Four Seasons Hotel Kyoto
A low modern hotel wrapped around Shakusui-en, a pond garden the hotel traces to the 12th century, in the Higashiyama foothills
The Privata Perspective
Four Seasons Kyoto opened in October 2016, but the reason to stay predates it by eight centuries: Shakusui-en, the pond garden the hotel is built around and traces to the 12th century. The building defers to it — low, quiet, and arranged so the water is visible from most of the public rooms.
One hundred and eighty keys, a number that includes the residences, so the hotel reads smaller than it sounds. The categories worth paying for are the Heritage Garden rooms, the only ones the operator publishes a separate balcony measurement for, and the Two-Bedroom Presidential Suite, which Four Seasons calls Kyoto's largest hotel suite.
We book it for a first Kyoto, and for travellers who want a garden rather than a machiya. Cherry blossom and the November foliage are the obvious windows and both need booking a long way out. Sushi Ginza Onodera's ten-seat cypress counter should be reserved when the room is.
Accommodations
Deluxe Room
49–53 m2 (527–570 sq ft)
The entry category, with connecting rooms available
Four Seasons Heritage Garden Room
53 m2 (570 sq ft), with a 6 m2 (64 sq ft) balcony
Filed by the operator under Specialty Rooms, and the only guest room it publishes a separate balcony measurement for
One-Bedroom Premier Heritage Garden Suite
98–103 m2 (1,054–1,108 sq ft)
The largest of the Suites group, with distinct living and sleeping spaces and a marble bathroom
Two-Bedroom Presidential Suite
245 m2 (2,637 sq ft), with a 10 m2 (107 sq ft) balcony
The operator's sole Specialty Suite, on the fourth floor, described by Four Seasons as Kyoto's largest hotel suite
Dining
Sushi Ginza Onodera at Four Seasons Hotel Kyoto
Edomae sushi
A ten-seat counter cut from 400-year-old Japanese cypress, with fish from local markets, Toyosu and Hokkaido
EMBA KYOTO GRILL
Steak and seafood
Dry-aged wagyu over charcoal in a Kokai Studios room looking onto the Shakusui-en garden
FUJU
Japanese tea
Reached by a path through the garden and a glass bridge; matcha and sweets by day, sake and champagne on the terrace at night
SEY
Cocktails
An izakaya-leaning bar for local spirits, Japanese whisky and refined bar snacks
Spa & Wellness
The Spa runs over two floors with seven treatment rooms — two couple's suites and five singles — a 20-metre indoor pool with whirlpools, a sauna, a Japanese bath and a relaxation lounge. Products are Biologique Recherche, Sodashi, Tatcha and Kotoshina; the fitness centre alone is 306 square metres.
When to Go
Mar–Apr
Cherry blossom around the pond garden
Nov
Autumn foliage — the garden's most spectacular season
Book With Preferred Access
Experience Four Seasons Hotel Kyoto with Via Privata
Complimentary upgrades, resort credits, early check-in, and dedicated concierge support — available exclusively through our preferred partner programme.
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