After walking about 10-15 minutes from the Kyoto station, we arrived at Guest House Lantern. Takeshi (the owner) provided us with recommendations on where to go and how to get there while using a handy bus map he had readily available for visitors. He speaks really great Mandarin Chinese, and he has a some English aptitude, as well.
Lantern is above a pretty good ramen shop, so you have to walk up to the second floor to reach the guest house. There's a communal kitchen on the third floor, and there are rooms on the second, third, and fourth floors. Each floor has a toilet and a shower. (I'd recommend showering during off-hours to avoid having to wait for others to finish.) My mother and I bought some groceries on the second night and had dinner next to Takeshi and four other guests.
It was really fun to meet the other visitors: two ladies were from Tokyo, a couple of guys were from Singapore, a couple of gals were from Shanghai, and one lady was from Taiwan. A group of three ladies from Hokkaido arrived on our second night.
As with other guest houses/hostels where the rooms are shared, you might want to bring ear plugs if you're a light sleeper. The rooms are clean and well equipped with electrical outlets (a couple per bed) so that you can charge your phone/camera easily.
I'd definitely stay at Lantern again during a future stay in Kyoto. See you again, Takeshi!
