With its flagstone streets, ancient temples and mighty castles, Kyoto lures well-heeled travellers all year round. But visitors making the journey in autumn are rewarded with an especially beautiful setting, as the city’s leafy parks and gardens come ablaze in fiery shades of red, orange and yellow.
The former Imperial capital saw an influx of new luxury hotels in 2019, with big-name brands including Aman and Park Hyatt opening their elegant doors and tech giant apple opening a Foster + Partners-designed flagship on popular Shijo Dori street. Despite the challenges presented by Covid-19 this year, the momentum has continued, with a collection of unique and luxurious adobes and a handful of newly refurbished museums adding yet more feathers to Kyoto’s increasingly well-plumed cap.
Situated a few blocks from Nijo Castle in an old Kyoto townhouse or machiya, The Hiramatsu Kyoto unveiled its 29 boutique rooms in March, around the same time that The Junei Hotel Kyoto opened in nearby Higashiyama Ward, where 11 colourful rooms feature gorgeous cypress bathtubs and a bamboo-enclosed rooftop garden designed for moon-gazing and reflection.
April saw the opening of Nazuna Kyoto Tsubaki St, a spectacular collection of 110-year-old Meji-era machiya saved from demolition and turned into a 23-room luxury ryokan; and in June, millennial minded visitors welcomed the opening of Ace Hotel Kyoto, brought to life by Japanese starchitect Kengo Kuma and Los Angeles-based Commune Design.
Summer heralded the arrival of The Hotel Seiryu Kyoto Kiyomizu, formerly Kiyomizu Elementary School, with 48 well-appointed rooms close to Kiyomizudera Temple in eastern Kyoto (one of the 17 UNESCO World Heritage sites found in the city); and Muni Kyoto, where guests staying in the 21 elegant rooms enjoy views of Togetsukyo Bridge and the choice of two Alain Ducasse restaurants.
The Prince Kyoto Takaragaike, part of Marriott’s Autograph Collection, opened in October on the edge of leafy Takaragaike Park, with 310 modern guestrooms in a unique oval-shaped building created by Japanese architect Togo Murano, and this month sees the highly anticipated opening of Hotel The Mitsui Kyoto on the doorstep of Nijo Castle (see page 26)
This relentless Kyoto revival is far from over, as two more major hotel openings loom on the horizon. Fauchon L’Hotel Kyoto, the second property from the French luxury gastronomy house, is scheduled to open in spring 2021 and Roku Kyoto, LXR Hotels & Resorts, the fifth member of Hilton’s independent luxury collection, is due to open in autumn.
This surge of new hotels comes as two of the city’s most prominent museums reopen after extensive refurbishments. The Kyoto Museum of Crafts and Design welcomed back visitors in March, with a permanent exhibition showcasing the 74 artisan craft techniques that have emerged from Kyoto through the ages; and next door, The Kyoto City KYOCERA Museum of Art completed a three-year refurbishment in May. The latter is finalising a programme of 2021 exhibitions including one celebrating the life and works of Andy Warhol, with artworks loaned by The Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh.
