Kyoto has a way of slowing the breath before the mind even notices. The city has grown and changed many times over its long life, yet it still holds a gentle rhythm that invites travellers to pause. Wander through the narrow lanes of Miyagawa cho and you feel it at once. This is one of Kyoto’s most historic quarters, where the soft shuffle of geta on stone still carries through the air and lantern light glows against wooden facades. It is here, on the grounds of a former elementary school, that Capella Kyoto will open in Spring 2026. The building is new, yet the ground beneath carries decades of memories, and the hotel seems intent on honouring that legacy rather than replacing it.
The project brings together the architecture of Kengo Kuma and Associates with interiors by Brewin Design Office. On paper, the combination sounds impressive enough, but the real impact lies in the way both teams have tried to draw from Kyoto rather than impose on it. They chose to engage with the cadence of the neighbourhood: the measured transitions between street and home, between public and private, between light and darkness. They have taken these ideas and turned them into a journey through space, a sequence of small discoveries that mirrors the quiet charm of the city itself.
Capella Kyoto sits just steps from Kenninji, the oldest Zen temple in Kyoto, and the Miyagawa cho Kaburenjo Theatre where geiko and maiko perform seasonal dances. It is an area that carries its past with dignity. The hotel leans into this rather than distracting from it. The original school site has not been forgotten. You can feel it in the repurposed wood within the Japanese restaurant and in the care taken to preserve a cherished sakura tree that has watched generations pass beneath its branches.
The first approach sets the tone. Instead of a broad lobby or a sweeping driveway, guests enter through a narrow Gion style alleyway lined with soft shoji screens. The intimacy is deliberate. Kyoto often reveals itself slowly, and the hotel takes this idea seriously. The alley opens into a calm chamber where subtle rope motifs draw a gentle line between the everyday world and the quieter one inside. Nothing shouts for attention. The mood is one of preparation. Pause here, the design seems to say, before the city unfolds.
Tokonoma alcoves display byobu screens and contemporary artworks, blending tradition with the present day without forcing the contrast. It is a reminder that Kyoto has always been a conversation between what is old and what is new. Guests choose their way forward from here. One path leads to a signature restaurant inspired by ochaya teahouses. Another leads to a Japanese restaurant that pays tribute to the former elementary school through its material palette. Neither space tries to recreate the past, but both acknowledge it with sincerity.
Move further in and you begin to understand the hotel’s spatial rhythm. The sound of falling water guides you along a corridor to the central courtyard. Above it rises a sweeping karahafu roof, a familiar silhouette in temple gates and Kabuki theatres. Here, it becomes the canopy for an open air performance space where cultural traditions can be shared with visitors in an approachable way. It is not an imitation of history but a respectful continuation of it.
At the French brasserie, large windows look onto a moss garden shaped with the lightest touch. The preserved sakura tree stands at its heart, anchoring the new building to the memory of the children who once studied on this land. The hotel could easily have removed it, yet the decision to let it remain adds an emotional thread to the experience. Guests may not know its story, but they often sense when a place has been cared for.
The guest rooms follow the same layered approach. There are 89 in total, including six exclusive suites each with a private onsen. While the details are refined, the atmosphere is gentle. This is not a place that seeks to impress through excess. Instead, it invites guests to settle into a sense of calm. Kyoto has a long tradition of creating beauty through restraint. The rooms echo this, allowing natural materials and thoughtful proportions to do most of the work.
One of the strengths of Capella Kyoto lies in its cultural programmes. Travel in Japan is often shaped by the desire to understand rather than simply observe, and the hotel has created three Capella Curates experiences that bring guests into contact with the living traditions of the city.
The first, Whispers of Miyagawa cho, is an intimate introduction to the world of geiko and maiko. Rather than offering a theatrical interpretation, the experience guides guests into a private ochaya where dance and music are performed with the quiet discipline that defines these arts. A maiko’s measured steps, the gentle bend of a wrist, the clear tones of the shamisen all come together to create a moment that feels both delicate and confident. It is not a spectacle. It is a glimpse into a world that has endured because those who inhabit it have chosen to protect it.
Another experience, Step by Step, leads guests into a 150 year old atelier that crafts wooden geta. The workshop is modest, but the skill within its walls is immense. Travellers meet the craftspeople, watch the shaping of the wood, and learn how each pair of sandals is formed to support balance and posture. What makes this session special is the way the proprietor approaches his craft. He is part artisan, part storyteller, and part philosopher. While he explains the structure of the sandals, he also asks about each guest, learning their pace of life and what they seek from their travels. Those who choose to commission a pair leave with footwear shaped not only to their feet but to the conversations shared during the visit.
The third experience, Gloss Boss, offers a deeper connection to urushi, a craft that stretches back thousands of years. Guests visit the atelier of a master lacquer craftsman, hear about the harvesting of the lacquer tree’s sap, and witness the slow, patient work needed to create a single object. The experience often includes a visit to a nearby temple where urushi has protected and decorated sacred items for centuries. It ends with a hands on workshop where travellers can create a small piece of lacquerware or practise kintsugi, the art of repairing pottery with lacquer and gold. It is not the object itself that matters, but the understanding gained through the process.
The hotel’s Auriga Spa continues this theme of thoughtful balance. Three private onsen rooms, saunas, treatment rooms, and a contemporary fitness space provide a peaceful counterpoint to days spent exploring Kyoto’s streets. The treatments draw from traditional Japanese wellness as well as more modern approaches. Nothing feels rushed. The goal is to bring guests back to a state of clarity rather than indulgence.
Capella Kyoto also offers two curated packages of cultural discovery, available from 23 March 2026. Though reservations have opened ahead of the hotel’s physical debut, the anticipation surrounding the project is less about lavishness and more about the promise of meaningful engagement with one of Japan’s most storied cities.
Kyoto has always been defined by its layers. Temples hide behind gates that hide behind courtyards that hide behind sliding doors. Its beauty is often found in the quietest moments. Capella Kyoto understands this instinctively. The hotel does not try to outshine the city. Instead, it positions itself as a companion to it, offering travellers a gentle, thoughtful place to return to after a day among the streets, gardens, markets, and shrines.
When it opens in Spring 2026, Capella Kyoto will join a city that has spent more than a thousand years refining the art of presence. If the early details are any indication, the hotel will be more than a place to stay. It will be another way to listen to Kyoto.
