Ace Hotel Kyoto is hosting an original drawing exhibition, 'The Joy of Travel, The Colors of Travel,' by Samiro Yunoki, a preeminent dyer in Japan. This is a precious opportunity to experience the rich creative world of Yunoki, who passed away in 2024 at the age of 101. The exhibition runs from Monday, September 1, 2025, to Friday, October 31, 2025.

Samiro Yunoki encountered 'Mingei' (Japanese folk craft) in 1946, shortly after the war, and embarked on his path in dyeing. Since then, he has continued his creative activities for many years, building a unique world of expression with vibrant colors and bold compositions. His works are housed in museums both in Japan and abroad and have received high acclaim.

This exhibition of original drawings features a collection of works born from the people, landscapes, and cultures Yunoki encountered during his travels in Europe, India, and various regions of Japan. It offers a journey through Yunoki's creative trajectory, where memories and colors intersect.

For Ace Hotel Kyoto, the venue for this event, Yunoki holds a special significance. He was responsible for many of the visuals that symbolize the brand, including the hotel logo and artwork in the guest rooms. This exhibition allows visitors to experience the power of art that breathes life into daily life and travel through their senses, while also touching upon Yunoki's deep connection with the hotel.

A commemorative reception party is also scheduled for 6:00 PM on September 5. Books and merchandise related to Samiro Yunoki from Heibonsha will be sold at the lobby's retail shop.

In conjunction with the original drawing exhibition, a limited-time "Afternoon Tea Journeying with Samiro Yunoki by Ace Hotel Kyoto" will be offered. The menu expresses Yunoki's travel inspirations through dishes, combining colorful savories inspired by global food cultures with sweets made with luxurious Kyoto-based Ippodo Tea's matcha and hojicha.

This promises to be a special time, allowing guests to feel Yunoki's warm personality and aesthetic sensibility, as he cherished his tea time. For 5,000 yen on weekdays and 6,000 yen on weekends and holidays (service charge and tax included), enjoy unlimited coffee, tea, and Ippodo teas.

As a collaborative project with the special exhibition "100 Years of Mingei's Birth - The Beauty of Everyday Life Woven by Kyoto" held concurrently at the Kyoto City KYOCERA Museum of Art, a limited accommodation plan including exhibition tickets is also available. Guests can fully enjoy the art and culture-infused autumn in Kyoto, while immersing themselves in the stencil-dyed works and playful amenities scattered throughout the hotel.

This is a valuable opportunity to experience the colorful world left by the master in autumn in Kyoto. It is an unmissable event not only for art fans but also for those seeking to discover new cultural charms of Kyoto.

Samiro Yunoki | YUNOKI SAMIRO
Dyer. Born in Tabata, Tokyo in 1922. Entered Tokyo Imperial University (now the University of Tokyo) in 1942 to study art history. Drafted into military service the following year. After being demobilized to Tamashima, Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture, he entered the field of dyeing after encountering Soetsu Yanagi's "Mingei" and Keisuke Serizawa's calendar. In 1972, he became a professor at Joshibi University of Art and Design, and in 1987, he was appointed president, a position he held until his retirement in 1991. While creating numerous works such as stencil-dyed fabrics and dyed pictures, he also engaged in painting, printmaking, picture books, and three-dimensional works, holding many solo exhibitions at museums in Japan and abroad, including the Japan Folk Crafts Museum. In 2014, 80 of his works were acquired by the Guimet Museum, National Museum of Asian Arts, Paris. In 2022, he received the "2021 Mainichi Design Award." Major collections and books include "Samiro Yunoki: Works," "The Joy of Travel" (both published by Yobisha), "Samiro Yunoki's Travel Notebook: Admiring Medieval Art," and "Samiro Yunoki: The Joy of Travel, The Colors of Travel" (both published by Heibonsha). Passed away in 2024 (aged 101). Influenced by his father, the Western-style painter Kyuta Yunoki, from childhood, he harbored a longing for Europe, including Paris. In 1967, after receiving much guidance from Keisuke Serizawa and his friend Takashi Yohara, he traveled through various European countries for approximately two months. Since then, he has traveled to the UK, India, Morocco, Portugal, Kenya, Ethiopia, the United States, Mexico, Germany, Switzerland, and various parts of Japan, leaving behind memories in diaries, sketches, and handmade albums. Yunoki created the logo for Ace Hotel Kyoto, artwork for guest rooms, and the noren curtains for the lobby and coffee shop. The guest room art and playful amenities he designed, along with the stencil-dyed works scattered throughout the hotel, symbolize the hotel's deep respect for art and cultural exchange.