Capella Kyoto will open in Spring 2026 in the historic Miyagawa-cho district, perpetuating a former elementary school site as a place of learning and cultural discovery.
Reservations are now available for Gion Whisper and Capella Sojourn — two distinct packages designed to reveal Kyoto’s 1,200-year legacy through contemporary design and rare artisanal encounters.
Designed by Kengo Kuma and Associates and Brewin Design Office, the 89-room hotel sits steps from Kenninji—Kyoto’s oldest Zen temple—and the celebrated Miyagawa-cho Kaburenjo Theatre, where geiko and maiko perform seasonal dances. Like the city itself, it unfolds through layered thresholds, intimate reveals, and quiet moments of discovery—including six exclusive suites, each with its own private onsen.
Capella Kyoto celebrates place through design and experience,” says John Blanco, Cluster General Manager, Capella Kyoto. “We honour Kyoto’s living traditions through Capella Curates—our bespoke cultural programming—alongside world-class dining and wellness. By transforming a beloved school site, we preserve its history while offering guests deep connections to the artistry and enduring spirit of Japan’s ancient capital.”
A Journey Through Layered Spaces
Singapore-based Brewin Design Office approached Capella Kyoto as an exercise in spatial storytelling, where architecture becomes a sequence of carefully choreographed experiences. The design celebrates the traditional machiya—Kyoto’s historic wooden townhouses characterised by narrow street-facing facades, deep interiors, and inner courtyards that create intimate, layered spaces between public and private realms.
“We sought to capture the essence of Kyoto’s traditional machiya—the progression through thresholds, the play of light and shadow, the deliberate reveal,” explains Robert Cheng, Founder & Principal, Brewin Design Office. “Each space invites pause and contemplation, honouring the Japanese principle of ma—the meaningful interval between moments.”
The Arrival Experience
The journey begins through a Gion-style alleyway lined with shoji screens, leading to a modern chamber featuring shimenawa rope motifs that mark the boundary between secular and sacred realms. Beyond this threshold, a vestibule reveals tokonoma alcoves framing traditional byōbu screens alongside contemporary local artworks—a dialogue between past and present.
Here, guests are invited to pause before choosing their path: one leads to the signature restaurant, evoking a traditional ochaya teahouse; the other to the Japanese restaurant, where reclaimed wood from the former Shinmichi Elementary School glows beneath repurposed lamps, honouring the site’s heritage.
The sound of falling water accompanies guests along a corridor to the central courtyard, crowned by a dramatic karahafu roof—an undulating gable typically used in temple gates, castles, and other buildings of ceremonial importance— and later adopted by Kabuki theatres and Kaburenjo dance halls. This architectural centrepiece rises above an open-air performance space where tradition meets modernity.
Further along, the French brasserie opens onto a tranquil tsuboniwa moss garden, the courtyard sanctuary that preserves the cherished sakura tree from the original site.
Capella Curates: Immersive Cultural Encounters
Capella Kyoto offers three Capella Curates experiences with rare access to Kyoto’s living traditions, curated exclusively for hotel guests. Each journey connects travellers with master artisans and cultural practitioners, revealing centuries-old crafts and treasured customs.
Whispers of Miyagawa-cho
Experience the refined world of Kyoto’s geiko and maiko in an intimate private ochaya, the exclusive teahouses of Gion. A maiko performs traditional dance with grace honed through years of training, accompanied by the haunting melodies of the three-stringed shamisen. This rare encounter with Gion’s closely guarded traditions reveals an art form preserved across generations.
Step by Step: The Soul of Geta
Visit a 150-year-old atelier where craftspeople create geta—traditional elevated wooden sandals. This is an intimate session where guests observe craftsmanship and try on different styles of beautifully crafted geta. Through conversation, the proprietor—craftsman, storyteller, and philosopher—shares centuries-old wisdom about these iconic sandals and their role in balance, posture, and well-being, while learning about each guest. This exchange allows him to craft truly personalised geta for those who wish to commission a pair.
Gloss Boss
Step into the timeless world of urushi—Japanese lacquerware treasured for over 9,000 years. At the atelier of a multi-generational master, learn the meticulous art of harvesting and refining sap from the lacquer tree. Visit a nearby temple where urushi has adorned sacred objects for centuries, then conclude with a hands-on workshop creating your own urushi bowl and chopsticks or repairing pottery using the kintsugi method—the art of mending with lacquer and gold. A keepsake infused with spirit, craftsmanship, and the quiet beauty of impermanence.
Auriga Spa
Auriga Spa features three private onsen rooms, wet and dry saunas, four treatment rooms, and a contemporary fitness centre, all of which provide pathways to restoration. Signature treatments draw from both Japanese tradition and contemporary wellness practices.
