Nissho Besso is a wooden ryokan on Sanjo-dori in central Kyoto, in a merchant house whose ridgepole was raised in 1788. The City of Kyoto lists the building as a traditional-style wooden merchant house, and the inn keeps a tea room and a courtyard garden. Before you book, three things matter: check-in starts at 16:00; the private family bath is booked by phone only; and there is no parking at the inn.
Nissho Besso at a glance
| Item | Official information |
|---|---|
| Address | 13 Nakano-cho, Sanjo-dori Tominokoji Nishi-iru, Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto |
| Buildings | Main building (wooden, raised in 1788) and Tachibana annex (5 floors) |
| Check-in / out | From 16:00 / by 10:00 |
| Large baths | 16:00–24:00 |
| Private bath | Okame no Yu, 45 minutes, 1,500 yen per person, phone booking |
| Meals | 12-course Kyoto kaiseki in your room; breakfast facing the courtyard |
| Prices (2 guests) | From 33,000 yen per room with breakfast |
| Parking | None (paid lot nearby) |
| Phone | 075-221-7878 (+81-75-221-7878 from abroad) |
From the official site and the Japanese booking page, read October 20, 2026.
The house: rooms at Nissho Besso
The inn describes itself as one of the few large two-story wooden inns left in the center of Kyoto. The site of the main building was once the home of a merchant and tea master in the 18th century, and a Momoyama-period Shigaraki flower vase dug up on the grounds is shown at the Kyoto National Museum.
What is the main building like?
The main building is an Edo-period merchant’s house turned into a ryokan, with a ridgepole date of May 6, 1788. The rooms are Japanese-style and no two are the same shape; most have their own bath and toilet, and the official page also lists rooms with the bath outside. Rooms take 1 to 5 guests, and the plans on the booking page use rooms of 10 tatami mats or more. Facing the courtyard is a tea room about 100 years old, whose three small rooms are used as a guest room with a bath and toilet.
What is the Tachibana annex?
The Tachibana annex is a five-story concrete building with Japanese rooms of 8, 10 and 12.5 mats. Every room has its own bath and toilet, each separate, for 1 to 5 guests. Its plans start with rooms of 8 mats or more. In both buildings you get free Wi-Fi, towels, yukata and a hair dryer, and the whole inn is non-smoking.
Getting to Nissho Besso on Sanjo-dori, Kyoto
The inn is on Sanjo-dori west of Tominokoji, in the shopping streets of central Kyoto. The official site lists:
- Karasuma Oike Station (Karasuma subway line), exit 5: about 6 minutes on foot
- Kyoto Shiyakusho-mae Station (Tozai line): about 8 minutes on foot
- Shinkyogoku shopping street: about 2 minutes on foot
- Hankyu Kawaramachi Station: about 15 minutes on foot
Is there parking or a pickup?
There is no parking at the inn. It introduces a paid lot about 3 minutes away on foot: 1,500 yen from 17:00 to 11:00 the next morning, paid only with 100-yen and 500-yen coins or 1,000-yen bills. The official pages do not mention a pickup service. Our hotel parking fees guide covers how city-center parking works.
The baths at Nissho Besso
When are the large baths open?
The main building and the Tachibana annex each have a large bath in the basement, men’s and women’s of the same size, open 16:00 to 24:00. The main building’s bath has one tub using Komyoseki mineral stone and two Shigaraki ceramic tubs, plus stepping stones for your feet.
How does the private bath work?
The family bath, Okame no Yu, must be booked in advance by phone. Sessions start at 16:00, 17:30, 19:00, 20:30 and 22:00 and last 45 minutes, for 2 to 5 people. It costs 1,500 yen per person including tax, and one person pays the rate for two. See our private bath fees guide for how this compares.
Can I bathe with a tattoo?
The official pages do not mention tattoos. Ask the inn before you book; the private bath is one option to ask about. Our tattoo and onsen guide explains what to ask.
Meals at Nissho Besso
What is dinner like?
On dinner plans, the inn serves its Kyoto kaiseki of 12 dishes with seasonal ingredients, in your room. The menus appear on the site only as photos. Ask the inn for the dinner start time when you book.
Where is breakfast served?
Breakfast is from 7:00 to 8:30 in the banquet hall that faces the courtyard garden, where the inn points out the weeping plum tree.
Can the inn handle allergies?
The dinner plan asks you to tell the inn about allergies in advance. Vegetarian, halal and other diets are not mentioned, so ask before you book.
Prices and rules at Nissho Besso
The Japanese booking page showed these starting prices for two adults in one room, tax included, for late October 2026. Prices change by date.
| Plan | Per person | Two guests |
|---|---|---|
| Main building, 10 mats+, dinner in room and breakfast | from 20,900 yen | from 41,800 yen |
| Main building, 10 mats+, breakfast | from 18,150 yen | from 36,300 yen |
| Tachibana annex, 8 mats+, breakfast | from 16,500 yen | from 33,000 yen |
From the official Japanese booking page, read October 20, 2026.
No deposit is needed. Dinner plans close at 12:00 three days before arrival and breakfast plans at 12:00 two days before.
What is the Kyoto accommodation tax?
Kyoto charges an accommodation tax per person per night, revised on March 1, 2026. It is set by the room-only rate, without meals or consumption tax. The booking page shows the revised table but does not say whether its prices include the tax, so ask the inn.
| Room-only rate per person per night | Tax |
|---|---|
| Under 6,000 yen | 200 yen |
| 6,000 to under 20,000 yen | 400 yen |
| 20,000 to under 50,000 yen | 1,000 yen |
| 50,000 to under 100,000 yen | 4,000 yen |
| 100,000 yen and over | 10,000 yen |
From Kyoto City’s accommodation tax page, read October 20, 2026.
What is the cancellation policy?
The official booking page lists 20 percent of the room charge from 2 days to 1 day before, 50 percent on the day and 100 percent for a no-show. Under the accommodation terms, a booking with no arrival by 19:00 on the day and no word from you may be treated as canceled. See our hotel cancellation guide.
What about children and payment?
The main building has slippers, yukata and a small gift for children. Child rates and accepted payment methods differ across the official pages, so confirm both with the inn when you book.
What foreign guests should know before staying at Nissho Besso
- The inn has an English site and an English booking page; the booking page notes it uses machine translation, and a few English pages still show Japanese text. If a rule reads oddly, check the Japanese page or call.
- Arrive from 16:00, and call if you will be late. A night front desk is on duty.
- Book Okame no Yu by phone before you arrive; it cannot be booked online.
- Do not come by car without a plan; the nearby lot takes coins and 1,000-yen bills only.
- Keep the accommodation tax in mind on top of the room price.
Frequently asked questions
What time is check-in at Nissho Besso?
Does Nissho Besso have a private bath?
What is the cancellation policy at Nissho Besso?
Does Nissho Besso have parking?
How do I get to Nissho Besso?
Bottom line (2026): Nissho Besso is a ryokan in a 1788 merchant house on Sanjo-dori, with a tea room, a courtyard garden, large baths until midnight and kaiseki served in your room. Book the private bath by phone, skip the car, and confirm payment and the tax with the inn.
Sources
Every fact on this page is from Nissho Besso’s official pages: home (Japanese), home (English), stay information, main building, Tachibana annex, facilities and accommodation terms, the official booking page (Japanese) and English, and the City of Kyoto’s accommodation tax page. All were read on October 20, 2026. Prices and rules change; check the official site before you book.
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