet access (100 yen for 15 minutes). First time I asked about the Wi-Fi the person said that they do not know why it doesn't work for me and couldn't help me further. The next time, another staff member redirected me to another person who would come to work later during the day, who kindly looked at my computer trying to get it working. Failing that, he offered me an upgraded room with a cable internet access. He was very polite and also sorry about the inconvenience of changing the rooms. Later on though, I realized that the toilet in my new room smelled like s***... Constantly. Not nice.

So there were good things and bad things that averaged each other out pretty nicely. Not an amazing hotel, but okay for its price. Would try some other hotel next time, though.

From the outside, the hotel gives you the impression that it is just another hotel without any signs of Japanese tradition to be found. You are greeted by friendly hotel staff from the moment you walk in the door and right up to the point you walk up to reception. It is a big hotel, sort of modern and a throw back to the 80s style hotel. I was surprised and expecting the worst, as I had booked a traditional Japanese room and nothing looked tradition. That was until we made our way to the elevators and caught sight of the traditional Japanese garden that formed the centre of the hotel property. We were even more pleased when our bellboy opened the door to our room to find a large and spacious room by Japanese standards, decked out in a traditional japanese decor, traditional tatami mats, traditional tables and chairs. The bathroom even had small onsen tub for 1 person. The housekeeping staff were very methodical in their cleaning as we came home everyday to find the room cleaned and everything restored to its original state with every detail consistent all the time. There was even a turndown service after 5pm. Our room also provided us with beautiful views of Japanese garden. The rooms had adequate supplies of amenities and basic equipment like a hair dryer, robes slippers, extra pillows kettle with Japanese teas and newspapers provided at your door in English.

The hotel is situated outside a subway and can easily be accessed from the Kyoto JR station. It is opposite the famous landmark of Nijo castle and just next to the ANA hotel. With Japanese trains being run efficiently, your trip to the hotel will take less than 10 minutes. The hotel is a little far from the main shopping area, although we managed to make a comfortable 15 minute walk to the main shopping area of Kyoto. The hotel does provide bike rental at 1000yen a day, which is a bargain and makes travelling and sightseeing in Kyoto an absolute pleasure. There are lots of eateries on the hotel premises, however these are at tourist prices and quite expensive. If you're a little adventurous, why not wander into some of the local Japanese eateries nearby and try your luck. With Japanese food, it's almost always good so there is little risk in the adventure. Internet booths and international calling cards are also located in the lobby. The rates for the internet are reasonable, given the convenience of them there.

In general, you will find most staff are hospitable and friendly, with a good command English. They will always try to help you with whatever question you may have, which is basically what you would expect out of most Japanese you would find as you tour the country.