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.§
INFORMATION
ADDRESS
480 Kiyoi-cho
Yasaka Toriimae-sagaru
Shimogawara
Higashiyama
Kyoto
-
All-In is the Paris-based label making full-force fashion for main character dressingPart of our monthly Uprising series, Wallpaper* meets Benjamin Barron and Bror August Vestbø of All-In, the LVMH Prize-nominated label which bases its collections on a riotous cast of characters – real and imagined
-
Maserati joins forces with Giorgetti for a turbo-charged relationshipAnnouncing their marriage during Milan Design Week, the brands unveiled a collection, a car and a long term commitment
-
Through an innovative new training program, Poltrona Frau aims to safeguard Italian craftThe heritage furniture manufacturer is training a new generation of leather artisans
-
A new book captures the kitschy allure of Japanese ‘love hotels’For his latest project, French photographer François Prost documents the whimsical façades that characterise these erotic roadside venues.
-
All aboard the world’s most luxurious train journeysStay on track with our pick of the most luxurious train journeys around the world, whether in 1920s-style opulence or contemporary chic
-
Wallpaper* checks in at Hoshino Resorts KAI Akiu: a soothing onsen hotelIn Japan’s bucolic northeast, Hoshino Resorts KAI Akiu breathes new life into a sleepy hot spring village without betraying its ancient roots
-
Shake off the winter chill at these design-led onsen hotels in JapanWhether you’re heading to the mountains of Hokkaido or the alleys of Kyoto’s Gion district, these immaculately designed onsen hotels will keep the shivers at bay
-
The new hotels you’ll want to stay at in 2025Where to stay in 2025? Let six of the most-read-about hotel openings of the past 12 months inspire your escape – from a tiny Tokyo bolthole to a Tanzanian safari retreat
-
2025 getaways: where Wallpaper* editors will be travelling to this yearFrom the Japanese art islands of Naoshima and Teshima to the Malaysian tropical paradise of Langkawi, here’s where Wallpaper* editors plan to travel to in 2025
-
The most whimsical hotel Christmas trees around the worldWe round up the best hotel Christmas tree collaborations of the year, from an abstract take in Madrid to a heritage-rooted installation in Amsterdam
-
Six brilliant bars for your 2025 celebrations, hot off the Wallpaper* travel deskWallpaper’s most-read bar reviews of the year can't be wrong: here’s inspiration for your festive and new year plans, from a swanky Las Vegas lounge to a minimalist London drinking den
