Family Emblem T-shirt Designed by Our Guest

Yesterday another staff member wrote an article about "Makie sticker" on cell phone.

Actually the symbol is a family emblem of Japanese famous samurai. We, all Japanese, have the family emblems. It's still used on kimono, grave, and so on. But, younger generations don't know about the emblem. Emblems are sometimes sort of important for elder people.

Oh, this is another story about the T-shirt in the following picture.

It's the original T-shirt, which you can buy in A-yado GION. A staff member, Yo make it.Yeah, I'm the Yo. Kanji are written on the T-shirt. 覇王 is one of the styles of kings. If you do something merciful as a king, you are a great king. If the period is so chaotic, and you do something unmerciful regardless it's your will or not, you could be a "覇王(Ha-ou, はおう)".

And here's the emblem. Our guest made the design. And I drew it. After checking the quality of my drawing by the guest, I used a print paper for T-shirt. Now it's on the T-shirt.

This angle is much nice. I like his design.

We are a team of a hostel in Kyoto. But, somehow this time I made a family emblem T-shirt. It could be weird. I love drawing and, of course, I love welcoming you to stay in Kyoto! We, staff, love it!!

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Link to Our Website
The backpackers hostel in Kyoto is located in a historical district, Gion.
Good access by buses and trains to everywhere. 
Please contact us by the form, if you'd like to book our hostel.

Contact

Colorado's Post Card from Peru ~Loving Traveling~

If you know the scenery, you love things such as wild nature or mountain. And of course, you love travel. Oh, or you live in USA.

The Staff, Shinji, is going on travel. And he send this post card with the picture National Park or Colorado.

With the message on the other side. Now he is in Peru. 

That's why the person on the stamp has something to do with Peru. 

We love travel. And we love travelers. So we'd like to serve. The traveling make people have the wide view to look at anything. We, Japanese, is in an island. Going to abroad is something special and important to us. Sure. If we put ourselves into a cage, the view must be smaller forever. 

Looking widely like the scenery of National Park in Colorado. 

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Link to Our Website
The backpackers hostel in Kyoto is located in a historical district, Gion.
Good access by buses and trains to everywhere. 
Please contact us by the form, if you'd like to book our hostel.

Contact

Our Guest from France in Yukata!!

Another staff, Yusuke wrote this article.

http://hostelkyoto.blogspot.jp/2013/08/getting-lost-but.html

Yeah, at last, she,with her friend, was in Yukata .

Oh, but before their "cheese", there's another story. She was looking for how to wear Yukata. But, it's very confusing and complicating.. So she was worried about the time for a festival called Bon Fire. 

Oh, on the day there're 2 male staff. We couldn't help her! ;(

About 10 minute later a super helpful Japanese girls came to check in. And she said "I could do it for her!!"

After 30 minutes, her smile and posture in Yukata were perfect!

Yes, it's a great day for them and us. The story sounds nice, because it has something to do with the human relationship. Even if we speak different languages, and we can't talk in a common language, there's no problem. If a person smiles, so do another!

It's set a great relationship! The place, A-yado GION is such kind of hostel!

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Link to Our Website
The backpackers hostel in Kyoto is located in a historical district, Gion.
Good access by buses and trains to everywhere. 
Please contact us by the form, if you'd like to book our hostel.

Contact

Caught a Summer Cold, He is still NICE!

Cheers! We make a toast with a couple of lactic sweet drinks. It's the most popular in Japan to make your stomach works smooth. He gave me the sweet drink. Thank you!

Here's his dinner. No, no, he doesn't eat much sweets normally. This time he got a bit fever. So the food on the day should be easy to eat and having much energy.

He stayed at Kyoto for a few days. He was really vigorous to explore in Kyoto. But, one day he caught a cold and he god swollen food. Unfortunately he was getting not being able to walk so long distance.

Day before his check out, he gave us the medical mouth wash for gargle. He said if there's somebody who is suffered the same problem on throat, let the guy use this mouth wash.

He was so kind and thoughtful about others. 

His name is Steven. He was nice and kind guy. And he was a very tough guy. He went to Osaka to explore after Kyoto.

We hope everything goes well for you. 

Nobody wants to caught a cold in a trip. We hope nobody caught a cold!!

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Link to Our Website
The backpackers hostel in Kyoto is located in a historical district, Gion.
Good access by buses and trains to everywhere. 
Please contact us by the form, if you'd like to book our hostel.

Contact

Card Game

This is a scene in the lounge in our hostel.
Our guests form Poland(on the right) and from Australia(on the left) are holding cards.


At first I thought they were playing normal cards, but these cards were different.

On the package there are Spanish letters written so they seem to be Spanish cards.
However it was my first time to see these cards.


There are 4 patterns.
From the left, they are cups, coins, swords and batons.
They are totally different from normal cards.


The Spanish cards have 10 numbers, 1~7 and 10~12.
8 and 9 are missing.
This appears strange for me.


Those guests hardly knew about these Spanish cards.
They were referring to the Internet pages about the rule of this card game.


Actually these Spanish cards belong to A-yado.
I wonder who bought these cards which are not popular in Japan.
A guest may have left them behind.


By the way we have normal cards in the lounge.
Moreover we have Wii, a video game.
Even when the weather is bad, you will have a good time in the lounge.

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Link to Our Website
The backpackers hostel in Kyoto is located in a historical district, Gion.
Good access by buses and trains to everywhere. 
Please contact us by the form, if you'd like to book our hostel.

Contact

Japan Quiz

This is a scene in the lounge in our hostel.
A woman is holding a card on which Japanese flag is printed.


On the other side of the card quizzes about Japan are printed.
We have these cards in our lounge.

This is one of those cards.
Quizzes are written in Japanese and English.


On this cards there are questions about Japanese animation.
There are lots of genres of questions such as Japanese history or culture.
Some questions are quite difficult even for Japanese.


On this day international guests from Norway, England, Colombia, New Zealand, Sweden and Poland were playing with the cards.
I also joined the quiz competition.
I could answer not a few questions and I preserved my honor as a Japanese.


When you stay at A-yado, please try the quizzes.

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Link to Our Website
The backpackers hostel in Kyoto is located in a historical district, Gion.
Good access by buses and trains to everywhere. 
Please contact us by the form, if you'd like to book our hostel.

Contact

Ramen Restaurant ~Tenkaippin, which means "The Best in The World"

Hunger comes suddenly. It's like a bullet or thunder. If you explore to look for something nice, it's a large foe to continue for your exploring.

I find a ramen restaurant. Or course, it's a nice friend to your burning curiosity lasting forever. Hunger should be disappeared. 

Going in,

Getting the set menu of ramen, I was released from hunger. I ate it very quickly. I thought the taste of ramen was so terrific. Perhaps it's the best in my life. 

And I went out. The name of the ramen restaurant was Tenkaippin. In Japanese "天下一品". Namely it means the best in the world!

Oh, I should tell that that the ramen restaurant is for 3 minute by from A-yado GION. So if you get hungry, why don't you try?

If it's the best in the world for you, you could say to the staff. "The taste was the best in the world!"

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Link to Our Website
The backpackers hostel in Kyoto is located in a historical district, Gion.
Good access by buses and trains to everywhere. 
Please contact us by the form, if you'd like to book our hostel.

Contact

Washing Machine

He is a guest from USA.
He is smiling with a bag.


What do you think the things inside of his bag is?
The answer is... his cloths.


Our guests can use the washing machine at A-yado.


This is the washing machine.

This looks like a normal one, but he said this was the best washing machine he had ever used.
He used this several times during his stay and he looked satisfied every time.


We also wash our linen with this washing machine.
This washing machine helps us make this hostel clean and comfortable.

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Link to Our Website
The backpackers hostel in Kyoto is located in a historical district, Gion.
Good access by buses and trains to everywhere. 
Please contact us by the form, if you'd like to book our hostel.

Contact

French Speakers' Day

They are our guests from France, Switzerland, Belgium, USA and Australia.
This photo was taken in the lounge in our hostel.


Usually the common language in the lounge is English, but on this day it was different.
Most of them are from France, Switzerland and Belgium.
There were more French speakers than English speakers.
This situation was quite irregular.


At that night they were cerebrating the birthday of a French guest.
There was a small birthday party in the lounge.
They drank a lot of alcohol such as beer, whisky and Japanese sake.

The French guest said, "This will be a memorable birthday in Japan."

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Link to Our Website
The backpackers hostel in Kyoto is located in a historical district, Gion.
Good access by buses and trains to everywhere. 
Please contact us by the form, if you'd like to book our hostel.

Contact

With a Guitar...

Several days ago when I entered the lounge at our hostel, I heard good music being played.
The music was played by this guy.

He is our guest from Chile.
He was playing the guitar well.
At A-yado there is a common guitar in the lounge.


I said to him, "Do you play the guitar often?"
Surprisingly he answered, "No, usually I don't play the guitar."


He told me that he was a contrabassist.
He was playing the guitar instead of contrabass in order not to make his playing skill rusty.


Though guitar has six strings and contrabass has four, he said, "It is interesting that they have some things in common."
Actually I do not know well about musical instruments, so I have no idea how different they are.
Anyway it is great that he played the guitar well.
I admired  his musical talent.


We welcome traveling musicians although the guitar is the only instrument we have.

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Link to Our Website
The backpackers hostel in Kyoto is located in a historical district, Gion.
Good access by buses and trains to everywhere. 
Please contact us by the form, if you'd like to book our hostel.

Contact

Meet again

They met in Tokyo.
After leave Tokyo, they moved separately. But they meet again in our hostel on today !!

They are so exciting. And they are going to drinking restaurant.
Maybe they are talking about their Japanese trip.

After Kyoto , they move together ? or Separately?

It's known by only them.

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Link to Our Website
The backpackers hostel in Kyoto is located in a historical district, Gion.
Good access by buses and trains to everywhere. 
Please contact us by the form, if you'd like to book our hostel.

Contact

Soccer Goal

A few days ago Japan secured its berth to the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil.
Soccer is loved all over the world.
Of course our guests love soccer, too.

They are our guests from Denmark.
They loved soccer and played soccer often in Kyoto.


When they left our our hostel, they gave this to us.

This is a small soccer goal.
They were playing soccer with this goal.
Originally they bought this in Kumamoto and brought it to Kyoto.


When they gave this to us, they said, "Please give this somebody who loves soccer."
We still have this at our reception.
If you are interested in this, please ask us.
First come, first served!

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Link to Our Website
The backpackers hostel in Kyoto is located in a historical district, Gion.
Good access by buses and trains to everywhere. 
Please contact us by the form, if you'd like to book our hostel.

Contact

He loves Japanese comic

He is from Malaysia. When we met first time,  talked about Japanese comic.
He and his friend like the Dragon Ball . But I have watched it only few time. So I couldn't talk about that. So I recommended them watch the Attack on Titan.

When I met them next time, they were so exciting.  Because they watched Attack on Titan. And they have already been fan of that.

I recommend you watch the Japanese comic. Especially,  I recommend you watch the Attack on Titan. And in Kyoto there is Kyoto International Manga Museum. If you have some interesting for Japanese comic, would you like to go !?

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Link to Our Website
The backpackers hostel in Kyoto is located in a historical district, Gion.
Good access by buses and trains to everywhere. 
Please contact us by the form, if you'd like to book our hostel.

Contact

Location of our hostel

Our hostel is red mark(A-yado). 

Around our hostel, there are many sightseeing places. These are Yasaka shrine and Minamiza theater. And there are many convinient place.  These are post office and convenience store. You can go to these place less than 10 min  from our hostel by walking.

About 15 min from our hostel by walking, there is most famous temple in Kyoto.
 It's the Kiyomizu temple.

Our hostel is easy to go to many sightseeing place and convenient place.

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Link to Our Website
The backpackers hostel in Kyoto is located in a historical district, Gion.
Good access by buses and trains to everywhere. 
Please contact us by the form, if you'd like to book our hostel.

Contact

Too much Instant Food

They are Japanese boil-in-the-bag curries.

This guy gave them to our staffs.
He is a guest from Netherlands.

He was staying at a host family in Kyoto several years ago.
He speaks Japanese fluently.

His ex-host-mother gave him these foods caring for him.
However the amount was a problem.
He said he had received about 20 packs.
Foods in the photos are only the tip of an iceberg.

They are too many for him to eat and to bring back to his country.
So he gave some of them to us.

Other guests got some, too.
They said these Japanese instant foods would be good souvenirs.

When you come to japan, please try some instant foods.
It is often said that food in Japan is expensive, but they are inexpensive and tasty.

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The following URL is to go to our website.
https://sites.google.com/site/kyotoayadogion/
The backpackers hostel in Kyoto is located in a historical district, Gion.
Good access by buses and trains to everywhere. 
Please contact us by the form, if you'd like to book our hostel.

Contact

On the Sofa...

When I went to the lounge in our hostel, I found him.

He is a foreign guest.
He was sleeping soundly on the sofa.
I wondered why he was sleeping on the sofa not in his room and I found this.

I see...
This is shochu, Japanese alcohol.
It contains about 25-35% alcohol and is stronger than sake.


I guess he underestimated the strength of shochu.


To prevent him from catching cold, I woke him up.
He said, "Oh, I drank too much. Good night." and he went to his room.


It takes less than 30 seconds from the lounge to the bed room in our hostel, so it is easy even when you are drunk.
However please be careful for drinking too much.

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The backpackers hostel in Kyoto is located in its historical district, Gion.
Good access by buses and trains. The center of Kyoto.
Please contact us by the form, if you'd like to book our hostel.

Contact

Geisha Film made in USA

He is our guest from USA.
He was watching a film in the lounge in our hostel.

I found geisha(Traditional Japanese female entertainers who act as hostesses and whose skills include performing various Japanese arts such as classical music, dance and games) in the film.
He told me that it was a film about geisha and made in USA.

It is interesting that a film about geisha, typical Japanese culture is made in a foreign country.
I wonder if Japanese culture is described correctly.

He told me that the casts are Japanese and some Asians such as Chinese.
For me it is strange to see an Asian actress play Japanese.
However it happens often when I watch foreign films.

Kyoto is famous for geisha.
A-yado lies in Gion and there are many geisha there.
If you are lucky, you can see geisha walking in the area.
When you come to Kyoto, please try to find them.
You will be surprised to see how fast they walk!!

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The backpackers hostel in Kyoto is located in its historical district, Gion.
Good access by buses and trains. The center of Kyoto.
Please contact us by the form, if you'd like to book our hostel.

Contact

Souvenir chocolates has gone

We got souvenirs! It's chocolate boxes. from Malaysia. Thank you!!

It looks very tasty, and smells nice. But, there's one problem. I will go back to home because my work for that day was finished. My colleague will eat it after a few minute when I leave. That's a problem. 

And I came back to the hostel next day.

I found a phrase in Japanese. That said "Don't remove this one". The arrow was pointing a shell.

Of course I removed the shell, and I found a almond.

The chocolate boxes were for almond chocolates and raisin chocolates. BUT, my colleague ate all the almond chocolates, because he like almond.

Yeah, that's what I worried. I found a few raisin chocolate in another box. Of course, that was tasty. I never complain. 

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The backpackers hostel in Kyoto is located in its historical district, Gion.
Good access by buses and trains. The center of Kyoto.
Please contact us by the form, if you'd like to book our hostel.

Contact

First Foreign Travel

He is our guest from the USA.


In our hostel there are many foreign guests who are used to foreign travel, but he is an exception.
This trip to Japan is his first foreign experience.


He said he was anxious about his first foreign travel alone.
However he seems to be enjoying his stay in Japan.
He is very friendly and he uses some Japanese words.


He learned some basic words such as Konnichwa(Hello), Arigato(Thank you) and Sugoi(Awesome).
His favorite is Sugoi and he says the word many times.
He uses the word even for things which are not awesome.


Thanks to his character he has made lots of friends at A-yado.

I am very glad to hear our guests use Japanese words.
Especially it is good to hear positive Japanese words from them.

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The backpackers hostel in Kyoto is located in its historical district, Gion.
Good access by buses and trains. The center of Kyoto.
Please contact us by the form, if you'd like to book our hostel.

Contact

Our guest look for restaurant

They are guest from USA.

They often come Japan. Because they have Japanese family.
In this trip, they will go to Osaka and Okinawa after Kyoto.


Tonight, they looking for cheap and good restaurant.
Around A-yado, There are many cheap restaurant and good restaurant. So If you come A-yado and look for restaurant. We recommend you these restaurant.

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The backpackers hostel in Kyoto is located in its historical district, Gion.
Good access by buses and trains. The center of Kyoto.
Please contact us by the form, if you'd like to book our hostel.

Contact