This reimagined ryokan is Kyoto’s most stylish stay

Blissfully unique. Rooted in traditional architecture, you’re most likely to do as I did and gasp, “wow” upon walking into any of Sowaka’s 23 rooms. Why? Everything about them screams character, offering a welcome sight that instantly sets it apart from the hotel’s nearby corporate neighbours.

Digs are split across the main old house and a newly constructed demi-palace built from the ground up by acclaimed local architect Shigenori Uoya. Plaster walls, washi paper windows and cute alcoves, garden vistas, and roomy wooden tubs sum up the main building’s boudoirs, while minimal clean-lined interiors, abstract textiles and angular window frames eyeing Kyoto’s rooftops headline Uoya’s more modern offering.

Beds are ultra-comfy and made in the Iwata Prefecture using top-notch quality natural wool. And yes, millennials and Gen Z, mod-cons are also part of the deal in these blast-from-the-past chambers, from high-speed USB ports to rapid heating and air-conditioning amenities.

Well, there’s a Michelin star on the table, thanks to the hotel’s destination restaurant Gion Loka, sister to Tokyo’s famed fine dining hotspot of the same name. While this may sound a little formal, it’s very refreshingly relaxed on all counts with its omakase-style grub served and plated with smiles and good chat.

On the menu, expect traditional Kyoto cuisine in the form of 10 eye-bulging courses. As it’s all seasonal, the menu changes regularly, but expect cyclical seafood from crab to tuna, veg (pickle is a staple in these parts), and tender meats beautifully presented in bric-a-brac crockery. Finish it all off with sake, naturally, though if you are a novice like me, take the sommeliers’ advice, as the selection can be daunting.

Come breakfast, you can either go full-on Japanese or continental, in the form of the usual eggs, sausage, fresh juices and more. Our advice is to go for the more traditional option for a good schooling in local dishes. Hearty and delicious, hand-made tofu, grilled fish, and soup are the real deal, alongside some seriously good roasted teas to wash it all down.

Sowaka is very well connected, so it’s worth sitting down with the concierge to discuss all of the unique experiences available through the hotel. Tailored shenanigans come in the form of behind-the-scenes tours of the Kiyomizudera temple; exclusive geisha dinners (so worth it); sunrise and sunset temple visits, and — if you’re into your shrubs and florals — private garden tours led by local experts.