Spacious Rooms with Views

Our 19 rooms and suites are spacious and elegant, with tatami and sofa-sitting areas, custom designed furniture, washi lighting, radiant air cooling and floor heating,  and luxurious bath and showers.  All rooms have river, city or tsubo garden views that soothe the mind and pamper the senses, and 9 of the riverside rooms have balconies with breathtaking panorama.  

Atmospheric Lobby as your Living Room in Kyoto

We invite you to feel the ambience of our private lobby, filled with the aromas of fresh breakfasts in the morning or bathed in dusk light softened by washi windows at sunset. At any time of the day you can have a drink, a morsel of something delicious, or simply relax around our comfortable handmade furniture. Our friendly staff are always on hand to see to your comfort or help with organising activities.  

Dining at Genji Kyoto is an elegant and relaxed affair. From breakfast to evening drinks and snacks, savoury dishes can be enjoyed in our atmospheric Genji Lounge, in the comfort of your room, or up on the roof in our breathtaking Sky Forest Garden with panoramic views. Our menu consists of soul-lifting Japanese and international dishes made with seasonal ingredients. Breakfasts are all freshly cooked and include Continental, Western and Japanese sets as well as a la carte dishes with vegetarian choices.

Gardens for Connecting with Nature

We have next to our lobby the Ukifune Garden, which is an allegorical interpretation of the eponymous chapter from the Tale of Genji.  In the novel, Ukifune ("drifting boat"), represents the untethered evanescence of human experience.  In our garden it is represented by a boat-like stone that can also symbolize our own earth drifting through the universe.  

On the roof is our Sky Forest Garden that is like a hermitage within the city.  With stunning views of the river, the Higashiyama Mountains beyond and Kiyomizu Temple aglow at sunset, it is a magical place to have a drink, a conversation with friends, or just a quiet moment to oneself.

In addition to the communal gardens, guestrooms at Genji Kyoto have pocket gardens within them, each featuring a single antique stone object.

Essence of Kyoto in Architecture and Design

Genji Kyoto is a contemporary interpretation of Kyo-machiya townhouses that date back a millennium. It is designed for your luxurious stay and enjoyment of omotenashi, or Japanese hospitality.  This is the spirit of Kyoto, an ancient city that embraces renewal and is always welcoming to visitors. From our bamboo-lined entrance, to the serene garden in the lobby to our Sky Forest Garden, every detail is designed to instill the quiet delight that emanates from true Japanese ambience.

From the washi windows in our lobby to furniture and lighting fixtures throughout the hotel, all are original designs handmade by Kyoto artisans.

The images and motifs in the Tale of Genji have been a source of inspiration for our garden and furniture, as well as the beautiful paintings hanging in our rooms, all lovingly created by young Kyoto artists.

Neighborhood with Vintage Charms

Our Gojo-Kawaramachi neighborhood is non-commercial and has a nostalgic feel to its vibrant streetlife, with age-old machiyas converted into retro cafes, restaurants and bars. You will discover not only hidden gems established by creative young people, but also abundant nature and wildlife in this peaceful riverside locale.

Easy Access and Ideal Base for Kyoto Exploration

Accessing the rest of the city is easy, with subway and train stations within 6 minutes’ walk and plenty of taxis and buses nearby. Our Guest Experience Ambassadors will be delighted to recommend walking routes and help design tours and itineraries.  Whether you are interested in sights and culture or shopping and great food, Kyoto has plenty to offer throughout the year!

Tale of Genji as Inspiration

The Tale of Genji, with its vivid descriptions of court society, architecture and gardens of the Heian period, has been a source of inspiration for Japanese artistic expression over many centuries.  The images and metaphors from the novel have been used as motifs in paintings and screens, art objects, furnishings and costumes. Genji Kyoto is just steps away from where nobleman Minamoto no Toru built a garden mansion that became a model residence in the Tale of Genji.  Only a plaque remains today marking the boundaries of that mansion and crediting Minamoto for being the model for the novel’s Prince Genji character.  But the essence and spirit of the garden architecture from that era lives on in Genji Kyoto’s contemporary design.