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Here are two recommend Kyoto lodgings:

Hiiragiya Ryokan, Anekoji-agaru,A Fuyacho, Nakagyo-ku; 011-81-75-221-1136, www.hiiragiya.co.jp/en. This traditional ryokan, founded in 1818, has 21 rooms plus seven in a new wing opened last year. Take off your shoes before checking in; the tatami bedrooms are lovely and spare, with aromatic fir soaking baths in many of the rooms. The service was attentive and friendly yet sometimes veered toward authoritarian ("Bed off!" said a maid as she gave us our 7 a.m. wake-up; she immediately wanted to roll up our futons and put them away.) In-room shiatsu massage, $38 for about an hour, was a bargain; the 11-course Japanese breakfast in the room was a real highlight. Rates from $177 per person (based on double occupancy) including breakfast; from $250 per person, including breakfast and kaiseki dinner. (Beer and sake are extra.)

Three Sisters Inn, Okazaki, Sakyo-ku; 011-81-75-761-6336. This modest, comfortable ryokan in a quiet, residential neighborhood near the Heian shrine has been owned by the Yamada family for 14 generations; today it's run by the Yamada sisters: Kay Kikue, Sandy Sadako and Terry Treumi. The rooms, with tatami mats and futons, have a choice of Japanese or Western-style bathrooms, all with Japanese baths; some rooms share communal bathrooms. The sisters love foreigners and speak excellent English. Doubles from $108, including breakfast.

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