Kyoto, Japan

Capella Kyoto

Capella Kyoto Photos

Style

Vaunted culture vulture

Setting

Touching Kenninji Temple

Explore

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While its storied Higashiyama neighbours have had many centuries’ headstart, Capella Kyoto is fast establishing itself as a cultural institution, too. Several of its contemporary, shoji-dressed suites overlook Kenninji Temple or a restored geisha-hosting theatre, placing Japanese tradition at your fingertips; as does its fusion fine dining, onsen-graced spa and izakaya-style bar. Your hosts are connected to the community, arranging in-the-know experiences that embrace Kyoto’s culture, irrespective of whether you fancy leaving the hotel or not. 

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A signature cocktail each, plus late check-out until 2pm

Facilities

Photos Capella Kyoto facilities

Need to know

Rooms

89, including 29 suites.

Check–Out

Noon; check-in, 3pm. Late check-out until 2pm is included with your Smith stay; early check-in is subject to availability and an extra charge.

Also

Unfortunately, Capella Kyoto isn’t suitable if you have limited mobility.

At the hotel

Gym, bikes to borrow, charged laundry service and free WiFi throughout. In rooms: smart TV, Bang & Olufsen speaker, air-conditioning, Nespresso coffee machine, tea-making kit, minibar, free bottled water, bathrobes, slippers and Bamford bath products.

Our favourite rooms

Each room and suite at Capella Kyoto spins local design lore into a polished, 21st-century take — kanji-inspired murals crown the beds, walls are inspired by shoji screen doors, and soothing palettes take cues from local flavours, with neutral shades evoking buckwheat soba, dashi broth and short-grain rice. Plump for a bucket-list backdrop in one of the Premier Kings, either overlooking Zen-radiating Kenninji Temple or the restored Miyagawacho Kaburenjo Theatre. To dip your toe further into Japanese culture, opt for an Onsen Suite, which comes with its own, traditional tub for dips à deux.

Spa

Auriga Spa harmonises ancient Japanese rituals with modern wellness, partnering with The Ginza by Shiseido to pamper with bespoke therapies made just for Capella Kyoto. It’s a calming space, made all the more so by its swirled marble and latticed-wood design, and you’ll have access to three private onsens for a dose of hot spring-style soothing, alongside steam and dry saunas.

Packing tips

A taste for tradition: your prized locale puts you in Kyoto’s temple-studded East, where glimpses of geisha and maiko add to its frozen-in-time feel.

Pet‐friendly

Only service dogs are allowed at Capella Kyoto. See more pet-friendly hotels in Kyoto.

Children

Welcome. Double rooms are best for families, or the two-bedroom Capella Suite sleeps six. Babysitting can be arranged on request, and the hotel has cultural experiences that suit all ages.

Sustainability efforts

As part of the brand’s wider efforts, Capella Kyoto eschews single-use plastic; has installed water- and energy-saving devices; uses renewable energy, including solar from its own roof panels; and recycled and repurposed materials from the original school building as part of the hotel’s renovation.

Food and Drink

Photos Capella Kyoto food and drink

Top Table

At the counter in SoNoMa for front-row seats to the chefs; nearer to the garden in Lanterne for a soothing screensaver.

Dress Code

Polished threads in muted hues — Issey Miyake will help achieve that look.

Hotel restaurant

Lanterne takes inspiration from France but brings Japanese flair to its design and cooking, too. Here, days start over a breakfast buffet with made-to-order options, backdropped by the fountain-toting garden, before long lunches and dinners showcase creative takes on classic Gallic fare. A cultural and culinary collaboration, polished SoNoMa by SingleThread brings California’s three-Michelin-star restaurant to this reimagined-teahouse space, spotlighting Kyoto- and Kansai-grown produce across its omakase menu. Izakaya-inspired Yoi puts a modern spin on Kappo cuisine, pairing Japanese comfort food with stellar cocktails in a bar-slung space. The patisserie crafts delicate, seasonal desserts inspired by the city’s rich culture — swing by for afternoon snacks of sweet cakes and SingleThread pastries.

Hotel bar

Yoi takes Japan’s izakaya tradition and elevates it into a polished, restaurant-slash-bar that pays homage to the transformative Showa-era with local tracks from the Seventies and Eighties. Dark-wood interiors feature reclaimed materials from the hotel’s past life as Shinmichi Elementary School, and modern Kappo bites match perfectly with signature cocktails, all made from the region’s locally sourced spirits. 

Last orders

At Lanterne, breakfast is 7am–11am, lunch is noon–2.30pm and dinner is 6pm–9pm. SoNoMa serves dinner 6pm–8pm, Tuesday to Saturday. Yoi opens 5.30pm–midnight; the patisserie, from 11am–7pm.

Room service

Available around the clock.

Location

Photos Capella Kyoto location
Address
Capella Kyoto
130 Komatsucho Higashiyama Ward
Kyoto
605-0811
Japan

Capella Kyoto sits in the Miyagawacho district, next to Gion in the Japanese city’s eastern Higashiyama district, where temples, tea houses and okiya (geisha houses) preserve centuries-old traditions.

Planes

Kansai International Airport is just under a 90-minute drive from the hotel; staff can arrange transfers from JPY135,000.

Trains

Shinkansen (including from Osaka) and local rail routes call at Kyoto Station, a 15-minute drive from Capella Kyoto. Your closest station is Gion-Shijo Station, a five-minute walk, for Keihan Main Line trains.

Automobiles

Most likely you’ll rely on walking, tours and transfers to navigate the city, but should you choose to drive, there’s valet parking at the hotel for JPY5,000 a night.

Worth getting out of bed for

Capella Kyoto acts as a cultural gateway to its storied, history-steeped locale. You could start your day with a private yoga class or meditation at neighbouring Kenninji Temple, followed by a tour of its hallowed grounds and Zen garden. Head to a nearby, generations-old workshop to watch urushi craftsmen at play; marvel at a 150-year-old sandal atelier and its current story-spinning proprietor; or catch a maiko or geisha performance at next-door Miyagawacho Kaburenjo Theatre. There are daily, hotel-led cultural experiences to tap into, and most will suit a range of ages — with arts and crafts, or sake tastings adapted with soft options.

Local restaurants

Intimate Gion Ichiho plates up perfectly sculpted sushi rolls in a typical, counter-anchored dining room. Gyoza Hohei is a master dumpling-maker, elevating this humble offering with crispy fried bases and lashings of garlic; if you’ve still got room for more, head to Premium Pound Gion for high-quality cuts of meat, seared to perfection on a hibachi grill, and Franco-Japanese flavours. 

Local cafés

Kyo ha Matcha de Kimeru will fuel your Kyoto strolls with its vibrant-green iced matcha lattes, red-bean-paste taiyaki (fish-shaped cake) and soft-serve ice cream. 

Local bars

Night caps at speakeasy-style L’Escamoteur come with a side of drama — expect smoke and flames — but the theatrics don’t distract from the quality of its cocktails. If sipping on whisky high balls or barley shochu while listening to curated vinyl is your idea of a dream evening, make a beeline for Good Morning Record Bar.

Reviews

Photos Capella Kyoto reviews

Anonymous review

By Mr & Mrs Smith

Every hotel featured is visited personally by members of our team, given the Smith seal of approval, and then anonymously reviewed. As soon as our reviewers have returned from this soothing, city hotel in Japan and unpacked their ceramic chopstick holders and temple-given fortunes, a full account of their bathed-in-culture break will be with you. In the meantime, to whet your wanderlust, here's a quick peek inside Capella Kyoto… 

Capella Kyoto’s Higashiyama standing used to be a primary school, no longer needed due to Japan’s ageing population. But the globally renowned brand hopes to continue its legacy as a place of learning. 

The first lesson is from renowned Japanese architect Kengo Kuma, who designed the hotel’s polished space with seasonally changing textiles, shoji-sliding doors and latticed timber structures. Most bedrooms watch over the Kenninji Temple or Miyagawacho Kaburenjo Theatre, places of rich cultural significance that means Capella sometimes welcomes geisha, maiko and monks for exclusive performances and rituals. 

Swing by the onsen-blessed spa for a steamy soak or luxe Shiseido treatment, before heading to the izakaya-inspired bar or creative patisserie — all for educational purposes, of course. And its award-winning restaurants are a study in how to spin fresh, thoughtfully sourced produced into locale-nodding omakase plates. 

The school of thought at Capella Kyoto is one we can most certainly get behind. 

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