Exceptional hotel

Four Seasons Hotel Kyoto

Kyoto reveals its most refined art of living here.

👑 Palace

Discover

The experience

An exceptional
escape

The Four Seasons Hotel Kyoto is located in the historic district of Higashiyama, close to temples, traditional streets and the Kyoto National Museum. Opened in October 2016, the property is organised around Shakusui-en, a pond garden whose origins date back to the 12th century and which is the estate’s true signature. The low-rise contemporary architecture, designed by Kume Sekkei, gives pride of place to water, trees and the changing seasons. Kiyomizu-dera Temple is about a fifteen-minute walk away, while Kyoto Station can be reached in a few minutes by car.

The hotel offers 180 accommodations, divided between 110 rooms, 13 suites and 57 hotel residences. Interiors designed by Hirsch Bedner Associates combine washi paper lamps, fusuma sliding screens, urushi lacquer, refined textiles and zen-inspired marble bathrooms. Rooms start at 49 m², a particularly comfortable size for a Japanese city, while some categories look directly onto the Shakusui-en garden. The residences feature generous living spaces, fully equipped kitchens and sometimes balconies, making them well suited to families and extended stays.

The Four Seasons Spa Kyoto includes seven treatment rooms, including two suites reserved for couples, Japanese ofuro baths, a sauna and rituals using, among other things, green tea, sake and ingredients from Kyoto. A 20-metre indoor pool, whirlpools and a 306 m² fitness centre open twenty-four hours a day complete the wellness area. The hotel also offers yoga by the pond, meditation sessions, forest-bathing hikes and many cultural experiences, such as tea ceremonies, maiko performances, Japanese cooking classes and pottery workshops.

The culinary offering showcases Japanese produce in several settings open onto the garden. EMBA KYOTO GRILL prepares dry-aged meats, fish, seafood and vegetables on the grill or over charcoal, with a terrace set by the water’s edge. Sushi Ginza Onodera at Four Seasons Hotel Kyoto offers an omakase experience dedicated to Edomae sushi at a four-century-old Japanese cypress counter. The FUJU pavilion serves matcha, traditional pastries, sake and champagne in the middle of the garden, while SEY reimagines the atmosphere of a Japanese izakaya with cocktails, whiskies and sharing plates.

Why choose this journey

The Four Seasons Hotel Kyoto is an excellent option for travellers who want to enjoy Kyoto’s heritage while staying in a truly ultra-luxury property that meets international standards. Its historic garden lends an atmosphere and cultural depth that few city hotels can offer: it is not simply a landscaped backdrop, but the living centre of the experience, around which the rooms, restaurants and activities are organised. Couples will appreciate the rooms overlooking the pond, the private treatment suites, dinners by the water and the particularly romantic atmosphere at FUJU. Families benefit from numerous connecting rooms, large fully equipped residences, children’s activities and an indoor pool that can be used year-round. Its location also makes it easy to explore Higashiyama, Kiyomizu-dera, Gion and central Kyoto, while still allowing guests to return to a calm environment after sightseeing. The full spa, Japanese baths, the quality of the cuisine and the on-site cultural experiences make it an address that brings together heritage, relaxation and contemporary comfort without feeling like a generic international hotel.

Highlights