Hiiragiya is a ryokan in central Kyoto, on Fuyacho Street near Oike, that dates its founding to 1818. Before you book, know five things: rates are per person, with dinner and breakfast; there is no onsen and no large bath, but every room has its own wooden tub; dinner is served in your room at 6 or 7 p.m.; diet requests need three days; and cancellation is free until 4 days before.
If you are new to staying in a ryokan, read our ryokan guide first. Hiiragiya’s own pages explain the customs too, and we cover them below.
Hiiragiya Ryokan at a glance
| Item | What the official pages say |
|---|---|
| Address | Nakahakusancho, Fuyacho Anekoji-agaru, Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto |
| Rooms | Main Building (wooden, two floors) and New Wing (2006); up to 67 guests |
| Rate basis | Per person, dinner and breakfast, two sharing |
| From | Main Building 73,000 yen / New Wing 86,000 yen |
| Check-in / out | 3 p.m. / 11 a.m. |
| Baths | Private wooden tub in every room; 2 reservable family baths; no onsen |
| Dinner | Kyoto kaiseki in your room, from 6 or 7 p.m. |
| Diet requests | 3 days ahead; no halal or kosher |
| Cancellation | Free to 4 days before / 30% / 50% / 100% on the day |
| Curfew | None (Japanese terms) |
| Smoking | All rooms non-smoking; separate smoking room |
From Hiiragiya’s official site and booking site, read October 7, 2026.
How much does Hiiragiya cost, and what is included?
What does the “from” rate cover?
The information page lists rates from 73,000 yen in the Main Building and from 86,000 yen in the New Wing. These are per person per night, for two people sharing one room, and they include dinner and breakfast. So a couple in a Main Building room starts at 146,000 yen a night before tax. Plans without dinner, without breakfast or without either can be arranged, according to the FAQ.
What about Kyoto’s accommodation tax?
It is charged on top, per person per night, and collected at check-out, even if you prepaid online. The ryokan’s notice on the March 1, 2026 revision prints Kyoto City’s five bands, from 200 yen for a room-only rate under 6,000 yen to 10,000 yen at 100,000 yen or more, and says the tax is worked out on the room-only part of the rate, without meals. Hiiragiya does not say how much of its two-meal rate counts as room-only, so ask the ryokan which band applies. Our accommodation tax calculator shows each band by room price.
Which cards are accepted?
Visa, Mastercard, JCB, American Express and Diners Club, plus the Japanese Ginrei card, according to the FAQ. Since October 1, 2025, drinks in the library and in your room’s mini-bar, alcoholic and soft, are complimentary; further drinks are charged.
Booking and canceling at Hiiragiya
What is the cancellation policy?
| When you cancel | Fee |
|---|---|
| Up to 4 days before | Free |
| 3 to 2 days before | 30% |
| The day before | 50% |
| On the day or no-show | 100% |
Official booking site, read October 7, 2026. Fees are a share of the accommodation charge.
The booking site shows only this policy; plan pages that load after a date search may add their own conditions. Our hotel cancellation guide compares other hotels.
Can every room be booked online?
No. Four rooms, numbers 21, 24, 27 and 28, are booked through the inquiry form, and the inquiry page notes that some rooms are not listed at all. If the dates you want look full, the FAQ suggests contacting the ryokan directly, as cancellations come up; the Japanese FAQ adds that a waiting list is possible. To stay in different rooms or on different plans on consecutive nights, add each night to the cart separately.
Can I check in early or leave late?
The rooms are yours from 3 p.m. to 11 a.m. Bags can be left with the ryokan before check-in and after check-out. The Japanese terms of stay, which are not posted in English, set fees for using the room outside those hours: up to 3 extra hours costs a third of the room charge, up to 6 hours half, and more than that the full charge. Ask before you plan on it.
Getting to Hiiragiya
Which station is closest?
Kyoto Shiyakusho-mae on the Tozai subway line is about 5 minutes on foot: leave the Zest Oike underground mall by exit 8, or use the elevator near exit 6. Karasuma-Oike on the Karasuma line is about 7 minutes from exit 3-1, with the elevator at exit 3-2. Keihan Sanjo Station is about 15 minutes on foot.
How long from Kyoto Station or the airport?
From Kyoto Station, the ryokan gives about 15 minutes by taxi or about 25 minutes by subway and on foot. From Kansai Airport, the JR Haruka limited express reaches Kyoto Station in about 75 minutes; our Kansai Airport to Kyoto guide compares the options. Coming from Tokyo, the ryokan lists 2 hours 20 minutes by Shinkansen to Kyoto.
Is there a pickup or parking?
There is no shuttle of its own. The English FAQ says the ryokan can arrange a pickup through a transport company, charged separately; the Japanese FAQ says it can book a hired car. Parking is available from 3 p.m. to 11 a.m. if you tell the ryokan in advance; drive to the entrance and staff will guide you. The parking fee is not published.
What if I arrive late?
Dinner starts at 6 or 7 p.m., and the Japanese terms put the last order for dinner at 7 p.m. They also say a guest who has not arrived by 8 p.m. without calling may be treated as having canceled. If you give an arrival time in advance, that cut-off moves to two hours after it. There is no curfew, and the front desk is staffed from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Our late arrival guide compares other hotels.
Rooms and baths at Hiiragiya
Main Building or New Wing?
The Main Building is a two-story wooden building in the sukiya tea-house style, with rooms from the late Edo period, the early Meiji period and 1952. Its rooms take 2 to 5 guests and run from 31 to 97 m². The New Wing, finished in 2006, is a three-story concrete building with Japanese-style rooms for 2 or 3 guests, 49 to 64 m². Only one room, number 54 in the New Wing, has beds; other rooms can have Western-style beds added on request, in limited numbers.
Two small Main Building rooms, numbers 27 and 32, hold one regular suitcase with a few bags, or two small suitcases, according to the English room pages; extra luggage can be stored. Both buildings have an elevator, and the New Wing has a barrier-free room with a hard floor, but there are steps inside and nearly all rooms have tatami floors.
Is there an onsen?
No. The ryokan says it uses soft groundwater drawn from beneath the property, not hot-spring water, and there is no large shared bath. Every room has a private tub made of Japanese umbrella pine, and some rooms’ bathrooms are described as compact. Two family baths for groups of two or three can be reserved with the staff from 3 p.m. to 9 a.m. Because there is no shared bath, no tattoo rule is published.
What should I know about ryokan etiquette here?
Shoes come off at the entrance; corridor slippers are taken off before you step onto the tatami, and a separate pair is for the toilet only. Every room’s alcove, the tokonoma, displays art the family has kept for generations, and guests are asked not to place anything there or disturb it. In the bath, wash before you get in; the tub is for soaking, and the water may feel hotter than you expect. The futon is laid out in your room after dinner.
All guest rooms are non-smoking; there is a separate smoking room. The ryokan asks guests not to charge power banks while out of the room or asleep, and staff may move a charging battery for safety. Wi-Fi is free, and there are no vending machines inside.
Dinner and breakfast at Hiiragiya
How are meals served?
Both meals are served in your room. Dinner is a Kyoto kaiseki course starting at 6 or 7 p.m. Breakfast is Japanese or Western; the Japanese breakfast is yudofu, simmered tofu, with grilled fish, rice cooked in an earthenware pot and homemade pickles. Our yudofu in Kyoto guide covers the dish. Meals can be served at a table with chairs, and high chairs are available.
Can the kitchen handle allergies or a vegetarian diet?
Tell the ryokan at least three days ahead and it will do what it can with ingredients it buys in advance. It says its kitchen cannot make halal or kosher meals; our kosher food in Japan guide has other options. Special dishes, for a celebration for example, need five days. You can ask for smaller portions, and you may bring your own drinks, with a corkage fee that depends on the drink.
Can I eat there without staying?
Yes, for dinner, from 34,000 yen per person including service but excluding tax, for groups of two or more, according to the information page. Lunch is for groups of ten or more, with exceptions in busy seasons.
Can children stay at Hiiragiya?
Is there an age limit?
There is no stated minimum age, but the ryokan asks you to contact it first if anyone is under 12, babies and toddlers included. The FAQ explains that only a limited number of rooms suit very young guests. Children’s toys and high chairs can be borrowed.
Do longer stays work differently?
They can. A ryokan notice on its summer plans for two nights or more describes stays with breakfast each morning and a kaiseki dinner added on the evenings you choose; check whether such plans are offered for your dates. They appear only when you search for two nights or more on the booking site. On consecutive nights you keep the room all day, apart from the arrival and departure days, according to the Japanese terms.
How much do children pay?
The official pages do not say. Child rates, sharing a futon and extra bedding fees are not published, so ask when you contact the ryokan.
What else can you do at Hiiragiya?
The ryokan offers cultural evenings on site: an ozashiki party with a maiko or geiko, tea ceremony, Noh and shakuhachi performances. It asks guests to email about them and warns that some need early booking and have cancellation rules well ahead; prices are not published. The library room is open to guests, with the complimentary drinks.
Who does Hiiragiya suit?
Travelers who want a historic Kyoto ryokan in the middle of the city, with dinner in the room and a private wooden bath, and who can arrive by late afternoon. It does not suit anyone looking for an onsen or a big bath, travelers who need halal or kosher meals, or anyone who wants to eat late. Families with small children should write first.
Frequently asked questions
How much does Hiiragiya Ryokan cost?
Does Hiiragiya Ryokan have an onsen?
What time is dinner at Hiiragiya Ryokan?
Can Hiiragiya Ryokan handle vegetarian or allergy diets?
Can children stay at Hiiragiya Ryokan?
What is the cancellation policy at Hiiragiya Ryokan?
Is there a curfew at Hiiragiya Ryokan?
How do I get to Hiiragiya Ryokan from Kyoto Station?
Bottom line (2026): Hiiragiya’s rates are per person with dinner and breakfast, from 73,000 yen. There is no onsen, but every room has its own wooden tub. Dinner is in your room at 6 or 7 p.m., diet requests need three days, and cancellation is free until 4 days before.
Sources
Every rule and figure on this page is from Hiiragiya’s own pages: the English site and Japanese site, the information page (Japanese), the FAQ (Japanese), the access, rooms, cuisine, ryokan stay and inquiry pages, its notices on the accommodation tax, complimentary drinks and cultural experiences, and the official booking site with the Japanese terms of stay. All were read on October 7, 2026. Where the pages differ, we say so. Confirm on the official site before you book.
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