On March 5, 2026, the Imperial Hotel Kyoto opened in Gion, Kyoto. It is a small luxury hotel with 55 rooms, utilizing a portion of the Yasaka Kaikan (a nationally registered tangible cultural property) located on the grounds of the Gion Kobu Kaburenjo, the venue for the Miyako Odori, a group dance by geiko and maiko.
This marks the Imperial Hotel's first new opening in 30 years and its fourth hotel.

The facilities include "Neri," a French restaurant that is the first in the Imperial Hotel to introduce a counter-style dining system and is open to non-guests as well; "Yasaka," an all-day dining restaurant where you can enjoy wood-fired oven cuisine; and "Old Imperial Bar," which inherits the design of the second Imperial Hotel main building. In addition, there is "The Rooftop," which is only available to hotel guests. I was simply overwhelmed by the space and design that I encountered at the press preview held before the opening.

A project to preserve history and culture for the future

Yasaka Kaikan, a beloved landmark of Gion, is a historic building constructed approximately 90 years ago. It was initially used for a wide range of entertainment, including plays and Bunraku puppet theater, and later as a movie theater and dance hall.

It was designated as a nationally registered tangible cultural property in 2001, and as a Kyoto City historic scenic structure in 2011, but has not been used in recent years due to the building's deterioration and earthquake resistance issues.

The Imperial Hotel Kyoto undertook a large-scale preservation and renovation project, which involved changing the use of the interior from a theater to a hotel while preserving the appearance of the former Yasaka Kaikan, as well as constructing new buildings.

The design was by Tokusaburo Kimura of Obayashi Corporation, who was known at the time as a master of theater architecture, and the construction was also handled by Obayashi Corporation. The company also handled the design and construction of the current renovation of the Imperial Hotel Kyoto. It seems that the construction was fraught with many difficulties and challenges.

The Imperial Hotel Kyoto is made up of two buildings: the "Main Building," which is a preserved and renovated version of the Yasaka Kaikan Hall, and the "North Building," which was added to the site. The Yasaka Kaikan Hall has one basement floor and five above-ground floors, and is 31.5 meters tall. This height was the biggest hurdle.

The Gion-machi South district, where the Yasaka Kaikan is located, is designated as a historical landscape preservation and restoration area. Therefore, new construction is restricted by city ordinance to a height of 12 meters or less. To maintain the current height, a renovation plan was proposed that preserves the south and west exterior walls and part of the structure of the building, visible from Hanamikoji Street, a busy tourist area, in an L-shape. This plan was recognized as having excellent architectural design, and an exception was granted.
The Imperial Hotel Kyoto was reborn as a seven-story building with two basement floors, while maintaining its height of 31.5 meters. The newly constructed north wing is kept below the height limit of 12 meters.

Additionally, due to the location in the Gion teahouse district, construction planning had to be carried out carefully. Gion has many narrow paths and is a busy area with many people passing through, both day and night. Not only did they have to consider construction noise, but they also had to be extremely careful when bringing in heavy machinery.

Two exterior walls and part of the structure, completed approximately 90 years ago, were preserved, the copper-tiled roof was restored, and the tiles were removed one by one and reused in a "living capture" process. Because the tiles, exposed to the elements, were brittle, about 10% of the total, approximately 16,000 tiles, were secured and reused on the exterior walls. While retaining the atmosphere of the original "Yasaka Kaikan," the building has been enhanced in terms of functionality and safety, and has begun to carve out a new chapter in its history as the Imperial Hotel.

The total project cost was approximately 124 billion yen. Thanks to the understanding and cooperation of the neighbors, a new Imperial Hotel, representing Japan, was born while preserving the value and beauty of the Yasaka Kaikan.

"Materials and designs that tell history" created by the New Materials Research Institute

The interior design was handled by the "New Material Research Institute," headed by contemporary artist Hiroshi Sugimoto and architect Tomoyuki Sakakida. Their concept is "old things become new," and they excel at utilizing traditional Japanese natural materials and construction methods. The hotel's interior, too, preserves as much as possible of Japanese culture, traditional materials, and the history and atmosphere of the Yasaka Kaikan, resulting in a truly unique space.

This attention to detail can be seen not only in the exterior but also in every detail inside the building.
The entrance canopy features an arrangement of the hemp leaf pattern used on the wall above the curtain during the Yasaka Kaikan era. The etched glass in the vestibule ceiling uses the original glass from the Yasaka Kaikan era, and the columns are adorned with Rosso Broccatelo marble, quarried in northern Italy, just as it was back then.

As per one of the design concepts advocated by the New Materials Research Institute, "materials and designs that tell a story of history," the building incorporates stone and wood materials from various parts of Japan, including those previously used in the Yasaka Kaikan.

One of these is Taminashi stone, quarried on Okinoerabu Island. Because it is marble made from marine sediments such as coral, it is possible to find fossils of marine life. This stone was used in the VIP room of the Yasaka Hall at the time.
Furthermore, to express the essence of the Imperial Hotel, many traces of the second Imperial Hotel main building (the Wright Building), designed by architect Frank Lloyd Wright, can be seen throughout the building, one of which is Oya stone. In addition, domestically produced marble and other materials are used in various spaces.

The museum also features many fine domestic woods, including cherry, zelkova, chestnut, and cedar, as well as Jindai cedar and Jindai zelkova, "buried trees" that survived in the ground without rotting. This is a treasure trove of rare materials cultivated in Japan, and it feels as though we can receive a great deal of energy from the overwhelming power and natural mystery they possess.

The Imperial Hotel's first tatami room. The view of the Kaburenjo Theater and the teahouse district is a luxury you can only find here.

The hotel has a total of 55 guest rooms. Of these, eight rooms in the North Wing feature tatami mats, a first for the Imperial Hotel. This design was adopted to harmonize with the scenery of the tea houses lining Hanamikoji Street.

And above all, the beauty of the view of the Kabuki theater, the teahouse district, and the Higashiyama area from the windows of the guest rooms located in the main building is the ultimate luxury.

Of particular note is the "Imperial Suite" (accommodation fee: 3,000,000 yen (tax and service charge included, accommodation tax not included, price subject to change)). This is the highest-priced room at the Imperial Hotel Kyoto. In addition to the 128 square meter room, the 65 square meter terrace has a gazebo that was formerly a stairwell, creating a spacious area that feels like a second living room.

What personally captivated me was the "Heritage Junior Suite" (from 284,700 yen per night, including tax and service charge, excluding accommodation tax), which offers a direct view of the Kabuki theater building and its sign from the window. This view is truly special and can only be experienced from this room.

Four facilities where you can experience the Imperial Hotel Kyoto

The Imperial Hotel Kyoto has three facilities that can be used even if you are not staying overnight.

One of the highlights is "Neri," a counter-style French restaurant, a first for the Imperial Hotel. Dishes are prepared right in front of you, allowing you to enjoy the aromas and sounds of the ingredients up close, creating a lively dining experience. The space is designed to allow you to enjoy the stories behind the ingredients as well.

The other is the all-day dining restaurant "Yaei." The restaurant's main feature is its wood-fired oven. By cooking over a fire, the aroma of charcoal is transferred to the ingredients, creating a deep flavor.

The "Yasaka Burger" (¥4,100 including tax and service charge), finished in a wood-fired oven, is a hamburger that combines Kujo leeks and a special sauce, with Kyoto-style ingredients as accents. The "Yasaka Curry" is a blend of curry roux that has been used at Imperial Hotels in Tokyo and Osaka, finished to have a Kyoto flavor. Adding meat grilled in a wood-fired oven gives the curry a charcoal aroma that adds depth to it. (¥4,700 including tax and service charge) In addition to this, you can also enjoy the Imperial Hotel's traditional "American Clubhouse Sandwich" and "Imperial Pancakes".

Open from 17 PM until late at night, the Old Imperial Bar is a sophisticated space where adults can enjoy Kyoto's nightlife at their leisure. They serve "Mount Hiei," a reimagining of the original cocktail "Mount Fuji," which has been loved at the Imperial Hotel for over 100 years, using matcha green tea and yuzu citrus from Mizuo.

If you go up the stairs from there, you will find "The Rooftop," which is exclusively available to guests. It is closed in winter and during bad weather, but it offers a spectacular view of the roofs of Kiyomizu-dera Temple, Heian Shrine, and Mount Hiei.

Luxury hotels have been popping up one after another in recent years, but this hotel is special and cannot be described simply as a luxury hotel. Not only is it filled with materials and art that can only be found here, but you also get the feeling that you are immersed in the flow of time that has nurtured Japan's history.

It's not in a price range that would make it easy to stay there casually, but it's a hotel that makes me strongly feel that it's a place that Japanese people should see at least once.

Text by Yuko Taniguchi