The Villa is unlike a hotel or a ryokan. We do not provide in-house services for our guests. Matsu Sho An is purely for rental stay on its own, and the booking is on a villa basis, as we do not rent out individual rooms like in a hotel or a ryokan.

You can book a stay at Matsu Sho An through this website.

Matsu Sho An can accommodate five people. There is one bedroom on the first floor, and two bedrooms on the second floor.

No, Matsu Sho An will be rented out on a villa basis, as we do not rent out individual rooms like in a hotel or a ryokan. Your booking will secure the whole machiya for your travelling party and you will not be sharing the villa with another party.

As the villa has been restored to be authentic as possible, the staircases are steep and the railings are about 400mm in height, in keeping with the Japanese architectural traditions of the original house.

The original walls and furnishings are also very delicate and are easily destroyed if care is not taken correctly.

Because of safety reasons, children under 12 years old will not be allowed to stay in the villa.

The minimum rental stay is 2 nights though we would encourage you to stay a little longer if you can, as Matsu Sho An and Kyoto have a lot to offer the restful soul and an open mind.

For most groups, a stay of 4 to 5 days would generally suffice. This would give you enough time to immerse yourself in the Matsu Sho An experience and take in a little of Kyoto at the same time. That said, those with a particular passion for Japanese culture, history and architecture can quite easily fill a week or even longer.

Reservation of the villa shall be made online through PayPal. Reservation payment is made upfront, to be paid wholly during the reservation process by means of secure online payment. Payment is safely processed from credit/debit card or bank account to the bank account of the accommodation provider through a third party payment processor.

Your payment information is collected when you submit a reservation request. If a payment option does not appear in this section, it means the payment option is not currently available and cannot be used. If the host accepts your reservation request, we charge your payment method for the entire amount at that time. Payments for long-term reservations, however, occur on a monthly basis.

We seek your understanding on our Cancellation and No-Show Policy.

Guests who do not show up for their stay at Matsu Sho An will be considered as CANCELLATION and NO-SHOW. There will be no refund for any cancellation and no-show.

By making a reservation with Matsu Sho An, you accept and agree to our cancellation and no-show policy, and to any additional (delivery) terms and conditions that may apply to your reservation or during your stay, including for services rendered and/or products offered by us. Our cancellation and no-show policy is made available in the confirmation email we will send you.

Late payment, wrong bank, debit or credit card details, invalid credit/debit cards or insufficient funds are for your own risk and account and you shall not be entitled to any refund of any (non-refundable) prepaid amount unless the hosts of Matsu Sho An agree or allow otherwise under our cancellation policy.

Matsu Sho An comes with a fully functioning kitchen with a mid-sized fridge, an induction hob with pots and pans, microwave oven, hot water pot, kettle, spring water, cutlery, plateware and glassware. A washing machine, vacuum cleaner, iron and ironing board are also available. There is a bathroom on every floor, featuring WCs with heated seats and bidets. As well as a signature ofuro bath that offers a view of our spring and autumn gardens. All bedrooms feature traditional futon beds with duvets and sheets. There is a bicycle for intrepid explorers who want to venture a little further from the machiya.

Yes, wireless connectivity is provided with our compliments throughout the machiya. You will be informed of the password upon check-in.

Yes, there is hot and cold air-conditioning; as well as heated tatami flooring and bathroom floors.

Do note that because we kept the machiya as authentic in design as the original, it does get rather cold indoors if the outdoor temperature dips below 5 or 6 degrees. The house is not centrally heated, but the rooms are provided with heaters. You will therefore need to be suitably attired to keep warm even when you are in the house. We hope that this will not be a problem for you.

Our caretaker for the house will meet you upon arrival to give a welcome reception. She will do an orientation of the house, to help you familiarize yourself with what we can offer you, to make your stay as comfortable as possible.

Our caretaker does not provide concierge or butler services, but she will be pleased to assist in whatever way possible. Upon check-out, she will inspect the villa and will bid you farewell and wish you a pleasant onward journey.

Yes, that is possible. You can have the use of our kitchen amenities such as the refrigerator, microwave oven and induction hob etc, as well as all the cutlery, plateware and glassware.

Following industry practice, guests are understandably, liable to pay for repairs to appliances damaged as a result of their misuse, and for replacements for broken plateware and glassware and for damage to the property. We thank you for your understanding.

Matsu Sho An has been meticulously restored with the help of a Japanese architect and a team of skilled carpenters and craftsmen. Many of the items in the house are original or are made to match the original. While the house is restored to good condition, it remains fragile, and care must be taken to use the premises in the tradition of a Japanese home. There are no modern chairs and tables, and one has to sit on the traditional cushions on the tatami floor and sleep on futon.

We would appreciate your assistance during your stay in our Japanese home, by observing the following rules: –

1. When entering the house, all shoes must be placed at the doorway and cannot be worn inside the house. Tatami should only be stepped on with socks or in bare feet, to prevent them from being damaged.
2. There are special toilet slippers for exclusive usage inside the bathroom only. Please do not use the toilet slippers outside of the bathroom or on the tatami.
3. Most of the plastered walls in the house are original condition, dating back over 100 years and almost impossible to repair; you can see some of the original wear and tear already, and the toil it had taken on the walls over the years. The walls are very fragile, and we would appreciate it if they are not touched or knocked, and that no items or belongings are placed directly against the wall. Similarly, the majority of the timber members in the house are original, and we would appreciate it if they are not knocked, and that no belongings are placed directly against the timber.
4. The Japanese paper on our partitioned doors (fusuma) are either original, dating back over 60 years, or are hand-painted by famous Kyoto karakami artist, Ko Kado. They are extremely delicate and can be stained or damaged very easily. We would appreciate your opening and closing the partitioned doors by touching the handles only, and if you refrain from touching the Japanese paper. Similarly, our external partitioned doors (shoji) are made from special Japanese cypress wood (hinoki) to match the original, and provided with delicate handmade Japanese paper.
5. As the house is made of timber and other flammable materials, we have a strict NO SMOKING policy in the house. This will include the gardens within the premises. We appreciate your care and concern.

A hotel provides comfortable accommodation, a host of amenities and efficient auxiliary services. But you’ve probably spent time in too many hotels for you to remember. Renting a machiya like Matsu Sho An ushers you into the unique experience of immersing yourself in Japanese culture and tradition while you stay in a 120-year old townhouse that has been faithfully restored with respect to the seasons and elements, yet infused with sensitive modifications to enhance the comfort of our guests.

You can soak in our ofuro bath, make yourself tea with our natural spring water, and reflect on life in the serenity of our spring and winter gardens. All in a quaint residential neighbourhood located close to all that Kyoto has to offer.

This is the sanctuary called Matsu Sho An: a gateway to the tranquil beauty of a timeless age.