Where I Went in Kyoto

Luxury Hotel SOWAKA

Housed in a beautifully restored former ryotei in Gion, SOWAKA has everything I love about traditional Japanese interiors. Tatami floors, wooden corridors, antique pieces, and a peaceful courtyard.

Park Hyatt Kyoto

A beautiful mix of contemporary design and traditional Japanese craftsmanship, right along the historic streets of Ninenzaka. Our room overlooked Yasaka Pagoda and the old streets below. I also loved the hotel's collection of art books and magazines.

Yumekoubou 夢工房

An antique shop in a 150-year-old building in Gion, selling lacquerware, ceramics, furniture, and tea utensils. When I visited, there was a gold-leaf crane screen that the staff said dated to the Momoyama period.

Zohiko Lacquer Shop

One of my favorite shops in Kyoto, especially for the black lacquerware with fine gold details.

Kogei Towan

A little shop filled with exquisite ceramics by master Japanese potters, especially beautiful tea ware. If you love Japanese tea utensils, it's almost impossible to leave empty-handed.

KYO AMAHARE

Ceramics downstairs, a lovely courtyard with their own tea room across it, and a gallery upstairs. I brought home a matcha bowl with a rough, textured surface and an irregular shape. So perfectly wabi-sabi.

Aiba 阿以波

A Kyoto fan house dating back to 1689, specializing in handmade round fans.

Seikado 清課堂

A metalwork house founded in 1838, with a shop that feels like a small gallery. I brought home a pewter teapot, one of my favorite finds from Kyoto.

And a few other antique finds from little shops I wandered into along the way.

Kawai Kanjiro's House

The former home and studio of ceramic artist Kawai Kanjiro, built in 1937. Filled with his pottery, furniture, and personal collections, with the original climbing kiln still on the property.

Relevant Object

Nordic furniture and design objects inside a historic Japanese house. I loved seeing the Scandinavian pieces in this setting.

kokyu kyoto

A head spa in an old Kyoto house, with a gallery downstairs selling ceramics and other objects. One of the most relaxing treatments I've had.

kankakari

A small gallery for antiques and Japanese crafts, tucked inside a beautiful old house. It only opens during exhibitions, so check their Instagram before visiting.

YUGEN

A Japanese tea shop downstairs and a gallery upstairs, with changing exhibitions of ceramics, woodwork, and other crafts. The pieces are available to buy.

ARCHI coffee and wine

tearoom toka / gallery nichinichi

Geisha Tea Ceremony Experience

I booked a tea ceremony with a maiko at Maikoya in Gion. We watched her prepare matcha, perform a traditional dance, and share a little about her kimono and makeup.

T.T

ACTUAL KYOTO

Saryo Housen 茶寮 宝泉

Kodaiji Jugyuan 高台寺 十牛庵

A two-Michelin-star restaurant in a beautiful traditional house, with private tatami rooms overlooking a moss garden.

Rengetsu 蓮月

Gion Komori

Kodaiji Wakuden

Kinkaku-ji 金閣寺

The Golden Pavilion, covered in gold leaf.

Rurikō-in 瑠璃光院

A former villa surrounded by maple trees, best known for the reflections across its polished black tables. The upstairs room is especially beautiful in autumn. Check seasonal opening dates before visiting.

Fushimi Inari Taisha 伏見稲荷大社

Thousands of vermilion torii gates winding up the mountain. It gets quieter the higher you go, and I happened to draw a daikichi fortune here, the best luck of all.

I've saved more temples and shrines on the map. If your dates line up, look out for events such as Gozan no Okuribi or Setsubun.

Yodokō Guest House

A house designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and completed in 1924, on a hillside in Ashiya. I loved the geometric details, original woodwork, and the way the rooms open up to the surrounding landscape.

VAGUE KOBE

A beautiful space for clothing, furniture, and objects in Kobe's historic former foreign settlement. Worth visiting for the interiors alone.

THE BOOK END

An art, architecture, and design bookshop on Kaigandori. Beautiful monographs and shelves full of inspiration. I could easily spend an afternoon here.

cafe & bar anthem

かにじぇんぬ 北新地

Robatayaki Magome 力丸 炉ばた焼 馬籠