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Higashiyama Shikikaboku – A Stay That Feels like Living Life in Kyoto: A New Style of Hospitality in Higashiyama, Kyoto

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城鎮與建築 宿舍

Higashiyama Shikikaboku – A Stay That Feels like Living Life in Kyoto: A New Style of Hospitality in Higashiyama, Kyoto

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ONESTORY endeavors to explore various the destinations in Japan and to present the sensibilities brought by the story of the journey.

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ONESTORY endeavors to explore various the destinations in Japan and to present the sensibilities brought by the story of the journey.

Higashiyama Shikikaboku newly opened in the Higashiyama area of Kyoto City. The design follows the “less is more” concept while successfully conveying a traditional sense of beauty.

A luxury hotel crafted by an architect husband and interior designer wife

Countless magnificent temples, old neighborhood streets lit with lanterns and the flow of the Kamo River. All that you might associate with Kyoto is here in Kyoto City’s Higashiyama Ward. In the autumn of 2019, the luxury hotel Higashiyama Shikikaboku opened near the Subway Tozai Line’s Higashiyama Station.
 
The number of guestrooms is only eight. It is a small hotel that could be easily overlooked in this town where numerous new accommodations have been built in the recent years. However, once you step inside you are sure to notice the carefully thought out hospitality that makes the hotel a one-of-a-kind place.
 
The hotel was created by a couple, an architect husband and an interior designer wife. Let’s hear about how the hotel was conceived and learn about the secrets of its design dedicated to comfort and relaxation. 
 
The entrance way on the first floor. At the end of the hallway, the guests are greeted by a work of art by Kenkichi Senda, the 11th-generation head artisan of Karacho, an ornamental paper company.

The Kyotoite couple’s “hotel that the two of us would want to stay at”

The small garden by the entrance and the rhythmic lattice add a welcoming touch to the sleek appearance created by the solid texture of stone and the large glass panes. The various materials used are blended in balanced way, making the building mysteriously blend into the town while standing out at the same time. If I had to choose a word to concisely describe the style, it would be “modern Japanese,” but that’s not enough to describe the unique atmosphere it projects.
 
It’s no wonder once you know that the owner who designed it, Mr. Takafumi Kawakami, has designed a great number of hotels, houses, and public facilities. Mr. Kawakami has always paid special attention to how his works would actually be lived in or used. While designing buildings that make the best use of the land’s value and advantages is fundamental, Mr. Kawakami has also focused on matters such as “how many rounds of seating would be possible, in this restaurant, with this many seats,” which are generally outside the scope of an architect’s work. 
 
While working on projects commissioned to him, he said he was always thinking about “how I would do it for my own place.” In other words, he sat on the idea of his hotel for decades! The sophisticated beauty of the hotel’s architecture may very well be the fruit of his career and the embodiment of his dreams.
 
The interior designer Ms. Masumi Kitayama, Mr. Kawakami’s wife, has also placed importance on the user experience. She has always carefully imagined “how the user would feel” when she carries out her designs, be it a choice of lighting, wallpaper, or furniture.
 
Ms. Kitayama says of her husband, “I’ve never heard of an architect who seriously considers how the occupiers would run their business,” and Mr. Kawakami says of his wife, “Feminine sensitivity to details and bold resilience with innovative ways of thinking coexist in her.” The couple’s mutual respect has led them to give shape to “the kind of hotel that both of us would want to stay in.” This was how Higashiyama Shikikaboku was conceived.
 
The owner couple, Ms. Masumi Kitayama (left) and Mr. Takafumi Kawakami (right). The hotel embodies a multitude of ideas of this couple who love to travel themselves.
They aimed to “bring together the best of a ryokan’s hospitality and a hotel’s comfort.”
Guests can freely spend time in and outside of their rooms. Enjoying the city lights from the rooftop terrace overlooking the city, for example, is one way to enjoy this hotel.

Hospitality thoroughly thought out from a guest-centered point of view

The two continued to develop their ideas, and they eventually found the land where their hotel stands today. However, it was not like they found this land instantly after deciding to start a hotel. They had seen plenty of lots that were suitable if their intentions had been merely speculative. However, they were steadfast in their intentions: as artists, they could not compromise their work of expressing their beloved hometown, Kyoto.
 
One day, however, they happened to become acquainted with a person who worked in the real estate industry. Three days later, they were introduced to this land. Their minds were set the minute they saw it. It was away from the bustle of downtown while within walking distance to places such as Gion, Heian Jingu Shrine, and Nanzenji Temple. There was a sidewalk in front, and there were no telephone poles because the lines had been undergrounded. There was a beautiful view of the mountains of Higashiyama covered with green. This was the place where they could finally do what they had wanted to do for years.
 
Since it was not a hotel built with strict business targets, sales and efficiency were not the top priorities. The top priority was guest satisfaction. What was most important was to make it a place where visitors could feel very satisfied and want to stay again.
 
The hotel’s design and its style of hospitality were built on such thoughts. Kyoto has plenty of attractive, delicious restaurants, as well as impressive shrines and temples. There was no need to try to make the hotel an extension of these exciting places. The time that guests spend in a hotel is short in Kyoto where there is so much to see. So what was important, rather, was to make the hotel a place where the guests could spend the time they have to completely unwind. 
 
Therefore, Ms. Kitagawa and Mr. Kawakami decided to make the guestrooms spacious. And considering that a traveling couple might enjoy some separate time from each other, they built an outdoor bath and a terrace on the roof as places to relax outside the guestrooms. Considering that most guests would have Japanese cuisine for dinner, they decided to serve a Western breakfast that is easy on the stomach, made using Kyoto vegetables. In this way, the two thought out and decided on the hotel’s design and its services one by one from a guest-centered point of view.
 
The idea was not to make the hotel the main character in a story of a trip to Kyoto, but rather to offer a calm, peaceful experience like staying at a relative’s home. The idea was to allow guests to spend time at the hotel as if living life in Kyoto, rather than experiencing it as a part of the package of Kyoto as viewed from the outside.
 
The welcome tea is sencha green tea from Maruri Yoshida Meicha-en, Japan’s oldest tea field, served with some Japanese sweets of the season.
On the second floor is the “Salon,” which is a tea-room style space with a relaxing atmosphere that also serves as a check-in/check-out desk.
The hotel serves a healthy breakfast composed of the chef’s original dish using Kyoto vegetables, accompanied by homemade juice made with a slow juicer and Hanakago bread from a popular bakery. The chef is Ryo Sakatsuji, who has had experience working as the head chef of a famous restaurant.

A hotel that is distinctively Kyoto in a way that is “just right”

Entering through the glass doors at the front, you will come into a handsome stone-built entrance where you will see tiles and a type of ornamental paper called karakami, Japanese washi paper with woodblock patterns, by the ornamental paper maker, Karacho, founded in 1624. To check in, you will go upstairs to the second floor “Salon,” which has the relaxing atmosphere of a traditional tea room with earthen walls and wickerwork ceilings.
 
The guestrooms are all spacious, ranging from 26 m² to 54 m² in size. From everything to the amenities and teaware, Ms. Kitayama’s interior design brings out the feeling of Kyoto in an unimposing way to make the stay comfortable and relaxing. Everything is meant to enhance the guests’ experience, from the refreshing outdoor bath, to the beautiful rooftop terrace with a 360° view and even the checkout time is at twelve noon, allowing guests to have plenty of time to relax.

A place to have a relaxing time as a part of experiencing Kyoto’s charm is what they hope the hotel to be.
Ms. Kitayama says that she is most happy when guests tell her that the hotel is “just right.” “Kyoto is like a chest of gems,” she says. “It is a town full of countless charms including its food, crafts, and artisan skills, and there is so much that is still unknown, so much for visitors to discover for themselves. As a hotel, we want to provide a space and time that is ‘just right’ for experiencing these charms of Kyoto.”
 
Higashiyama Shikikaboku is a hotel that takes care to balance its role in its guests’ experiences of Kyoto. It is peaceful and yet has an atmosphere that makes it stand out. Different people expect different qualities from accommodation when traveling. However, hotels like this one, which design a new style of spending time in Kyoto, have much to offer.
 
The guest room “Teigyoku” has a private garden. From within the room you can see Mt. Hiei and also the vermilion gate of Heian Jingu Shrine.
The guest room “Enshu” reflects the owners’ attention to detail with artworks and bonsai. It also has a hinoki wood bath.
A view of the Higashiyama mountains from the rooftop. The ceremonial bonfire on Mt. Daimonji on August 16th can be seen at a distance close enough to catch the slight smell of the smoke.
Higashiyama Shikikaboku
Address: 85-1 Imakojicho, Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto City MAP
Room rates: From ¥60,000 per room per night including breakfast (taxes and service charges included)
Access: 1-min walk from Higashiyama Station on Kyoto City Subway’s Tozai Line

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ONESTORY endeavors to explore various the destinations in Japan and to present the sensibilities brought by the story of the journey.

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