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.

This hotel is located a long way from Kyoto station. if you arrive on the JR line and are thinking of walking to the hotel, think again!!! It took my partner and i, and our large backpacks 1 hour in the rain!

We stayed here for 3 nights during cherry blossom season. I wouldn't say this hotel is in a great location. It is across the road from Nijo castle but a long way from the main part of town, which is really around Kyoto station.
You can get a train from Kyoto station to Nijo mae station which only takes 10 minutes and from there it is about a 2 minute walk to the hotel.

The room was comfortable and a reasonable size, but the duvet was stained......luckily the sheets were clean. No wi fi, apparently we didn't have a room to access it and no english channels. But really how much time do you spend watching television in your hotel room when you are in Kyoto?

Food options are not the best around the hotel, but we found a very cute little french bakery which was great for breakfast located about 10 minutes walk from the hotel. If you exit the hotel and turn right, then second street right, then walk for 9 blocks (these are relatively short blocks) and you will come to a main road. Cross that main road and one more block down is the bakery on the corner. Its well worth a visit!

Overall, i enjoyed staying at the Kyoto Kokusai Hotel, but next time i might consider staying somewhere a little closer to town.

I like this hotel very much and thought it was extremely good value for money! Though catering to many Japanese tour-groups, the service I received as an individual traveller was as good as that of a 4- to 5-star international hotel.

I booked a single room for 3 nights, 18-21 Jun 09, through the hotel website and was lucky to secure rates at 5300 JPY for weekdays and 5800 JPY for weekend (Sat rate is higher than that of other days). I think the rate was this low due to the H1N1 flu situation which saw a dip in tourist arrivals. Their check-in time was 1.00 pm (normally 3.00 pm at other hotels) but I was allowed to check in one hour earlier. If you need a non-smoking room or a room with internet access, do specify it in your booking. They provide a LAN cable for complimentary wired access.

My single room was furnished with a big single bed, comfortable pillow and covers, wardrobe, dressing table, TV, drawers, foldable luggage rack, high-quality cotton yukata, slippers, mini-bar with complimentary Japanese tea, toiletries, fresh towels, and the ubiquitous “bidet toilet” (that washes you up…). There was ample space in the room and washroom, compared to the closet-sized ones in the newer hotels closer to Kyoto Station.

Service was excellent – from front desk, housekeeping, restaurants, lobby shops, etc. The check-in was swift and professionally executed by Ms Suzuki, who spoke very good English. In fact, if you encounter any operational issues, she will be the right person to help you resolve them. The rest of the front desk staff seemed to speak English reasonably well. If you need help with housekeeping, talk to front desk who can then convey the message.

Breakfast was at 1850 JPY (that’s after 500 JPY discount) BUT… the spread was unbelievably good! If you like Japanese food as I do, go for it. There was a sufficient spread of Western food too but I did not bother to try it.

If you are travelling by train, the hotel is conveniently located a block away from Nijojo-mae station (3 stops from Kyoto Station on Karasuma line, then 1 stop from Karasuma Oike interchange on Tozai line, then take Exit 2 and turn right once out on the road).

If you are travelling by bus, there is a bus-stop (Nijojo-mae stop) on either side of the main road (Oike St) in front of the hotel. Nijo Castle is right across the hotel, while Kyoto Imperial Palace is not too far away and can be accessed on foot.

Arm yourself with a subway map and a bus navigation guide for your sightseeing. An all-day subway pass costs 600 JPY, an all-day bus pass costs 500 JPY, and an all-day subway/bus pass costs 1000 JPY.

I am very satisfied with everything offered by this hotel and will gladly stay there again!

I stayed here for 4 nights. I was looking for a single accomodation on a budget. That's exaclty what the Kokusai delivered. The hotel is in a good location, just across the street from Nijo-jo, and just a block from the Nijojo-mae stop on the Kyoto subway system (the east west line). The hotel is mostly filled with larger (Japanese, but also Chinese) tour groups.

With regard to the rooms, I opted for the cheaper single. I get a smaller room decorated in the older Japanese business style (western single bed, carpet, bath, floor light). The service was good.