Capella Hotels & Resorts will be expanding into Japan with the opening of the Capella Kyoto in mid-2025. Kengo Kuma & Associates, a world acclaimed architecture firm, has designed the 92 room hotel located in the city’s Miyagawa-cho district. The area is known as a cultural treasure for its history as a neighborhood of geiko and maiko residents.
The design of Capella Kyoto will mirror its location through the careful curation of Japanese artwork and artifacts. Each piece is framed by the architecture and features its own display. The guest rooms will draw attention to fundamental aspects of Japanese culture such as the tea ceremony. Guests will be treated to a more personal and immersive experience.
The hotel will be well situated adjacent to the Kenninji Shrine. and just minutes from the Nishiki Market and Yasaka Shrine. As guests explore the hotel they’ll find small private spaces as well as.larger vistas. The layers themselves represent composition, balance, and harmony; fundamentals of Japanese art and architecture.
Guests will find a relaxing experience as they’re wrapped in the soothing and calming hues of the Capella Kyoto. A Japanese garden courtyard lies at the center of the hotel. The courtyard’s bamboo forest, Japanese Maple, pebbled shoreline honors its name of Ichigo-ichie (one life, one moment).
Beneath the garden is the Capella ballroom which features an internal multiple storey rock garden that serves as the pre-function area. Immediately next to the rock garden is the Capeall signature Auriga Spa. Relax in one of the spa’s Ofuro rooms for a taste o Japanese bathing culture.
The hotel’s main restaurant also overlooks the garden alongside the Capella Living Room. Multiple dining options will be available to guests. Options will include a Japanese restaurant, hotel patisserie, and lobby bar.
NTT Urban Development Corporation, a company within NTT Group is developing the area and the Capella Kyoto serves as the hospital;ity component of the area.
“Our partnership with Capella Hotel Group, which operates luxury hotels around the world, has been extremely exciting and we can’t wait to open the first Capella Hotel in Japan, in the ancient district of Kyoto. Built on the site of the beloved Shindo Elementary School, Capella Kyoto will be one that will live out the memory and culture of the region and create new values,” said Hiroshi Tsujigami, President and Chief Executive Officer of NTT Urban Development Corporation.
“We are delighted to work with NTT Urban Development Corporation in bringing Capella’s unique offerings and immersive experiences to Japan,” said Cristiano Rinaldi, President of Capella Hotel Group. “Filled with culture and heritage, Kyoto is the perfect place for us to establish a presence in Japan as the city is very much aligned with the group’s visionary curation of culture and experience.”
