Quietly opening its doors after an extensive and highly anticipated restoration, Imperial Hotel Kyoto marks the legendary Japanese brand’s return to Kyoto with its first new property in decades. Set within the former Yasaka Kaikan, a 1930s cultural landmark in the heart of Gion, the hotel is less a grand arrival and more a considered whisper—one that honors Kyoto’s architectural soul while introducing a deeply contemporary expression of Japanese luxury. With just 55 rooms and suites, the experience is intentionally intimate, refined, and rooted in place.
For Those Who Seek…
- Heritage buildings reborn as discreet, modern sanctuaries
- Kyoto luxury without spectacle or excess
- Walkable access to Gion’s tea houses, shrines, and lantern-lit streets
- Architecture and design that reward slow observation
- A stay that feels cultural rather than touristic
Rooms & Suites
Imperial Hotel Kyoto’s accommodations are organized into three distinct narratives that reflect the building’s evolution.
Rooms within the preserved historic structure retain original architectural proportions and detailing, subtly updated with handcrafted materials, warm woods, and muted tones that echo Kyoto’s traditional palette. Renovated rooms reinterpret classical elements with modern comforts, while the newly built North Wing introduces a more contemporary sensibility—clean lines, soft light, and elevated views across Gion rooftops toward the Higashiyama mountains.
Suites are generous and quietly luxurious, emphasizing space, flow, and tactility rather than overt ornamentation. Select suites feature private terraces, deep soaking tubs, and bespoke furnishings created specifically for the property, reinforcing the sense of a residence rather than a hotel room.
Dining & Culinary Moments
Ren
Ren serves as the hotel’s primary dining venue, offering a refined interpretation of Japanese cuisine guided by seasonality and balance. Menus evolve throughout the year in alignment with Japan’s traditional solar calendar, highlighting local ingredients prepared with restraint and precision. The atmosphere is calm and architectural, designed to let both food and conversation take center stage.
Yasaka
Yasaka provides a more intimate culinary setting, drawing inspiration from Kyoto’s long-standing traditions of hospitality. The experience feels personal and deliberate, with an emphasis on craftsmanship, subtle presentation, and a close connection to the rhythms of the surrounding neighborhood.
Old Imperial Bar
Old Imperial Bar continues the brand’s legacy of classic cocktail culture. Wood-paneled, softly lit, and timeless in character, it offers a composed setting for evening drinks, rare spirits, and carefully crafted cocktails. It is a place for unhurried conversation, where nights end quietly rather than loudly.
Wellness & Experiences
Wellness is approached as restoration rather than indulgence. A subterranean pool clad in natural stone offers a serene, almost meditative atmosphere, while the spa focuses on treatments inspired by Japanese rituals of balance and renewal.
Guests are invited to experience Kyoto beyond its surface through curated cultural moments—seasonal walks, tea experiences, and quiet encounters with local craftsmanship—designed to deepen understanding without intrusion.
The Setting
Located in Gion, Imperial Hotel Kyoto sits at the crossroads of history and daily life. Hanamikoji Street, Yasaka Shrine, and the traditional machiya-lined lanes of Higashiyama are all within walking distance, yet the hotel remains notably tranquil. The surrounding streets retain a lived-in authenticity, where early mornings are marked by temple bells and evenings by the soft glow of paper lanterns.
Kyoto Station is approximately 20 minutes away by car, while Kansai International Airport is reachable in under two hours, making the hotel well positioned for both domestic and international travelers seeking a quieter entry into the city.
Keepsakes
Imperial Hotel Kyoto is not about collecting moments for display—it’s about leaving with a deeper appreciation for continuity, craft, and restraint. The memory that lingers is not a single feature, but the feeling of staying somewhere that understands Kyoto’s unspoken rules: respect the past, move gently in the present, and let beauty reveal itself slowly.
Imperial Hotel Kyoto
570-289, GIONMACHI-MINAMIGAWA
HIGASHIYAMA-KU, KYOTO 605-0074, JAPAN
TEL: +81-75-531-0111
