BACKGROUND
Four Seasons debuted in Kyoto in 2016 with this 123-room property, which also has 57 residences. The hotel group has two additional hotels in Tokyo (see businesstraveller.com for reviews).
WHERE IS IT?
The hotel lies at the foot of a mountain in the city's Higashiyama district. The main entrance is on Onna-zaka hill, though this is closed from 8am-9am in line with Kyoto Prefectural Road Traffic Regulations, during which time guests must use the residential entrance along Higashioji Street. The hotel is ten minutes from downtown Kyoto, within walking distance of various temples, and a seven-minute drive from Kyoto station, where you can get the Shinkansen bullet train to Tokyo. Osaka International airport is an hour's drive by car.
WHAT'S IT LIKE?
Incredibly serene. The property has been built around the 800-year-old Shakusui-en ikeniwa (pond garden), believed to have belonged to a samurai from the Heian period (794-1185). The 10,000 sqm feature is traversable via stone and tempered glass bridges, with a pagoda at its core and a tea lounge on the western side. During my visit last October, hints of autumnal burgundy foliage were starting to emerge, the reflections camouflaging koi in the pond.
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