I was there about 2 years ago, and I stayed in Gion. Gion was very nice, and as two women traveling together, we never felt uncomfortable walking around on the streets, even at all hours of the night. In fact, it seemed to us that Gion really doesn't come to life until after about 8pm. As for the train station, it's a nice area too. We liked that area a lot and here again didn't feel uncomfortable. What we found with staying in Gion vs. staying near Kyoto Ekimai (the train station) is that many things in Gion don't open until mid morning, so breakfast was an issue. There is one Starbucks that we found there that has passable morning sets, but nothing to write home about. There's also a little cafe right on the corner of Shijodori and Hanamikojidori that the geisha sometimes have breakfast in that's not too bad also. Their morning sets are decent, with a good amount of food. If you stay in Gion, make sure you have plans for breakfast if you're an early riser since you won't find much open. Staying near the train station will
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Oh my gosh! That's SO cool! I've never run into anyone else who's stayed there!! Weren't they just the nicest?? We adored staying there. And very easy to get to anything we wanted to go to. Oooh, that bakery was SO wonderful. The melon pan was my favorite. I swear I ate that every morning we were there (other than trying the breakfast at the ryokan a couple times) And the little newsstand right on the corner. The old man who runs it is SO nice! He's got such an adorable sense of humor. We went there every evening to get our black milk tea for the next morning.
Wow, thanks for the information - its always so much nicer to hear peoples real experinces than rely on a guide book, especially when they're saying nice things :) Following on but in the same vein, how busy/quiet was the area, especially around the Ryoken? I know it's on the edge of the city, but Im just trying to asses how rural or whatever it is. I must sound crazy-paranoid, but I want to avoid having to walk down empty streets alone after dark if I can, especially because there isnt a metro station to close by.
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Oooh, that bakery was SO wonderful. The melon pan was my favorite. I swear I ate that every morning we were there (other than trying the breakfast at the ryokan a couple times) And the little newsstand right on the corner. The old man who runs it is SO nice! He's got such an adorable sense of humor. We went there every evening to get our black milk tea for the next morning.
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Following on but in the same vein, how busy/quiet was the area, especially around the Ryoken? I know it's on the edge of the city, but Im just trying to asses how rural or whatever it is. I must sound crazy-paranoid, but I want to avoid having to walk down empty streets alone after dark if I can, especially because there isnt a metro station to close by.
Thanks a heap, sorry for the interrogation!
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