Banyan Tree Higashiyama – Kyoto

A sanctuary in the city

Kyoto is perennially popular, both for its exquisite temples and exemplary food. While still a vast city, it is smaller than Tokyo and much easier to navigate, being set out on a grid. During my first visit to Kyoto, I reviewed the Dhawa Yura Kyoto Hotel by Banyan Tree in the centre of town. On my second trip, I returned to this excellent brand without hesitation when invited to visit Banyan Tree Higashiyama. Kyoto is a very stylish city with magnificent temples, museums, local crafts, music, geisha culture and renowned cuisine. Banyan Tree Higashiyama reflects Kyoto’s sophisticated aesthetic. From its perch high in the Higashiyama hills, the hotel, designed by acclaimed architect Kengo Kuma and opened in 2024, exudes five-star luxury.

Higashiyama means ‘eastern mountains’, and the hotel is located above Gion, one of the most popular tourist areas. Yet, due to its position at the top of the hill, Banyan Tree Higashiyama is a true haven of peace and tranquillity. Within a 10-minute walk, we could access many tourist sites, then head back up to the hotel afterwards to rest. Because there is so much to see in Kyoto, it is wise to stay centrally, and this hotel combines a convenient location with a sense of being away from the fray.

Facilities

Arrival at Banyan Tree Higashiyama was a perfect antidote to the traffic below. The taxi left all this behind as it wound up the hill. We entered a chic and calming space, greeted by a bowl of matcha tea and wagashi (traditional Japanese sweets), and gazed out over the hotel garden through floor-to-ceiling glass. The peaceful garden is found at the back of the hotel, overlooking the communal areas and some of the rooms. Visitors can walk amongst its stone walls, mature trees and pond.

On an upper level, guests can explore a small bamboo grove leading up the hillside, which is densely forested. Pride of place is given to a re-imagined Noh theatre stage designed for the site, which creates a beautiful focal point when sitting in the Ryozen restaurant for breakfast or dinner, or relaxing on the patio with a drink. Cultural events take place on the stage at points during the year. Noh theatre occupies a central place in Japanese culture, and this is the only Noh stage in a Kyoto hotel. It is a stunning sight, and cultural events are held here throughout the year.

All around the hotel, we found displays of beautiful crafts in wood, fabric, basketry, and metalwork, along with ceramics. These are specially commissioned from village artisans and the communities benefit with funds for the education of students and the empowerment of women.

Accomodation

The hotel’s interior design is a stylish fusion of Japanese craftsmanship and minimalist aesthetic with Western furnishings, the calling card of designer Yukio Hashimoto. The hotel’s scale creates an intimate feeling with only 52 rooms. There are eight Onsen Retreat rooms with the luxury of a private onsen bath fed by 40-degree hot water from the natural spring running beneath the hotel. Our Onsen Retreat room had a city view, from which we watched the sun set behind the mountains to the west of the city. The tatami-mat room had a large king-sized bed, resplendent with a golden-hued wall behind it that blazed in the late afternoon sun. The bedside tables had a lustrous, golden sheen. There was a large, deep sofa perfect for lounging and reading. This felt particularly luxurious as the previous two weeks had been spent predominantly in traditional Japanese rooms on futons. Needless to say, I had my best sleep of the holiday in this bed. Much as I enjoy traditional Japanese furniture, it was a treat to be welcomed into a bedroom with a Japanese aesthetic and some Western furnishings.

Pride of place in this gorgeous room was a deep, Hiba (Japanese cypress) bathtub. One of the joys of travelling in Japan is the presence of onsen (hot springs) in many hotels, especially those located in hot spring towns which proliferate around the country. These hot springs are full of natural salts and minerals, and the soothing and softening effect on the skin is clearly felt after travelling around for a few weeks. While the hotel has its own beautiful communal onsen – separate for men and women – there is something both romantic and relaxing about having a private onsen in one’s room. It is worth booking this hotel for that aspect alone.

The bathroom was beautifully designed and could be enclosed with traditional shoji sliding screens, which added an evocative atmosphere. Japanese interiors pay exquisite attention to how light enters a space, and these sliding screens – and the timber latticework on the windows – enabled us to enjoy the play of light and shadows.

Alongside the large windows, there was a platformed tatami mat area with two zaisu, traditional legless chairs, and a table set into a foot well, which makes this seating arrangement comfortable. This area had the traditional alcove – a most important feature in a Japanese room – along with a wooden plinth on which sat a monochrome ceramic piece.

Activities

The Banyan Tree Higashiyama takes wellness seriously and encourages guests to participate in activities to boost wellbeing. Your day might begin with yoga overlooking the Japanese gardens and meditation in the bamboo grove. In the evenings, we took a lantern into the bamboo grove where we found special coloured paper on which to write our wishes, which we then tied to a tree. This typically happens when visiting Shinto shrines in Japan, and it was a welcome way to connect with the spiritual side of our stay.

The hotel has a Spa and a communal onsen with both indoor and outdoor sections. Soaking in an outdoor onsen is particularly evocative, putting you in touch not only with the natural hot water but also with rocks, plants and the sounds of nature. The Spa offers a range of treatments that draw on traditional Japanese healing practices and are guided by eight pillars of wellbeing.

Cuisine

Kyoto is renowned for kaiseki – the multi-course Japanese haute cuisine meal that originated in this city in the 16^th century.  At Ryozen restaurant, we were treated to a superb Kaden Kaiseki dinner with course after course following the traditional structure of the kaiseki meal. With a view over the illuminated Noh stage and a sake pairing to accompany our dinner, we were in heaven.

Kaiseki meals adopt three principles which are seasonality of the ingredients, regionality,  and aesthetics. Food is served on exquisite ceramic dishes that change with the seasons. Each kaiseki menu includes five flavours, five colours and five cooking methods. The menu begins with appetisers, and moves on through soup, sashimi, grilled fish or meat, a simmered dish and dessert. Each course brought vibrant colours and subtle flavours to the table. The standout course was meltingly tender, grilled Japanese Wagyu beef served with black pepper salt, fresh wasabi and akegarashi, a Japanese mustard seed matured in soy sauce and mirin, all of which balanced the deep richness of the marbled meat. The rice course is served towards the end of the kaiseki meal so that diners are not overly full. There is always far too much of it to finish, and the chef kindly offered to make us onigiri (rice balls) with the leftovers, which we ate as a tasty snack the following day.

When we returned to Ryozen restaurant for our breakfasts, we were treated to an exceptional spread. One morning, we were served Wagyu shabu shabu, which we cooked while we ate eight beautifully presented appetisers, an artwork in themselves. With dishes including sashimi, steamed crab with soy milk and seasonal dishes with rice and Japanese pickles, the day began with a gustatory feast.  Guests can order a Western or vegetarian breakfast if they prefer.

There are many luxury hotel brands, where no matter what city you are visiting, the aesthetic is much the same. Banyan Tree hotels ground themselves in the city where they are located so that guests can enjoy the local culture, traditions and cuisine. Customer service was outstanding. We encountered a few difficulties with our return flight, and the staff went out of their way to assist. From the warmth of their engagement to the beauty of the hotel and the standard of the facilities, the location and the sense of peace, Banyan Tree Higashiyama was a hotel that we were genuinely sad to leave. Rest was what we needed. We had been on the road for over two weeks; our minds were saturated with new experiences, while our legs were tired out from 20,000 daily steps that are easy to rack up when travelling in Japan. We arrived exhausted, and left feeling restored. Rather than simply finding a luxury hotel for a couple of nights, Banyan Tree Higashiyama felt like a sanctuary.

Banyan Tree Higashiyama Kyoto, 7 Seikanji Ryozan-Cho, Higashiyama Ward, Kyoto 605-0861

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