KYONOYADO GEKKŌAN

These are two renovated Kyoto machiya houses, a West Wing Luxury Suite and an East Wing Garden Suite. They are both over 100 years old, and each limited to one group of guests per day. Both rooms are decorated with exquisite traditional Kyoto crafts while maintaining the Kyoto machiya style, providing a relaxing stay and a heartwarming feeling of the “Japanese home.”

The entrance to the West Wing is decorated with a painting of the “Wind and Thunder Gods.” It was made by a long-established traditional gold leaf craft manufacturing company with a history of over 300 years in Kyoto, using only gold, silver, and platinum. The floor is covered with Oribe ware tiles, which were created by a ceramic artist in Kyoto and which only a few Kyoto institutions are allowed to use. The deep blues, greens, and yellows are produced through repeated coloring and firing. The bedroom is decorated with striking blue karakami paper. It was made by a karakami master from a company in Kyoto that has been making karakami for more than 400 years. Printmaking techniques are used, but these are not prints that can be mass-produced. It is a work of art that took more than two years to create. The blue paint contains mica, and the work turns deep blue at night and pale blue in the morning. The West Wing is certified as a “good place to sleep,” which is a difficult certification to obtain.

At the entrance of the East Wing, guests are greeted by a fascinating mural painted by a famous Kyoto artist. The painting is of the same design as the lotus that symbolizes paradise in Shōren-in Temple in Kyoto. The guest rooms are three connected Japanese-style rooms that can accommodate up to four guests. In the inner tsuboniwa garden, decorated with moss and maple trees, there is lantern, and the sound of water cascading down from a kakei water pipe to a tsukubai stone washbasin is soothing and invites guests to enjoy the seasonal atmosphere.

Guests are warmly greeted by your dedicated concierge, who will offer sightseeing advice and provide dining arrangements for everything from in-room dining with Kyoto-style kaiseki cuisine prepared by a long-established ryotei restaurant to recommending and booking outside restaurants. For breakfast, you can choose between traditional vegetarian Japanese cuisine or Western cuisine from a bakery that has been in business for 100 hundred years.

In the heart of Japan’s ancient capital, be surrounded by art, history, comfort, and hospitality in a unique setting filled with the spirit of Kyoto’s arts and crafts.

This highly rated ryokan consistently ranks at the top (either first or second) of Booking.com. With 265 reviews, it holds an impressive satisfaction score of 9.9, ranking secnd out of 787 properties in Kyoto. It has a perfect comfort rating of 10.0 and a staff rating of 10.0. *As of August 30, 2024.

Gekkōan is a traditional Kyoto machiya-style townhouse located in the heart of Kyoto City, that lets you stay as if you live there. Be the next to experience the best of hospitality in this exquisite space.

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