Ryokan in Kyoto and Nara
 

Hi

I am new and using this to plan a future trip to Japan, with my boyfriend.

Can anyone suggest ryokan in Kyoto and Nara that are

a. accessible by public transportation
b. affordable (not sure how to define this but say under $200 US a night for 2?)
c. is OK with speaking English because we don't speak Japanese.

Also, is the weather in these places better in spring or fall? Any particular times we should hit or miss due to festivals, etc?

Until recently, I would have recommended Matsumae in Nara...but our second stay there, this past September, our room was infested with dani (tatami bugs) that bit us bloody during the night and they did nothing other than ask if we wanted to change rooms (but it was morning and we were leaving) and say sorry. Not even a complimentary breakfast in the way of apology.

About double the price of Matsumae, but lovely and located right in the deer park is Aobajaya...no website, and you book by calling them 0742-22-2917. Husband and wife both speak great English, and the breakfast is very, very good. Room was huge and very nice. Attached bath, shower and toilet, as well as a bigger shared bath at the end of the hall on the first floor.

Thank you, KimJapan. The place in the deer park sounds good.

I had not heard of the dani. Is this a common problem we should watch out for? I don't think it is anything we could ask about when we make the reservation?

Dani are somewhat common in cheap places, and people get them in their homes as well. The infest tatami much like bed bugs, and are just about impossible to get rid of without resorting to toxic sprays and bombs that require you to evacuate your house for the day, and even then, it takes more than one "treatment" most of the time.

It is certainly not ok to ask about them when you reserve...it would be like asking a hotel in the US if it had a bed bug problem.

We stayed in a great minshuku called Yougendo in Oji, a 15 min train ride from Nara. It is owned by an English guy and his Japanese wife so the language isnt a problem. Highly recommended and very reasonable. Here is a link to our blog which has a few photos of the place.

http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog...5480/tpod.html