the real thing! In this Ryokan many Japanese celebs are frequently seen. Great Hinoki wood bathtubs and spacious rooms facing a Japanese garden.

My family and I spent 2 nights at Sumiya Ryokan by a kind referral from our Tokyo hotel guest service. The 20 rooms ryokan is centrally located inthe heart of Kyoto down town and that is simply the only good thing about this small inn. We paid about 45k yen per person including breakfast and dinner for a room with... More

At 40K yen per person per night I expect far better. The Kaiseki was very very ordinary. Zero value-for-money rating. At the other end of the spectrum, we had a very good time in Wajima at the Ryokan there. 28K yen per person per night. Good Onsen and excellent kaiseki.

Because it isn't cheap, we only stayed one night at the Sumiya but it was an absolutely wonderful experience. It is a traditional Japanese guest house, so don't expect an American style chain. Our room was Spacious and charming, decorated with perfect Japanese reserve. The room included a Japanese style bath (but a western toilet), tea maker, fridge, and television.... More

Stayed at Sumiya for two nights last weekend and simply loved the place! Service was beyond wonderful - the best we experienced this whole trip in Tokyo and Kyoto. Everyone who we met was so helpful and welcoming. Every time we came back to the ryokan we were greeted with hot tea and cool towels. Our room was gorgeous -... More

Upon entering Sumiya from the pouring rain, we were greeted by the scowling manager with the welcome of: "What do you want. Who are you?" Unfortunately, our experience went downhill from there. This is not some culture-clash review, as we are well versed in the ins-and-outs of Japanese ryokans. Having travelled often and extensively throughout Japan, we generally prefer Japanese... More

This is a very traditional ryokan that isn't keeping up their facilities for the prices they are charging. At the time, we paid over $1100.00 per night for two, which did include Kaiseki dinners and breakfast, but our room was a BIG disappointment. Sorry to say our room was almost shabby. We've stayed at other ryokans to be able to... More