Sowaka — Kyoto, Japan

Sowaka Bedroom
(Image credit: sowaka.com)

Kyoto’s Gion neighbourhood has long drawn locals and culture-vultures alike for its storied collection of period architecture, teahouses and bijoux shrines, but the 23-bedroom Sowaka is – once you step through its inconspicuous façade and into the stone threshold – a certified head-turner.

Named for the Sanskrit blessing at the end of Buddhist sutras, the ryokan-style hotel has, thanks to the careful ministrations of local architect Shigenori Uoya, retained the footprint and bones of the original teahouse that stood on the site.

The patina of a ryokan – tatami mats and sliding paper doors, and kimono’d staff gently swishing through the mood-lit corridors – is layered over original oval windows that frame tranquil tableaus of rock gardens and moss-covered trees.

Modernity gently intrudes by way of low-slung chairs, cashmere and camel hair mattresses, and in-house restaurant La Bombance, an outpost of the Tokyo original where head chef Tadahiko Urimori parlays seasonal produce into luscious edible works of art.§

Sowaka Hotel Room with green chairs and balcony

(Image credit: sowaka.com)

Sowaka bathroom

(Image credit: sowaka.com)

Sowaka Bedroom

(Image credit: sowaka.com)

Sowaka Seating Area with grey interior

(Image credit: sowaka.com)

Sowaka bedroom with grey, white and brown ineterior

(Image credit: sowaka.com)

Sowaka restaurant

(Image credit: sowaka.com)

INFORMATION

Website

ADDRESS

480 Kiyoi-cho
Yasaka Toriimae-sagaru
Shimogawara
Higashiyama
Kyoto

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Daven Wu is the Singapore Editor at Wallpaper*. A former corporate lawyer, he has been covering Singapore and the neighbouring South-East Asian region since 1999, writing extensively about architecture, design, and travel for both the magazine and website. He is also the City Editor for the Phaidon Wallpaper* City Guide to Singapore.