Shiraume Ryokan

Shiraume is a ryokan built into a former ochaya, a teahouse where geiko and maiko once lived and trained, in Kyoto's Gion district. Two plum trees, said to be a century old, stand at a small footbridge that carries guests over the Shirakawa Stream to the entrance. The stream itself runs down from Mt Hiei through Okazaki, and a branch was cut in the early 1600s to float timber for Nijo Castle. It is a compact stay. Rooms keep to a traditional Kyoto style, some looking onto a garden, others set closer to the water, each fitted with pieces made by local craftsmen. Dinner runs to Kaiseki courses built around whatever is in season: bamboo shoots and mountain vegetables in spring, conger eel and Kamo eggplant in summer, matsutake and chestnuts in autumn, turnips and guji fish in winter. Breakfast is simpler and firmly Kyoto home cooking, with a Japanese omelette made fresh each morning by a cook who has worked at Shiraume for more than 40 years. Two wooden ofuro baths are shared among guests. The neighbourhood, protected as a historic conservation district since 1976, keeps its stone lanes and old wooden facades intact, and Yasaka Shrine, Kiyomizu Temple and the antique streets of Furumonzen are all within walking distance. Keihan Gion Shijo Station is a three-minute walk away.