Opened 1 August 2024 on a hilltop beside Kiyomizu-dera — 52 suites including 8 Onsen Retreat rooms, Kengo Kuma's Bamboo Pavilion, an authentic 200-seat Noh stage, and the only urban Kyoto hotel with natural onsen drawn from the property.
"Opened 2024 on a cliff above Kiyomizu-dera — 52 suites with onsen, panoramic Kyoto views from the upper terrace, and the most ambitious Asia opening of the year."
Banyan Tree Higashiyama Kyoto opened on 1 August 2024 — Banyan Tree's first property in Japan and the most ambitious new luxury hotel opening in Kyoto since Aman Kyoto in 2019. The site occupies a hilltop above Kiyomizu-dera Temple in Higashiyama, with 360-degree views over the Kyoto basin to the western Hills and Mount Hiei beyond. The property occupies former temple grounds historically associated with Kiyomizu-dera, and the design and operating partnership preserves cultural-heritage protections while delivering Banyan Tree's signature spa-and-wellness-led luxury programme. The architectural register is by Kengo Kuma — Japan's most internationally-known living architect, whose other commissions include the new National Stadium for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, the V&A Dundee, and the Suntory Museum of Art — and the property is widely regarded as one of his most considered hospitality projects to date.
There are 52 suites — Banyan Tree Higashiyama is exclusively a suite property, with no standard-room product. The 44 standard suites run from 76 to 100 square metres with private terraces facing either the Kyoto basin to the west or the Higashiyama mountains to the east; the standard suite is among the most generous in any Japanese five-star hotel. The 8 Onsen Retreat suites — at 110 square metres — each include a private outdoor onsen drawn from the property's natural hot spring on the hilltop. The Banyan Suite, on the upper level with a 60 sqm wraparound terrace, runs to 220 square metres with a private dining room and the property's most expansive city-view sightline. The interior register, by Kengo Kuma with HBA, leans monastic-Japanese: hand-loomed silk, hand-thrown ceramics, blackened cedar, and Hinoki cypress in every bathroom.
The property's signature architectural feature is the Bamboo Pavilion — a Kengo Kuma-designed structure clad entirely in slatted Japanese bamboo, set on the cliff edge with full city views. The pavilion houses the property's tea ceremony programme, evening cocktail service, and viewing-platform at the property's most dramatic location. Ryozen Pavilion runs the property's signature multi-course Japanese-kaiseki dinner programme by an in-house chef trained at the two-Michelin-starred Kikunoi. Saryo, the lobby tea house, runs the daily afternoon tea programme. Niwa runs the property's all-day informal Japanese-Western menu. The Noh stage — a 200-seat traditional theatre on the property's eastern boundary — runs three classical Japanese performance programmes per week and is the only working hotel-located Noh stage in Asia.
The Banyan Tree Spa runs across the lower level with eight treatment suites, separate male and female onsen baths drawn from the property's natural hot spring (the only urban Kyoto hotel with natural onsen on premises), a separate steam-and-sauna circuit, and the brand's signature treatment programme. The fitness centre is open 24 hours. The Higashiyama hilltop position is the property's principal advantage: Kiyomizu-dera Temple is at the foot of the property's south-facing approach (5 minutes' walk down the hill); Sannenzaka and Ninenzaka — Kyoto's most photographed historic streets — are 10 minutes' walk; the Park Hyatt Kyoto is 5 minutes' walk further up the hill. Kyoto Station is 12 minutes by car. For Kyoto luxury at the most-architecturally-considered new-build end with a working onsen-and-Noh programme, this is the most decisive booking.
For an Asian honeymoon anchored on Kyoto with the most considered new-build modern-luxury booking, Banyan Tree Higashiyama is the answer. The Onsen Retreat Suite for the standard programme; the Banyan Suite for milestone honeymoons. The combination of private outdoor onsen, full Kyoto-basin sunset views from the cliff-edge terrace, and the property's exclusive Noh-and-tea programme delivers a uniquely Japanese honeymoon experience. Honeymoon turn-down at Banyan Tree runs to a Kyoto-tradition wagashi sweet, a Krug split, and the brand's longstanding personalised welcome.
For a Kyoto wellness booking anchored on the brand's signature Banyan Tree Spa programme combined with traditional Japanese onsen-and-meditation, Banyan Tree Higashiyama runs the most considered multi-day wellness experience in any Japanese city. The four- and seven-night Spa programmes combine daily treatments, the natural-onsen circuit, traditional Noh performance attendance, and the daily morning calligraphy programme.
For Kyoto anniversaries at the modern-luxury, view-anchored end, Banyan Tree Higashiyama's cliff-edge city-view terrace from the Onsen Retreat Suite is the property's signature single feature. The Banyan Suite for milestone years; a private Noh performance booked for the night itself (available on advance request); a chef's-table dinner at Ryozen Pavilion; the Bamboo Pavilion at sunset.
7 Seikanji Ryozan-Cho
Higashiyama-Ward
Kyoto 605-0861, Japan
Kiyomizu-dera 5 minutes' walk down the hill; Sannenzaka 10 minutes' walk; Park Hyatt Kyoto 5 minutes' walk; Kyoto Station 12 minutes by car
52 all-suite rooms
Standard Suites (76–100 sqm) from ¥160,000/night
Onsen Retreat Suites from ¥320,000/night
Banyan Suite from ¥1,500,000/night
Check-in: 3:00 PM
Check-out: 12:00 PM
Open since 1 August 2024; designed by Kengo Kuma — Banyan Tree's first Japan property
Kengo Kuma Bamboo Pavilion
Authentic 200-seat Noh stage
Natural onsen from on-site hot spring
8 Onsen Retreat suites with private outdoor onsen
Ryozen Pavilion kaiseki
Banyan Tree Spa (8 rooms)
From ¥160,000/night. Onsen Retreat Suites book four to six months ahead for cherry-blossom and momiji weeks; the Banyan Suite books eight months ahead. Noh performance attendance must be booked at the time of room reservation — the schedule runs three nights per week.
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