Kyoto: Healing in an Ancient Capital

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🤗 Banyan Tree Higashiyama Kyoto

Kyoto in summer is already full of greenery after a whole spring.

As the car slowly makes its way through Ninen-zaka, where the noisy crowds are located, and then up a very long ramp to the hotel's front door, the Japanese-style garden and the not-so-distant view of the city will immediately quieten your mind. Banyan Tree Kyoto has a unique location, closer to the side of the Higashiyama mountain and a little bit of distance from the city, while the long slope halfway up the mountainside allows many of the rooms to encompass views of the old city.

The iconic wooden structure at the entrance of the hotel, with its extreme aesthetics from renowned architect Kengo Kuma, maximizes the function of beams and columns in architecture and their interconnections.

In addition to the entrance, the Noh theater stage in the courtyard was also designed by Kengo Kuma, fully reflecting the sense of tradition and natural boundaries in the hotel. A Noh theater stage in a hotel is rare in Japan, and Banyan Tree Kyoto Higashiyama is the only hotel in Kyoto to have one to date.

Noh theater has been a traditional Japanese art for 650 years since the Muromachi period, and was declared an Intangible Cultural Heritage by UNESCO in 2008.

Upon entering the lobby, you will be drawn to interior designer Yukio Hashimoto's serene aesthetic, inspired by the traditional concept of “Usui”, which originated in the ancient Chinese ideas of Taoism and Zen but has evolved into a uniquely Japanese aesthetic since its introduction to Japan. It has become an important principle in Japanese art forms such as theater, tea ceremony, flower arrangement and garden design.

The wooden front desk structure varies throughout the day depending on the light and shadow, looking up is another work of art, connecting each other with the beauty of bamboo lines, while the view from the window blends the flowers with the garden, and these ingenious inspirations of the Ukyuen aesthetic are also reflected in the 52 guest rooms and suites.

The beauty of the esoteric often contains a certain ineffable mystery that will not be revealed to you at a glance, but needs to be slowly experienced in meditation and realization.

This beauty transcends the visual and delves into the spiritual, and is a gift from Banyan Tree Kyoto Higashiyama to all who stay here.

There are only 52 rooms and suites in the entire hotel, and each room varies slightly according to the natural landscape, such as the position of the bathtub, the view from the window above the bed, and the form of tatami mats in the whole house, which extends from the corridor all the way to the guest room. When you enter the room, the tatami mats have a straw surface and the faint scent of grass and earth, which is very helpful for sleeping. The reflection of the trees outside the window, reflected by the sunlight, reminds me of the atmosphere of the Tale of Genji.

As a matter of fact, the book also incorporates the beauty of yui xuan into the portrayal of the inner world of the characters and the natural landscape, such as the scene of the courtyard under the moonlit night, the depression of the autumn night and so on, all of which are full of yui xuan's atmosphere.

🤗 Higashiyama Hot Spring

Because of the back of Higashiyama, the hotel in the room introduced a rare natural hot spring in Kyoto city: Higashiyama Onsen, each room has a hinoki specially customized soaking wooden bathtub, this wood is very soft and non-slip, but also comes with a light wooden fragrance, three different flavors of soaking packets can also be selected according to their own preferences, I prefer the yuzu flavor.

In addition to the traditional Japanese hot springs, the hotel has specially prepared wooden clogs and Japanese bathrobes, so you can immerse yourself to start a traditional in-place experience.

On the first floor of the hotel there is even a dedicated Onsen Onsen experience, divided into two baths, indoor and outdoor, which is rare in Kyoto where land is scarce.

If you regularly stay at Banyan Tree hotels, you'll be very familiar with their unique scenting experience, which allows you to start a healing journey through your sense of taste in your room, and many of the hotel rooms are fragranced with Banyan Tree Essence, which is carefully blended by the Banyan Tree brand.

What sets this hotel apart from other extensions is the three botanical oils that are prepared in the guest rooms so you can blend them to your liking.

The flameless aromatherapy diffuser can be placed in the guest room or even hung on your body so that the scent carries on even after you've left.

🤗 Ryoze Restaurant & Bar

The Ryozen restaurant and bar, as it's called, is a nod to the 60-year-old predecessor, Hotel Ryozen, which, if you look it up, would be impossible to imagine a direct link between Hotel Ryozen and today's Banyan Tree, as the designers have cleverly hidden the former hotel's name in the restaurant.

The all-day dining restaurant breakfast is mainly in Japanese style. When you check in, the hotel will book the dining time with you in advance to ensure the freshest taste and dining experience, where you can not only enjoy Kengo Kuma's Noh theatre stage and garden view, but also start your taste buds on a journey with the traditional Japanese breakfast.

The restaurant is good at taking a variety of local ingredients from Kyoto and incorporating the essence of Kyo-Kaiseki cuisine into them. Whether it's a meal with a sake combination or with seasonal mushrooms, the fish is handled very well, and if you're interested, you can even take a Japanese cooking class with the chef, which can be very rewarding.

🤗 Banyan Tree Spa

The globally acclaimed and award-winning Banyan Tree Spa comes to Kyoto. Combining the traditional Banyan Tree Spa's approach to relaxation and well-being with traditional Japanese services, this is an unparalleled experience on the side of the Higashiyama Mountains, especially if you're after a day's shopping and a soak in the hot springs to kick off a physical and mental journey of your own.

During these days at Banyan Tree Higashiyama in Kyoto, I watched the sunset from my room every day, and as time passed, the ancient capital outside was slowly colored red by the setting sun, where architecture and nature lived in harmony, perpetuating the Banyan Tree Group's unique way of nurturing and resting. Traveling is not really the end, it is the beginning of a new world.

🤗 Sense of Place: Noh Theory

The traditional art of Noh in Kyoto dates back to ancient times and flourished most during the Heian period. The Noh stage at Banyan Tree Higashiyama in Kyoto pays homage to traditional Japanese Noh performances, and Noh is an important prop in traditional Japanese theater. With a long history dating back to the Muromachi period (1336-1573), the making of noh is a time-consuming process that involves many steps.

The entire process includes carving, polishing, coloring, and decorating, and hinoki wood is usually used as the main material. After carving, the noh mask maker paints the mask and uses natural mineral pigments for coloring to achieve a realistic effect, and each noh mask is very expensive.

🤗 Recreation Experience: Incense Pilgrimage at Chuen Chung Temple

The temple dates back to the Edo period. It's not a place with a lot of tourists, and I've stopped by before because I went to the Imakuma Kannon Temple on the edge during the maple season, and it turned out to have a serene beauty.

Each temple in Kyoto produces its own incense products with different flavors, most of which are created from the initial worship to help you maintain a sense of serenity and calmness in your life.

Incense Ceremony is not just about savoring the aroma, it is more like a continuation of spiritual culture.

It was popularized from the Song Dynasty in China until it was introduced to Japan at the end of the Heian Period. As the lifestyles of the nobility changed, incense ceremony gradually developed and matured, and Izumiotsuji Temple in Kyoto was not only a sacred place of incense ceremony for the royal family, but also regarded by the members of the royal family as a spiritual support.

At its core lies the unique odor of spices through the sense of smell. Spending a long time meditating and reminiscing after a certain smell, and finally achieving the goal of cultivating the body and mind, is not unlike Banyan Tree's approach to rest and recuperation.

🤗 Takashi Murakami Kyoto Exhibition

Takashi Murakami's “Murakami Aura Kyoto” exhibition, which will end on September 1, even Takashi Murakami himself said, “This is probably the last exhibition I will have in Japan.” So if you have the time recently, it's worth flying to Kyoto to see it, and feel it for yourself.

Takashi Murakami, who has not exhibited in Kyoto for eight years, has been fascinated by the artworks of Kyoto craftsmen of the Edo period since the beginning of his career, and this cultural heritage has survived to this day. In this exhibition, there are more than 170 works, many of which are revealed for the first time, and he has created works of art inspired by Chinese sacred animals, such as the “Green Dragon” and the “White Tiger”. My favorite work is his re-creation of the “Wind and Thunder God Screen” by Sakai Hoichi, an important painter of the Soto Korin school in the Edo period. Contemporary art and tradition coexist harmoniously, as only Kyoto can do.

🤗 No Neighborhood Nunnery (Buddhist temple)

Gardens are the soul of Kyoto, whether it's the three gardens at the Banyan Tree in Higashiyama, Kyoto, or this one, which was only completed in 1896 and was designed by Hajime Ogawa, who was also one of the seventh generation of master gardeners from a well-known horticultural family. The garden was first opened to the public in 1940, and to this day is a sparsely populated attraction in Kyoto. It looks unassuming from the outside, but when you enter, the garden opens up, and it has the subtlety of a garden in the south of the Yangtze River, but it's full of greenery, and it's so healing and green.

🤗 Hotel Etsuyanagi Kyoto Nijojo

Located on the edge of the World Heritage Site of Nijo Castle, this Banyan Tree Group brand hotel opened long before Banyan Tree Higashiyama in Kyoto.

Walking in through a bamboo path, you'll be blown away by the lobby, with floor-to-ceiling glass only to perfect the view of the courtyard from the windows, even more beautiful than the Rurikouin.

A hotel with only 25 rooms, most with terraces and views of Nijo Castle. With a French restaurant of its own, it's a small but beautiful boutique hotel.

🤗 Archi Cafe

Archi Cafe Café and Tavern is inspired by traditional Japanese gardens. The Japanese garden is tucked away in the alleys of Kyoto, so if you don't pay a little attention you'll miss it. The strong wabi-sabi style is very photogenic.

The store was designed by Kyoto-based architectural firm SUPPOSE DESIGN OFFICE, and the overall space is full of modernity and minimalist aesthetics. In addition to coffee and desserts, they also have some of the store's own selection of natural wines, so don't miss it on your next visit to Kyoto.

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Kyoto's healing is something to be experienced in person, in the ancient alleys and lanes, in the life-affirming Kamogawa, and at this just-opened Banyan Tree Kyoto Higashiyama. After summer, Kyoto will have the most beautiful fall of the year, when the city is full of red leaves and even more intoxicating.