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Kyoto, at its best, is a discreet, peaceful city. Yes, it’s majestic - filled with more stately temples and shrines than just about anywhere else on earth. But it’s also tranquil, very much in harmony with the bucolic and fantastical countryside that surrounds it.
At its worst, unfortunately, Kyoto can be a be-trampled victim of its own attractiveness, an untenably busy historic town, its wooden frame creaking under the weight of a million braying tourists.
The last thing Kyoto needs, therefore, is another galumphing luxury hotel pulling up onto its town centre like a Land Rover parked diagonally across the village green. The city has its fair share of international chains, and as you’d expect most of them don’t blend sympathetically into the city. The Ritz-Carlton Kyoto is emphatically not another galumphing luxury hotel. In fact, when you walk into it, it feels more like you’ve strolled aboard the obsidian-black deck of a cloaked spaceship belonging to a civilisation more advanced than our own. Opened in 2014 on the banks of the Kamo river, the Ritz-Carlton sits serenely between the city's commercial centre and the Higashiyama district, a sleek dark shape that complements the landscape instead of blighting it. In fact, maybe its most impressive quality is its ability to be quite so large while also being strangely invisible (helped by the fact it’s kind of built downwards, featuring a couple of subterranean levels).
Why stay at The Ritz-Carlton Kyoto?
I’ve been coming to Kyoto for more than 20 years and have stayed in lots of hotels. Big ones, little ones, posh ones, weird ones that probably shouldn’t have been licensed. The Ritz-Carlton is undoubtedly one of the best. Maybe even the best. Does it represent value for money? Well, that depends on how much you’re willing to shell out, but if phrases like “add black abalone for an extra ¥21,000” don’t fill you with white-hot dread, then this place is a near-unbeatable option.
Obviously, it’s a stunner; impressive but not imposing or garish. The building hovers cormorant-like by the banks of the Kamogawa, Kyoto’s life-sustaining source of fresh water, running down from the sacred mountains to the north. Off the bat: staying here and not getting a room facing the river would be unfortunate, like going to the cinema and sitting in your seat the wrong way. Appropriately, water is a theme flowing through the hotel, from the pools you walk past on your way in, to the three-storey waterfall by the lobby. And what a lobby it is, by the way. A cavernous, low-lit lair of dark timber, natural stone, washi paper textures and intricate kumiko latticework. Intimate yet airy and open. If, in the advent of nuclear winter, society’s wealthiest and most tasteful people had to ‘go underground’, they’d probably do it somewhere that looks like this. Let the surface dwellers burn, we’ve got a Michelin-starred kaiseki restaurant, a subterranean spa complex (with heated 20-metre pool) and 400 works of contemporary Japanese art down here.
What are the rooms like at The Ritz-Carlton Kyoto?
With just 134 guestrooms and suites, the hotel is relatively small by the standards of international luxury properties. This is no bad thing, and in fact adds to that all-important air of exclusivity. Everyone staying here feels like a valued guest, not merely one of 10,000 interchangeable customers. The public areas rarely feel congested and there are plenty of quiet corners, secluded lounges and gardens for you to enjoy a bit of rarified peace and quiet should you need it.
The rooms themselves are large (very large by Japanese standards). Even entry-level ones measure around 50sqm. The layouts allegedly draw inspiration from traditional townhouses, allegedly meaning there’s a progression from entrance to sleeping area. I’m not entirely sure I picked up on that, but pleasingly, the designers haven’t opted for safe-but-dull minimalism and have instead gone for something more involved, with warm colours, natural fibres and subtle patterns and pleasing motifs covering nearly everything from the doors to the carpets. The result is a high-end but surprisingly friendly room. Simmons mattresses on the beds are paired with 600-thread-count Frette linens. Bathrooms are generously proportioned, with deep soaking tubs, separate rainfall showers and marble finishes. Top marks too, for the very premium toiletries courtesy of Diptique (and local soap brand Osaji), as well as the rather stunning lacquered box in which you’ll find all the usual bathroom bits and bobs. Traditional yukata robes are provided.
What's there to eat and drink at The Ritz-Carlton Kyoto?
Rather than presenting a single flagship restaurant, The Ritz-Carlton Kyoto spreads its culinary offering across several venues. The most impressive of these is the Michelin-starred Mizuki, a spectacular dining room divided into four separate sub-restaurants, focusing on sushi, teppan, tempura and kaiseki. We sampled the latter and were immediately impressed by the level of detail and care apparent in every dish. Yes, kaiseki is a time-honoured Japanese dining tradition. However, when it comes to luxury hotels it can, unfortunately, be synonymous with overly fussy service, glacial pacing and misguided ‘artistic’ plating. On our visit the Mizuki steered well clear of any of that, and instead provided a masterclass in creative, hyper-precise cooking, presented with the straightforward confidence of chefs that know how to put the spotlight where it should be: on flavours and texture.
We ate seven courses featuring yuzu-infused tofu, seasonal sashimi, wafer-thin wagyu beef, blowfish soup (featuring blowfish skin!) and an incredible heptet of local delicacies that jostled for our attention on a platter. Service, while friendly, was unobtrusive throughout.
The Mizuki sushi section is particularly striking, featuring as it does, an 11-metre counter finished in Wajima lacquerware. Plates at the kaiseki, meanwhile, are designed by local contemporary artists. So try not to break anything.
Restaurant La Locanda meanwhile, takes a different approach altogether, serving northern Italian cuisine in a timber-paneled dining room. I’m sure it’s very good, but if you’re coming all the way to Kyoto and then eating pasta instead of the Michelin-starred Japanese food being served one room over, you might need your head (or at least taste buds) examined.
As is always the case with luxury hotels, the lobby area has a lounge area that operates as a mini venue in its own right. Traveling companion taking too long to get ready? Why not capitalise on the Ritz-Carlton’s partnership with Pierre Hermé Paris and snaffle a couple of signature croissants down by the entrance? And while we’re on the subject of croissants: the hotel’s breakfast offering is an unstoppable Japanese juggernaut of choice and quality. It would be easy to go overboard on the high-end buffet (featuring bracingly fresh fruit, whole wheels of DOP parmigiano, duck sausages and house-cured salmon) but missing out on the Japanese set breakfast would be a crying shame. A beautifully presented, restorative combination of hot and cold dishes, featuring lobster, beef, pickled vegetables and of course, grilled fish, this is a morning spread no visitor should miss.
What's the service like at The Ritz-Carlton Kyoto?
Very impressive. Staff (both native and western) switch seamlessly between international hospitality standards and the quieter rhythms of Japanese omotenashi, anticipating requests without ever becoming intrusive. My partner was four months pregnant at the time of our visit, and every member of staff was made aware of it in advance. They were all extremely considerate, while at no point making a big deal out of it.
Throughout our stay, service remained consistently polished. Evening turndowns were performed with remarkable attention to detail. Housekeeping was discreet and concierge staff demonstrated the requisite familiarity with Kyoto's restaurants, galleries and seasonal events. The property’s relatively small size also meant all the staff quickly learned our preferences, yet their manner never tipped into performative familiarity.
What's the area like around The Ritz-Carlton Kyoto?
The location is top notch. To the east, a jaunt across the Kamogawa leads into the preserved streets of Gion, while Pontocho's narrow dining alleys sit just a few minutes away. Both of these get extremely busy during peak hours but are astonishingly empty in the evenings. Nishiki Market, Teramachi's shopping arcades and the Kyoto Imperial Palace are all also comfortably reached on foot, making taxis largely unnecessary for first-time visitors.
The river itself is an understated wonder, simultaneously splitting the city in half, and bringing it together, a peaceful point of confluence for dog walkers, ambling school children, joggers, courting couples and students necking tins of Strong Zero. Anyone wanting to know how the pace of life in Kyoto differs from that of Tokyo or Osaka should plonk themselves down for 20 minutes on the banks of the Kamo.
Overall, the Ritz-Carlton’s brand of subtle grandiosity is an appropriate one. Kyoto is synonymous with history, culture and a kind of folksiness not typically found in Japanese cities. The hotel’s relatively compact size (and extremely considerate staff) prevent it from existing at odds with the charming streets and neighbouring small businesses.