
Destinations · 12 min
Ryokans & temple gardens
Kyoto's hotel landscape is unique in Japan: alongside international marques (Four Seasons, The Ritz-Carlton, Aman, The Mitsui) sit traditional ryokan inns — Hiiragiya, Tawaraya, Hoshinoya Kyoto — some of which have operated continuously for more than four hundred years. Both traditions reward equally; choosing one is the traveller's first decision.