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Sanko Townhouse, one minute from Kitano Tenmangu
Sanko Townhouse is a small renovated Kyoto machiya on a lane just east of Kitano Tenmangu, one minute from the shrine; it sleeps 4. How it is laid out, and how to reach Kyoto Station, Kinkaku-ji and Arashiyama from Kitano.
By Icy, Founder & CEO of The081
Licensed Real Estate Broker (License No. 15131) | Registered Accommodation Manager (MLIT No. F03122) | Operating in Kyoto since 2019
In short
Sanko Townhouse is a renovated two-storey Kyoto machiya just east of Kitano Tenmangu in Kamigyō-ku, one minute from the shrine on foot; it sleeps 4.
A tatami room downstairs sleeps two and a Western-style room upstairs has a double bed; the stairs are steep.
The Kitano Tenmangu-mae bus stop is 3 to 5 minutes away, and City Bus 50 reaches Kyoto Station in about 35 minutes.
Kitano Tenmangu holds its Tenjin market on the 25th of every month.
Sanko Townhouse is a notified home under the Private Lodging Business Act, number M260068550.
There is a record player in the living room at Sanko Townhouse, and Kitano Tenmangu is one minute from the front door.
What follows is how the house works, then how to get around Kyoto from Kitano.
Layout: two to four guests
The ground floor has the living room, a dining area, a courtyard, a bathroom with a tub and a tatami room for two futons. Upstairs is a Western-style bedroom with a double bed. Both bedrooms have blackout curtains.
The stairs are steep, and guests who find stairs hard should weigh that. For a group with someone like that, Hinokiya in Mibu, which opened the same week, has a gentler staircase and a bedroom on the ground floor.
The kitchen has a rice cooker, a kettle and tableware, and there is a washer and a dryer. The house is let whole and has its own entrance.
Living next to the shrine
Kitano Tenmangu holds its Tenjin market on the 25th of every month. Kamishichiken, one of Kyoto's five geiko districts, is close by, its old wooden houses lining the street.
For groceries there is a Fresco supermarket around Kitano-Hakubaicho Station, and small restaurants and cafés sit around the shrine and at Kitano-Hakubaicho. The houses on either side are being renovated; work has paused for now, but may resume.
Getting around from Kitano
The Kitano Tenmangu-mae bus stop is 3 to 5 minutes on foot. City Bus 50 runs past Nijō Castle to Kyoto Station in about 35 minutes, and Bus 10 goes to Shijō Kawaramachi, for Nishiki Market and Gion.
The shrine's own access page lists more routes to the same stop: about 15 minutes on Bus 55 from JR Nijō, about 10 on Bus 203 from JR Enmachi, about 15 on Bus 51 or 203 from Imadegawa subway station, about 30 on Bus 10 from Keihan Sanjō, and about 20 on Bus 203 from Hankyu Saiin.
Kitano-Hakubaicho is 8 to 10 minutes on foot. From there the Randen tram runs to Ryōan-ji and Ninna-ji, with a change at Katabiranotsuji for Arashiyama, and Buses 204 and 205 run to Kinkakuji-michi. A taxi from Kyoto Station takes about 20 minutes and costs about ¥2,500. Bed types and photographs are on the Sanko Townhouse listing.
Questions
Is there a whole house next to Kitano Tenmangu? Sanko Townhouse is on the east side of Kitano Tenmangu, one minute from the shrine, and sleeps 4 in 2 bedrooms.
How do I get to Sanko Townhouse from Kyoto Station? City Bus 50 takes about 35 minutes to Kitano Tenmangu-mae, then 3 to 5 minutes on foot; a taxi takes about 20 minutes and costs about ¥2,500.
Is Kinkaku-ji easy to reach? Walk 8 to 10 minutes to Kitano-Hakubaicho and take Bus 204 or 205 to Kinkakuji-michi.
Does it suit older guests? The stairs are steep, so it is not a good fit for anyone who finds stairs hard; Hinokiya has a gentler staircase.
When is the Tenjin market? On the 25th of every month, at Kitano Tenmangu.
Sanko Townhouse is taking bookings on Airbnb.