Aside from three smaller suites that are well suited to couples and solo travellers, there is a café Kissa Kishin, which serves breakfast and lunch, as well as the first brick-and-mortar store of POJ Studio—a brand established by Tsukamoto and Tina Koyama offering lifestyle, décor and interior products made by artisans in Kyoto. At the shop, one can also enjoy a customisation service for selected products such as indigo-dyed room dividers and chochin paper lanterns.  

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Opened in 2020 during the Coronavirus pandemic, Ace Hotel Kyoto was one destination foreigners were keen to visit when Japan reopened. It is located at the site of the former Kyoto Central Telephone Office during the mid-1920s. Together with Atelier Ace, Kengo Kuma and Associates, as well as Commune Design, have created a charming hospitality and social venue. 

Even if one does not stay in the hotel, we recommend a meal at Mr. Maurice’s Italian—one of the hotel’s F&B destinations that are conceived by Marc Vetri. Considered one of the best Italian chefs in America, he also opened Philidelphia’s acclaimed restaurant Vetri Cucina. Here, one can enjoy dishes such as sardine bruschetta with citrus seaweed butter and casoncelli bergamaschi with fried sage and pancetta in an edgy, modern interior.

Notable design elements include copper lanterns by Kyoto-based artisanal workshop Kanaami Tsuji, inspired by the work of Mathieu Mategot, as well as black-and-white penny tile floor and indigo-dyed moving panels designed by American artist Kori Girand.  

Hosoo is a generations-old company founded in 1688 in the old district of Nishijin in Kyoto, Japan, an area renowned for its production of pre-dyed yarn textiles known as Nishijin textiles.

Each Nishijin textile takes a master craftsman over 20 steps to make. In 1923, the 9th generation expanded into kimono curation to highlight the beauty and authentic techniques of the craft of dyeing and weaving textiles.  

The five-storey Hosoo flagship store houses a retail space, lounge, art gallery, multipurpose hall and salon with an exclusive members-only kimono showroom.

The gallery regularly holds exhibitions that showcases how dyeing and weaving can be viewed from the perspectives of art, design, craft and science. For example, a recent exhibition, titled Texture from Textile Vol.2: Clothing of Time—Taiga Takahashi Collection, displayed approximately 2,000 pieces of clothing from the early 1900s collected by respected fashion designer Taiga Takahashi to study the sewing techniques of fabrics of different periods so as to create longer-lasting garments. 

Roku Kyoto is the first property in Asia under Hilton’s newest luxury brand, LXR Hotels & Resorts. The brand features uniquely designed hotels in the most interesting places worldwide. Situated at the foot of the Takagamine mountains by the Tenjin River, the hotel is designed by Blink Design Group, who modelled it after an artisan’s residence as the hotel sits on the grounds that 16th-century Japanese artist Hon’ami Kōetsu once resided in. 

The design is restrained yet filled with rich details and craft elements. “Clean lines, expanses of light wood tones, vertical pillars and external walkways beneath pitched roofs, connected by cloud-reflecting water pools and gardens of seasonal blooms from maples to cherry trees, are all important parts of the design story,” describes Blink Design Group’s founder Clint Nagata. Special touches include a custom-designed tea cabinet in each guestroom for personal enjoyment of the country’s renowned tea culture. 

Designed by Schemata Architects and opened in 2018 near the Nanzenji Temple, this was the Californian coffee chain’s first foray into Kyoto. It is situated in a 100-year-old machiya compound, which comprises of two buildings separated by a courtyard. The rear building is used as a management office. While sipping on an espresso or New Orleans-style iced coffee, one can admire the thoughtful amalgamation of old and new in the architecture. 

The existing raised floor—typical of this building type—was lowered and levelled with the exterior surface for easy passageway. This also allows the pebbled ground on the outside to fuse with the terrazzo on the interior that is elevated at parts to form counters and benches. The preserved architecture, comprising exposed existing roof structure, clay walls, and timber columns and beams, provides an appealing setting for snacking on seasonal pastries on offer, such as green tea mint cookies.  

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