Kyoto Insider

SCRATCH THE SURFACE of Kyoto and you will come up with the usual suspects such as Arashiyama, the Bamboo Forest or the geisha-centric Gion district.

But the history and traditions of this ancient capital of Japan go much deeper than this, and all it takes is a bit of insider knowledge to make your stay a culturally enriching one.

The "Insider's Kyoto" is the selling point of Shimaya Stays - a boutique accommodation company owned by four friends who started out looking for interesting places to stay and ended up owning their own. They now have thr…