Arashiyama Benkei

Arashiyama Benkei is a small ryokan close to Togetsukyo Bridge in Arashiyama, on the Kyoto side of the Hozu/Katsura River, putting the Bamboo Grove, Tenryu-ji Temple and the Arashiyama Monkey Park all within easy walking distance. With only ten guest rooms, the property keeps a genuinely intimate scale compared to Kyoto's larger luxury hotels, and rooms are furnished in purely Japanese style with tatami flooring, low furniture and views over either the garden or the river, depending on category. Bathing is a particular focus: alongside gender-segregated communal baths, the ryokan offers private open-air rental baths for guests who prefer a bath to themselves, drawing on the riverside setting for a quiet soak. Dining follows traditional ryokan practice, with a multi-course kaiseki dinner featuring seasonal, often river-adjacent ingredients served to guests, along with a Japanese breakfast the following morning. There is no spa, pool or fitness center beyond the bathing facilities, and no large public restaurant open to outside guests. Service is personal, in keeping with the small room count, and staff can arrange temple visits, boat rides on the river and transport into central Kyoto. It suits couples and travelers seeking a traditional, riverside ryokan stay within walking distance of Arashiyama's main sights.