Kanamean Nishitomiya (Kanamean Nishitomiya) is a small inn on Tominokoji Street in Nakagyo, central Kyoto, founded in 1873. The inn calls itself a sukiya-style house with only eight rooms, and it is a Relais & Châteaux member. In September 2026 it announced that the Michelin Guide 2026 lists it with two Michelin Keys. Before you book, three things matter: there is no large bath, only a cypress bath in each room; prices are per person with dinner and breakfast, with a 10% service charge and accommodation tax on top; and there is no elevator.
Kanamean Nishitomiya, Kyoto at a glance
| Item | Official information |
|---|---|
| Address | Tominokoji-dori Rokkaku-sagaru, Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto |
| Founded | 1873 |
| Rooms | 8, sukiya-style, on two floors |
| Baths | A cypress bath in every room; no large bath |
| Check-in / out | 14:00 / 11:00 |
| Curfew | 24:00 (terms of stay) |
| Prices | 66,000–121,000 yen per person, two meals, tax included |
| On top | 10% service charge + Kyoto accommodation tax |
| Elevator | None (Aoi room is barrier-free) |
| Shuttle | None |
From the official Japanese pages, read October 16, 2026.
Rooms and cypress baths at Kanamean Nishitomiya in Kyoto
What are the rooms like?
The building is a long, narrow two-story Kyoto house with eight sukiya-style rooms and private dining rooms, from the Wakana executive suite and the Aoi and Kashiwagi suites to four deluxe and two superior rooms. The Japanese pages give room sizes in tatami mats, not square meters. Each room has a shower, washbasin, toilet, TV, fridge, safe and Wi-Fi, and the amenities include a bathrobe, yukata, samue work clothes and tabi socks.
What is the bath like?
Every room has its own hinoki cypress bath; some, such as Wakana and Hatsune, look onto a small courtyard garden. The inn asks guests not to put anything in the cypress bath, because the wood fibers can absorb it and discolor. The official pages show no large bath, no open-air bath and no bookable private bath.
What about tattoos?
The official pages do not mention tattoos. With no shared bath, the question mostly does not come up, but ask the inn if you have concerns.
Meals at Kanamean Nishitomiya: kaiseki or the Kaname counter
Where is dinner served?
Dinner is your choice of kaiseki in a private dining room, at tables and chairs, or the counter at Kaname, the inn’s sister restaurant, where teppanyaki and charcoal cooking come as 9 to 12 dishes including dessert. The inn says its wine is chosen from a cellar of about 1,000 bottles. The kaiseki page lists dinner from 17:30, with last orders at 20:00.
What is breakfast?
Breakfast is Japanese, Kyoto obanzai home-style dishes, or Western, a continental breakfast, served in a private room. The breakfast page lists 9:00 to 10:00 (last order). Both meal pages also list Monday as a closing day and do not say how this applies to staying guests, so ask the inn if your stay includes a Sunday or Monday night.
Can the inn handle allergies?
The Japanese meal pages ask you to tell the inn about allergies. The official pages do not describe vegetarian or other set menus, so mention any diet when you book.
Getting to Kanamean Nishitomiya in central Kyoto
The inn is on Tominokoji Street just south of Rokkaku Street, about 12 minutes by taxi from JR Kyoto Station. On rail, it is about 10 minutes on foot from Shijo Station on the Karasuma subway line, Karasuma or Kawaramachi on the Hankyu line, or Shijo or Sanjo on the Keihan line. There is no shuttle (see our hotel shuttle guide). The Japanese access page says the inn guides drivers to a contracted paid parking lot, and to nearby lots when it is full; confirm parking when you book. The inn says the street was once home to makers of folding-fan ribs, and its name, kaname, means the pivot of a fan. For a local dish nearby, see our yudofu in Kyoto guide.
Prices, children, cancellation and payment at Kanamean Nishitomiya
How much does a stay cost?
The Japanese room pages list prices per person per night with dinner and breakfast, tax included, from 66,000 yen in a superior room shared by three to 121,000 yen for one guest in the Kashiwagi suite, for stays from January 2026. A 10% service charge and accommodation tax are added. If you do not need dinner or breakfast, the inn deducts it. Some dates cost 5,500, 11,000 or 16,500 yen more; in 2026, January 1–2 and December 30–31 are +16,500 yen. The booking page shows the price for your plan.
| Room | Per person, 2 guests (two meals, tax incl.) |
|---|---|
| Wakana (executive suite) | 99,000 yen |
| Aoi (suite) | 93,500 yen |
| Kashiwagi (suite) | 93,500 yen |
| Umegae (deluxe) | 82,500 yen |
| Yokobue, Kagaribi (deluxe) | 77,000 yen |
| Matsukaze, Hatsune (superior) | 71,500 yen |
Base rates from January 2026, before service charge and tax, from the Japanese room pages.
How does Kyoto’s accommodation tax work here?
Kyoto City revised its tax on March 1, 2026. Per guest per night, it is 200 yen under 6,000 yen, 400 yen from 6,000 yen, 1,000 yen from 20,000 yen, 4,000 yen from 50,000 yen and 10,000 yen from 100,000 yen. The city bases it on the room-only charge plus service charge, without meals or consumption tax, so the band for a two-meal stay depends on the room part of your price. Ask the inn which band applies.
What do children cost?
Children in grades 4 to 6 pay 70% of the adult rate and grades 1 to 3 pay 50%, both with meals; kindergarten children pay 30% without meals. Infants sharing a bed stay free, and junior high school students and older pay the adult rate.
What is the cancellation policy?
The Japanese reservation page lists 30% from three weeks before, 40% from two weeks, 50% from one week, 70% from five days, and 100% the day before or for a no-show. Check the rule shown on your plan when you book; our hotel cancellation guide explains how these tables work.
How do I pay?
The room pages list Visa, American Express, Diners, DC, Mastercard, JCB, JAL and UnionPay cards. Whether you pay in advance or at the inn depends on the booking route, so confirm it when you book.
What foreign guests should know before staying at Kanamean Nishitomiya
- Prices are per person, not per room, and the service charge and accommodation tax come on top.
- The bath is in your room; leave out bath salts or oils, as the cypress can discolor.
- There is no elevator; if stairs are hard, ask about the barrier-free Aoi room.
- The doors close at 24:00, so plan late dinners in town around it.
- The inn takes phone calls from 10:00 to 22:00 on +81 75 211 2411.
Frequently asked questions
Does Kanamean Nishitomiya have a large shared bath?
How much does Kanamean Nishitomiya cost?
What time is check-in at Kanamean Nishitomiya?
Is Kanamean Nishitomiya wheelchair accessible?
How do I get to Kanamean Nishitomiya?
Bottom line (2026): Kanamean Nishitomiya is an eight-room sukiya inn from 1873 in central Kyoto, with a cypress bath in every room, kaiseki or counter dinners, and no large bath or elevator. Budget per person, add the service charge and accommodation tax, and book on the official English booking page.
Sources
Every fact about the inn is from Kanamean Nishitomiya’s official pages: about (Japanese), rooms, Aoi room, meals, reservations, access, Michelin Key announcement and terms of stay (PDF), and the official English booking page. The accommodation tax is from Kyoto City’s accommodation tax page. All were read on October 16, 2026. Prices and rules change; check the official site before you book.
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