The Mitsui Kyoto Hotel, Embracing Japan’s Beauty

The Mitsui Kyoto Hotel was built on the site of the original residence of the Kitake, the executive branch of the Mitsui family, being in front of the Nijō-jo Castle in the city centre. Designed to embrace Japan’s beauty, the hotel also pays tribute to the rich history of Kyoto, a city beautifully preserved in a particular time and place, and still distinctively modern.

The Mitsui Kyoto Hotel has the typical harmony between the natural environment, scenery and history, bringing you to the guests from the moment they step into the hotel until the very end. Built on the family home of the Mitsui Family, the designers kept a number of relics from the family in the modern design, such as the main gate, landscape features and stone lanterns, giving a new breath of life into the heritage and legacy of the site.

The Mitsui Fudosan Group is concentrating all of its efforts to build the ultimate luxury hotel brand in Japan, with Mitsui Kyoto Hotel serving as the new flagship property. Standing imposingly at the entrance to Mitsui Kyoto Hotel, the Kajiimiya Gate has a history stretching back over 300 years and a long-standing connection with the Mitsui family. The gate has been lovingly restored to its former glory.

Beautiful gardens are an indispensable part of Kyoto’s scenery. The seasons elapse as the year passes; light elapses as the day passes. A garden looks different every time you look at it; a changing reflection of nature itself. The Mitsui Kyoto Hotel garden is located at the centre of the property and was recreated by the designer Shunsaku Miyagi.

The SHIKI-NO-MA room is a modern reconstruction – using Japanese cypress – of the original Okusho-in from the former residence. The new SHIKI-NO-MA may be used as a private dining facility for the hotel’s restaurants. The spirit of teioku ichinyo (a term used to describe the harmony between structures and gardens) is alive and well – one can feel it walking from the entrance into the lobby and further into the lounge area; the same goes for the courtyard garden and its suiban water basin. Several stone lanterns and garden rock features have been given a new lease of life in the hotel garden; the colour of the grasses, the aroma of the flowers, the sound of the wind and the water, the chirruping of the insect life all serve to mark the passing of the seasons.

The culinary team at FORNI pay their respects to the tradition of handmade dishes. Italy has a rich and bountiful nature – a wonderful source for delicious fresh ingredients – something it shares with Kyoto. Here guests can experience all of the 24 distinct terms of the solar calendar through flavourful dishes made from the freshest Italian and locally-sourced Kyoto ingredients.

The beautiful Japanese garden at Mitsui Kyoto Hotel really puts on a show across the four seasons – the breathtaking beauty of sakura cherry blossoms in the spring, summer is resplendently verdant, the colours of autumn are so striking, and in winter the snowscape is a wonder to behold. From THE GARDEN BAR, one can relax, unwind and enjoy unparalleled views of the garden in the dusk, and as the light fades the scenery is gently uplit.

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