Imperial Hotel Kyoto: The Decision to 'Not Change'

TRAVEL | Imperial Hotel Kyoto

Cities, as they are renewed, gradually lose their individuality. It is no longer unusual to encounter similar landscapes wherever one goes. While accepting these changes, there remains a sense of unease. It was an event that evoked such feelings that occurred in Gion in March 2026: the opening of the Imperial Hotel Kyoto. This project, a significant milestone in the hotel scene this year, is based on preserving the vestiges of the historic Yasa-Kaikan building and not altering the townscape. The approach chosen for its realization was different from demolition and new construction. It was a decision to identify what should be preserved, reconfigure it, and pass it on. This is neither about preserving the past as it is, nor about making everything new. It suggests what luxury signifies today.

Text by MIO AMARI

Design Inheriting Gion's Landscape and Memory

Walking through the streets of Gion, one might not immediately realize there is a new hotel. The building, standing on Hanamikoji Street, retains the exterior of the Yasa-Kaikan, a nationally registered tangible cultural property, and blends into the townscape.

The Imperial Hotel Kyoto, which opened in March 2026, was born from the inheritance of this historic building. Yet, stepping inside, the impression changes. The interior reveals a depth unimaginable from the exterior, with all 55 guest rooms measuring over 50 square meters. Beyond the windows, the Gion cityscape unfolds with its continuous tiled roofs. Beyond that, the Higashiyama mountains overlap. While retaining the feel of the town, there is a stillness as if the air itself has become clearer.

Photo by GO TANABE
Guest rooms overlook Higashiyama beyond the tiled roofs, drawing the essence of Gion into the interior.

The first thing one notices within the hotel is the density of materials. The entrance features Oya-ishi stone, used by Frank Lloyd Wright in the second Imperial Hotel's main building. As one proceeds, Italian red marble, Tandai-ishi, and Kitaki-ishi stones are complemented by exquisite woods such as zelkova, cedar, Tochigi, chestnut, and Japanese cherry, incorporated into walls, fixtures, and furniture. The coexistence of materials from different times and places alters their feel and how light falls upon them, imbuing the space with character.

Photo by GO TANABE
The guest lounge faces a small garden. Behind the concierge desk in the background are sliding doors depicting pine and bamboo, designed by Hiroshi Sugimoto.

The interior design was handled by the New Material Research Laboratory, led by contemporary artist Hiroshi Sugimoto and architect Tomoyoshi Sakakida (※※). Guided by the philosophy that "old is new," the laboratory has inherited Japanese materials and techniques into the present day. At the Imperial Hotel Kyoto, they have shaped the space not through ornamentation, but through sensory experiences of light, shadow, and touch.

※'Shin' with 'tree' radical

Photo by GO TANABE
The first tatami-floored guest rooms in the Imperial Hotel, located in the north wing.

The Yasa-Kaikan was designed by Tokuzaburo Kimura (Obayashi Corporation), a master of theater architecture, and was once a vibrant entertainment venue. It was rooted in Gion Kobu, a geisha district, and built with funds pooled by geiko and maiko. The proprietress of the Gion teahouse 'Kyoya' states, "The Yasa-Kaikan, born from the value of refined hospitality by maiko and geiko, is in a sense their alter ego."

Provided by Yasaka Jogakuen
The Yasa-Kaikan, completed in 1936. Its distinctive features include a tiered facade with Japanese design elements and a layered roof.

However, this building, also designated as a nationally registered tangible cultural property, had seismic resistance issues. Preservation or reconstruction? While various options were considered, the Imperial Hotel chose a method called "preservation demolition." Obayashi Corporation, responsible for design and construction, adopted an unprecedented approach: dismantling the interior while retaining the exterior walls on the south and west sides facing Hanamikoji Street, and the building's framework, then adding new spaces. This was a choice made to maintain the original height of 31.5 meters. If the site were cleared, Kyoto City ordinances would limit building height to 12 meters, fundamentally changing the Gion landscape.

Not changing the Gion landscape is not merely an issue of scenery. It is also a sign of respect for the time accumulated in this place and the lives of its people. The Imperial Hotel Kyoto made the decision not to preserve the building itself, but to inherit the meaning it held. This decision reaffirms the Imperial Hotel's stance, guided by the philosophy that "tradition is always accompanied by innovation."

Photo by GO TANABE
Terracotta (pictured) and tiles from the time of completion were carefully removed, and those in good condition have been utilized.

This philosophy permeates the experience within the hotel. The French restaurant, the first counter-style in the Imperial Hotel's history, allows guests to witness the chefs' movements up close, transforming dining from something "served" to something "savored on the spot." This sensation somewhat echoes how the Yasa-Kaikan once welcomed people as a theater.

Photo by GO TANABE
French restaurant 'Ren,' where traditional plastering techniques breathe life into the interior. In addition to counter seating, there are private rooms.

At the rooftop bar, one can gaze at the Gion cityscape and the distant silhouette of the Higashiyama mountains. By being in this place, where aristocrats once admired the moon, one's perception of the scenery subtly shifts.

Provided by Imperial Hotel Kyoto
The exclusive rooftop bar for guests.

In the underground pool, a space adorned with massive Kitaki-ishi stones gently warps the sense of time, directing one's consciousness inward amidst a silence cut off from the outside world. In the tatami-floored rooms in the north wing, the low vantage point fosters a feeling of living within the Gion town.

Photo by GO TANABE
The pool, filled with a serene atmosphere that makes one forget they are beneath Gion.

What is experienced here is not novelty itself. Rather, it is a time to turn one's attention to what already exists and to re-appreciate its value. The decision not to change is not about remaining in the past. It is about discerning what to preserve and what to renew. It is in the accumulation of these efforts that luxury suitable for the present era lies.