Kyoto Station South

MIMARU Kyoto Station

★★★★★

Traveling around Kyoto with children usually means squeezing a family into a small hotel room or booking two. MIMARU Kyoto Station solves that problem neatly, and it is the family stay we recommend first in the city. MIMARU is a Japanese brand of apartment hotels designed for families and groups, and this property sits on the quieter south side of Kyoto Station, about two minutes' walk from the Hachijo East exit of the JR station and the south exit of the Karasuma subway line. Every unit is an apartment rather than a room. The standard family apartments measure about 40 square meters and sleep four adults and two young children, with two single beds and a bunk bed that children inevitably fight over. Two-bedroom family suites of about 80 square meters sleep six adults plus two children, and connecting apartments take up to eight adults and four children, ideal for multigenerational trips or two families traveling together. Each apartment has a fully equipped kitchen and dining area, with an induction stove, refrigerator, microwave, kettle, pots, pans, tableware and basic supplies, so breakfast and simple dinners can be made in, which helps both budgets and tired children. Special rooms add character: a train-view apartment on a high floor looks over the railway tracks, a delight for young train fans; a garden-view apartment has a private Japanese garden and veranda; and a Pokemon-themed room is a guaranteed hit. There is coin laundry on site, 24-hour security, international staff and a multilingual interpreter app.

Who it suits. Families with young children are the obvious fit, especially those spending three nights or more who will use the kitchen and laundry. Groups of friends traveling together also get good value by sharing an apartment, and the station location makes day trips to Nara, Osaka, Uji, Himeji or Hiroshima effortless. Couples traveling without children will find better-value options elsewhere, since the apartments are designed for four or more. The surrounding Higashikujo neighborhood is residential and practical rather than charming, but supermarkets and convenience stores are nearby for stocking the kitchen.

What to know. Children counted in the occupancy are ages six and under. Housekeeping is lighter than in a traditional hotel: cleaning takes place every two days from the third day of a stay, with an extra fee for additional cleaning, which keeps rates down. Luggage storage is free on check-in and check-out days and available for a small fee on other days, useful if you arrive early from the airport. Strollers can be rented, saving you from bringing one. Rates rise in cherry-blossom and autumn foliage seasons and during holidays, and Kyoto's accommodation tax, charged per person per night since March 2026 on a sliding scale by room rate, is added; for a family apartment split between several guests, it usually falls in the lower tiers. Check the latest room configurations and house rules on the official site before booking.

Getting around. Kyoto Station is the city's transport hub, with the Karasuma subway line north to downtown, JR lines to Fushimi Inari, Uji, Nara and Arashiyama, the airport express to Kansai International, buses to Kiyomizu-dera and Kinkaku-ji, and the bullet train. The Kyoto Aquarium and Kyoto Railway Museum, two of the city's best family attractions, are a short walk or bus ride west, and Kyoto Tower is just across the station concourse for an arrival-day view. For a family, this is about as easy as Kyoto gets.