Originally Posted by
KI-NRT
Yoshikawa Ryokan - the establishment that also has the famed tempura restaurant? We've dined at Yoshikawa but have never stayed there. How was it?
Yes, on the reservations it's listed as "
Yoshikawa small luxury inn Kyoto & Tempura". We enjoyed our one-night stay in the Wagtail - SEKIREI room with "Tempura Kaiseki including Tempura and Chiya Beef Dish " plan. Welcome and service was warm and personable. The dinner was excellent, served in a private room, with two servers including the owner okami-san. The chef came in first and made a presentation of the ingredients which made our eyes bulge because the platter was huge, however we realized later it must have been the ingredients for all the guests, I suppose. Quality of the food was high throughout, the tempura was certainly wonderful, very light crispy and flavorful with a sauce or two I don't remember having with tempura before. Our room was spacious with a lovely view of the garden. The location is near some shopping centers, also about a 20 minute walk from Nijo castle. It's also close by the famed Hiiragiya and Tawaraya ryokans. Overall although I can recommend it, for us it was not quite as special as Nishimuraya in Kinosakionsen. Perhaps it's not quite a fair comparison since the latter has all the hot springs sites and the village feel which we really enjoyed. Nishimuraya also has a much larger reception area with amenities. I know, it's a tough life staying at these places!