Pls advice on where to stay in Kyoto convinient to attractions. Looking for midrange hotel w/ bathroom. Would like to stay in a traditional inn but they seem very costly (over $300US). Any suggestions on great Japanese places to eat?

The Japanese National Tourist Organisation (www.jnto.go.jp) has a list of all kinds of hotels and inns and will help you with reservation if you need. <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR>

I stayed at the Kyoto Tower Hotel, which is right across the street from the train station. Great location and a nice business hotel. Bathrooms are ensuite.

As far as Japanese places to eat in Kyoto, if you don't mind spending a little $$ and you like tofu I would suggest Sagano. Delicious, traditional Japanese food in a picturesque setting. <BR> <BR>Look up the details on this web site... <BR>

We just return from 12 days in Kyoto where we stayed at the Ryokan Ohto. This a very modest place very conveniently located to everything and the rates are about as low as you will find anywhere. A double with bath for 2 persons is 8,600 to 9,500 yen plus 5%. Western breakfast is 300 to 500 yen and Japanese is 1,000 yen. Of course there is no english spoken or is there any real lobby or room service. The rooms are very small. Overseas phone is 81-75-541-7803 and Fax 81-75-561-9751. Often the rates quoted for Ryokans include two meals which make their rates seem higher than normal hotels. Two meals are worth about $50 per person.

We were in Kyoto last October. Accommodations in Japan are tragically expensive. To keep our costs down, we stayed 2 nights at the New Miyako, right near the train station for about $180US per night. It's a very large tourist-class hotel and there's nothing special about it. On our last night we really splurged on one of the best ryokans (traditional inn)in Japan - Hiragiya. It was perhaps the most satisfying $750 (including the mandatory dinner and breakfast)we've ever spent on vacation and a real highlight of our entire Asian trip. Our advise is not to miss spending at least one night in a good ryokan. <BR> <BR>As for restaurants, we really enjoyed Agatha, a Japanese charcoal grill. <BR> <BR>Whatever you do, don't waste any of your time attending the show at Gion Corner - an extremely over-hyped tourist trap.