{"id":17462,"date":"2026-05-05T15:14:06","date_gmt":"2026-05-05T15:14:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/17462\/"},"modified":"2026-05-05T15:14:06","modified_gmt":"2026-05-05T15:14:06","slug":"the-mitsui-kyoto-cn-traveller","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/17462\/","title":{"rendered":"The Mitsui, Kyoto | CN Traveller"},"content":{"rendered":"

Why book?
For a taste of Kyoto<\/a> through a fresh prism. Sleek rooms were designed by Andr\u00e9 Fu, there\u2019s a central courtyard garden that pivots around a huge cherry tree<\/a>, and expansive hot-spring onsen pools in the basement.<\/p>\n

Set the scene
Just opposite 17th-century Nij\u014d Castle, this hotel was created by a dream-team roll-call of creatives, from Hong Kong<\/a>-based Andr\u00e9 Fu, who oversaw The Upper House<\/a> in his home city and Villa La Coste<\/a> in Provence<\/a>, to Japanese architect Akira Kuryu. The atmosphere is sedate, with a hint of old-school Kyoto tempered by crafted touches: the abstract folds of a ceramic sculpture in the lobby, a walkway of countless wooden arches, a clean-lined modern echo of the city’s famed maze of gates at Fushimi Inari Shrine.<\/p>\n

The backstory
The ornate wooden gateway that guests pass through upon arrival offers a hint of its history: it once marked the entrance to the Kyoto residence of the Mitsui clan (household names in Japan<\/a>, who went on to found a slew of powerhouse corporations). The land fell out of Mitsui hands in 1945, before, in a serendipitous twist, it was purchased by their real estate company in 2015 \u2013 paving the way for its reinvention as the Mitsui hotel flagship.<\/p>\n

The rooms
The 161 rooms, designed by Fu, are as serene as the site is historic: abstract water motifs and swathes of birch wood sit alongside touches of Kyoto craftsmanship \u2013 perhaps a wabi-sabi bowl, or a pot of moss. Some have views of Nij\u014d Castle; others overlook the garden or the Kyoto skyline. Hardcore onsen lovers will also be in heaven \u2013 there are two sleek Onsen Suites with private baths in the basement for overnight stays.<\/p>\n

Food and drink
Two restaurants overlook the centre-stage garden. Signature Toki is an elegant treat, with its long teppan counter where chef Tetsuya Asano, fresh from Paris<\/a>, works his magic fusing French fine dining with Japanese touches such as smoked salmon marinated in white miso. More laid-back all-day spot Forni has a tasty Italian menu \u2013 and is already popular for its deliciously wafer-light and crispy oven-baked pizzas. The Garden Bar is worth a daytime visit for its special afternoon tea<\/a>, showcasing Kyoto tea tools; and a nocturnal pitstop, for a restorative Kira cocktail, a mesh of bamboo-grass-infused Kyoto gin, orange bitters and h\u014djicha tea leaves.<\/p>\n

The spa
It\u2019s all about pampering in the basement. The Thermal Spring Spa has expansive black-walled onsen pools (for both men and women: don\u2019t forget to bring your swimsuit), its warming waters scattered among dimly lit rock boulders. There are also four treatment rooms, with highlights including a traditional Japanese-inspired massage using aromatic rose-petal oil.<\/p>\n

The neighbourhood
Nij\u014d Castle, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is located just opposite, on the other side of wide Horikawa Street. Countless other attractions<\/a> are within walking distance, from Kyoto Imperial Palace to the grid-lined streets of Sanjo.<\/p>\n

The service
The hotel lives up to Kyoto\u2019s reputation as home to Japan\u2019s finest omotenashi \u2013 that intuitive art of hospitality. A team of young, smiling staff, many in exquisite seasonal kimonos, take care of guests \u2013 offering greetings, performing tea ceremonies and showing them around the hotel.<\/p>\n

For families
There is a very grown-up atmosphere here (it seems to attract a slightly older Japanese crowd), although families and children of all ages are also regularly spotted and are clearly welcome.<\/p>\n

Eco effort
Bathroom products are made of recyclable aluminium packaging and Toki restaurant is committed to reducing waste \u2013 one of the puddings is flavoured with waste wood shavings of hinoki cypress from a local wood craftsman.<\/p>\n

Accessibility for those with mobility impairments
There is one wheelchair accessible room on the ground floor and the Italian restaurant Forni is wheelchair accessible.<\/p>\n

Anything left to mention?
It\u2019s worth reserving a complimentary art<\/a> tour, conducted by the impeccably mannered ambassadors, highlighting the countless artistic details around the hotel that might otherwise go unnoticed.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Why book?For a taste of Kyoto through a fresh prism. Sleek rooms were designed by Andr\u00e9 Fu, there\u2019s…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":17463,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[8,151,1912],"class_list":{"0":"post-17462","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-kyoto","8":"tag-japan","9":"tag-kyoto","10":"tag-web"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17462","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17462"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17462\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/17463"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17462"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17462"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17462"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}