OsakaWino

FWIW, due to overcrowding on the buses, the city of Kyoto officially advises everyone to take the subway or trains rather than buses whenever possible. Due to long lines, waiting times on routes such as between Kyoto Station and Gion or Kiyomizu can be as long as 30 minutes. Buses typically run at more than 400% capacity and often will not allow passengers to board. The buses always used to board at the rear, but they have recently tried experimenting with boarding at the front so that the driver can control the number of passengers that squeeze on. Especially on crowded routes going to Kyoto Station, it is not uncommon to be refused boarding.

richarddd

Are taxis plentiful?

Are subways and trains also crowded? Out of curiosity, why would people wait long times for overcrowded buses if there are reasonable alternatives?

Is Kyoto generally crowded? I would have thought as we move into winter it would become less crowded.

Aventine

The buses are just much, much more direct A to B options. Kyoto is always crowded in every season.

gengar

Taxis are plentiful downtown and reasonably available at/near major tourist areas and at most train stations IME. At PH, I wouldn't expect to have taxis waiting all or even most of the time, but I wouldn't expect to wait long after staff calls for one.

OsakaWino

As Aventine said, these days Kyoto is crowded throughout the year. The number of Asian visitors has increased exponentially, and the numbers from Western countries has also been increasing steadily. Especially peak seasons are November for the foliage and late March to mid-April for the cherry blossoms. In December things will slow slightly, but Christmas decorations are also popular and then there is the Year-end/New Year holiday season, which for many Japanese it is one of the few times they can travel.

Generally there is an overabundance of taxis in Kyoto except at the peak seasons mentioned above, and even then they are not that scarce. As gengar said, there may not always be taxis waiting at the PH since it is smaller hotel and since that area is so crowded it is likely that there is not much space for them to line up. There are almost always taxis waiting at the HR, but it is larger and has a loop drive where they can line up.

Subways and trains are not that crowded, certainly much less crowded than those in Tokyo and Osaka. There are basically 2 reasons why people find it necessary to line up for the buses:
1. The trains/subway do not cover the city well, and locals need the buses to commute. I've seen numerous locals using taxis to travel between home and the city center, but obviously that is not an option for most.
2. The increase in tourists, especially budget tourists who buy a bus pass and then try to use only that to travel. And it is certainly true that judicious use of buses to certain destinations can be the most convenient option, Kinkakuji might be one example.

faboi0us

Points + TSU. 6 nights


I'm here now, seems there is always 1 taxi in the queue at the entrance. The time I didn't see a taxi in the queue, someone ran out to the Kodajii entrance to flag one down. Given the boutique feel of the resort, I'm sure you can have guest services book/reserve a taxi if needed.

Neric

Has anyone eaten at Yasaka?

The menu looks very meat heavy, wondering what else is served.

We went to a teppen place in Kanazawa last time and my my wife would only not eat one course, the beef (so I had 195g of Waygu) -- here she objects to far more - so much I don't think it's even worth for her to visit if this is a fixed menu. But I'd like to hear from someone who has ate there.

invalyd

This property is really getting on my nerves and I haven't even checked in yet.

Been trying to use a TSU for months, they said they'll monitor it for me and let me know if it opens (have this in writing from them).

Today I see it's open, ask Hyatt concierge to apply it they say hotel is unreachable so they can't confirm it??

Now suite is gone.

​​​​​I'm really not the type to escalate things, but feel like the hotel should have kept their word here.

Neric

Guessing there is only 1-2 suites that qualify. I booked a room the first day you could, but of course can't put suite upgrades on it till they open. I didn't call the second they opened so the suite was also taken. I'm guessing the demand far outstrips the supply here.

invalyd

They have 9 suites I believe, indeed availability is tight and I understand that. What bothers me is that the property can flat out lie about monitoring availability and then be 'unreachable' when I noticed it was available myself.

Why don't they just go through the proper channels to block TSU use altogether instead of playing these stupid games?

gengar

They should have, but with e.g. concierge responses taking 4+ days, it's clear they're understaffed and need to get their act together. If this type of thing is going to bother you, strongly recommend delaying your stay until well past opening.

Neric

9 total - most of them are not the base suite which qualifies for TSU.

invalyd

Unfortunately too late to rebook (30 days cancellation policy).
Oddly enough, I don't care about the suite there much, rather just the property being so flakey is annoying.

Do you guys feel this is worth a mention at check in or is it best to move on?

Neric

Best might be to wait until after the stay - see how it all goes and fill out the survey. If there are suites available at check in you should get one since Globalist - so maybe it will work out.

Aventine

I would mention it to the Director of Rooms or the GM if it bothers you enough. Front desk will probably just give you mild apologies.