You Can Sleep in a 112-Year-Old Restaurant at This Hotel in Kyoto

Stay Here For

A traditional ryokan experience that feels like staying with a very attentive local.

From the sidewalk, often thronged with tourists, it might not be obvious you’re standing next to a hotel. SOWAKA’s discreet exterior feels more like a movie set depicting the city of Kyoto as it might have been a hundred years ago. And when you do finally push aside the noren, or traditional curtain, to reveal a bamboo-bordered stone pathway leading to the hotel’s entrance, you’ll be sure that your stay here is going to be different.

SOWAKA has all the amenities of a modern hotel, yes, but the experience here is more reminiscent of a living-history museum. Think: Colonial Williamsburg, without any kitsch.

This luxury boutique property in the city’s historic Gion district centers on a former ryotei, a traditional Japanese restaurant, which features original century-old ceilings and floors (meant to be experienced barefoot) that make the building’s history feel quite tangible. As a guest, you’ll be transported back in time and far from the selfie stick–wielding hordes that can clog Kyoto’s main drags.

At the threshold, you’re asked to slip off your shoes, and the mundane task of checking in is tempered with a bowl of ceremonial matcha or seasonal iced tea (maybe ginger in the winter, or sparkling cherry blossom come spring). A serene hush hangs over the hotel and its interior courtyard, interrupted only by the sound of babbling water—a spell that’s rarely broken throughout the stay. Yes, the hotel accommodates modern dietary restrictions and offers free Wi-Fi, but it’s easy enough to lose yourself in the creaking floorboards, the original clay walls and the bento-style breakfast boxes that signal SOWAKA’s commitment to preserving Japanese traditions.

For a moment of Zen, no meditation required, SOWAKA is the antidote to your modern anxieties.

The Essentials

The Location

You’ll be within walking distance of the city’s top attractions; make sure to leave plenty of time to get lost in the narrow streets and alleys.

SOWAKA is in the heart of Kyoto’s geisha district and within walking distance of many of the ancient capital’s main attractions. Ask the concierge to arrange a private tour of Kiyomizu-dera, a famous Buddhist temple at the site of Otowa Waterfall, which overlooks the city, and leave plenty of time to wander the narrow alleyways around the hotel.

The Room

Guests can choose between rooms in the reimagined former restaurant building or the modern annex—both embody traditional Japanese design elements but vary widely in look and feel. The 104 Maisonette With Tea Ceremony Room, for example, is a two-story space in the former, featuring a traditional tea ceremony room framed by rice-paper windows that face the interior courtyard, plus a bedroom with tatami flooring and an upstairs bathroom and lounge anchored by a Japanese cypress soaking tub.

The other 10 rooms in the original building include such standout features as a private garden, a curved hand-carved wall, and a suite with a gorgeous veranda overlooking the garden.

Despite being part of a modern addition, rooms in the annex still feel anchored in Japan. No two rooms are directly next door to each other; instead, they are separated by corridors reminiscent of the winding streets outside. Most rooms have courtyard or garden views, and all have hardwood floors, but some feature extra flourishes like a balcony or open-air bathtub.

The Bars and Restaurants

Gion Loka is the sole restaurant at SOWAKA, serving as both the gathering place for an exclusive breakfast only for hotel guests as well as contemporary Japanese dinners that are compelling enough to attract locals. For a memorable kaiseki experience (a multicourse affair with an emphasis on seasonal ingredients), guests get a special set of wooden chopsticks to keep, and can ditch their outside shoes. Belly up to the counter, and you can watch chef Takaaki Kato grate fresh wasabi and plate slabs of sashimi—a trio of tunas, sea bream, squid—followed by a parade of Kyoto tofu soup, vegetable tempura with maitake mushroom and bonito, and other traditional dishes.There’s also an intimate bar turning out cocktails with a Japanese twist (think: a gin and tonic with sencha and yuzu) and the lobby lounge pours sake every night between 5 and 6 p.m.

The Standout Feature

SOWAKA can arrange a number of activities, ranging from yoga on the hotel’s private rooftop, overlooking the city’s signature smoke-gray tiled roofs, to a private tea ceremony, a Zen practice led by a monk, or a Buddhist goma ceremony at a nearby temple.

The Time to Go

The best time to visit Kyoto is during the milder shoulder seasons—fall, when the humidity recedes, the temperatures drop, and the surrounding forests are aglow with changing foliage, is particularly beautiful.

The Vibe

The lush interior courtyard that anchors SOWAKA is almost perfect—except you’re not allowed to stroll through it.

The souvenir you’re bringing home: The camellia oil facial kit from your bathroom—you’ll be eking out every last drop, even a year later.

The local hot spot: Kurasu, a quiet café nearby serving a decadent lemon cake alongside expertly brewed coffee.

House rules: Unfortunately, you can’t stroll through the lush interior courtyard, but you can appreciate the space from many rooms on the property. Rooms 103 and 104 have especially nice views of the garden.

Who you’re bringing: Someone you don’t mind sharing intimate spaces with, since these rooms often have features like freestanding soaking tubs. Be mindful there aren’t many diversions for kids, and children under 12 are permitted to stay in the annex only, not the main building.

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