Much like the Japanese art of kintsugi, Gion-based stay the Shinmonzen is bound together with many golden strands: it was conceived by Tadao Ando, perhaps one of Japan’s greatest architects; the owner and art savant behind beloved Provençal retreat Villa La Coste has imbued it with warmth and character; Jean-Georges Vongerichten is helming the Franco-Kyotoite kitchen… It respectfully reiterates the ryokan model in its humbly aesthetic exterior, mindfully minimalist rooms, and the need-anticipating service philosophy of omotenashi. But it's also hung with Damien Hirst and Louise Bourgeois pieces, there are subtle European accents (including a caviar-heavy menu), and Kyoto’s new artisans get their due throughout. The sort of update only a gilded dream team can achieve when they break the mold to fix it.

  

The Shinmonzen is in Kyoto’s photogenic Gion district, from which the enshrined city unfurls like lotus petals, at the criss-cross of historic Shirakawa and Shinmonzen streets.

Room Types

Take

58sq m | Private balcony with a table and chairs and views over Shirakawa River | This open-plan suite is soothingly minimalist in style, designed using neutral shades and natural materials (bamboo, lacquer, stone) | Shoji screens roll back to reveal floor-to-ceiling views and there’s tatami matting and hardwood flooring | Sitting area with a live-edge table and a workspace | Iwata twin futon beds dressed in 500-thread-count linen from Pedersoli | Large walk-in closet | Bathroom with a rain shower, double monolithic marble vanity, and bath products that are a collaboration with French hotel Villa La Coste | 55-inch Sony Bravia 4K TV, sound-system, yoga mats, free gourmet minibar, selection of Uji farm teas, Nespresso machine on request, Ploh Plush bathrobes, pyjamas, yukatas, Dyson hairdryer, USB chargers, free high-speed WiFi

from £2714

Washi

40sq m | Private balcony with a table and chairs and Shirakawa River views | This elegant suite is soothingly minimalist in style, designed using neutral shades and natural materials (bamboo, lacquer, stone), and artworks to add splashes of colour | Shoji screens roll back to reveal floor-to-ceiling views and there are hand-woven Kawashima Orimono carpets and hardwood flooring | Sitting area with a live-edge table | King-size bed dressed in 500-thread-count linen from Pedersoli | Open closet | Bathroom with an onsen-style Hinoki bath tub with a rain shower overhead, double monolithic vanity in cream-hued marble, and bath products that are a collaboration with French hotel Villa La Coste | 55-inch Sony Bravia 4K TV, sound-system, yoga mats, free gourmet minibar, selection of Uji farm teas, Nespresso machine on request, Ploh Plush bathrobes, pyjamas, yukatas, Dyson hairdryer, USB chargers, free high-speed WiFi

from £2230

Tooki

46sq m | Private balcony with a table and chairs and Shirakawa River views | This elegant suite is soothingly minimalist in style, designed using neutral shades and natural materials (bamboo, lacquer, stone), and artworks to add splashes of colour | Shoji screens roll back to reveal floor-to-ceiling views and there are hand-woven Kawashima Orimono carpets and hardwood flooring | Sitting area with a live-edge table | King-size bed dressed in 500-thread-count linen from Pedersoli | Walk-in closet | Bathroom with an onsen-style Hinoki bath tub with a rain shower overhead, monolithic marble vanity, and bath products that are a collaboration with French hotel Villa La Coste | 55-inch Sony Bravia 4K TV, sound-system, yoga mats, free gourmet minibar, selection of Uji farm teas, Nespresso machine on request, Ploh Plush bathrobes, pyjamas, yukatas, Dyson hairdryer, USB chargers, free high-speed WiFi

from £2230

Jiki

58sq m | Private balcony with a table and chairs and Shirakawa River views | This elegant suite is soothingly minimalist in style, designed using neutral shades and natural materials (bamboo, lacquer, stone), and artworks to add splashes of colour | Shoji screens roll back to reveal floor-to-ceiling views and there are hand-woven Kawashima Orimono carpets and hardwood flooring | Sitting area with a live-edge table | Twin beds dressed in 500-thread-count linen from Pedersoli | Open closet | Bathroom with a rain shower, double cream-hued marble vanity, and bath products that are a collaboration with French hotel Villa La Coste | 55-inch Sony Bravia 4K TV, sound-system, yoga mats, free gourmet minibar, selection of Uji farm teas, Nespresso machine on request, Ploh Plush bathrobes, pyjamas, yukatas, Dyson hairdryer, USB chargers, free high-speed WiFi

from £1994

Hinoki

56sq m | One-bedroom suite set on the top floor | Private balcony with a table and chairs and views over Gion and the Shirakawa River | This elegant suite is soothingly minimalist in style, designed using neutral shades and natural materials (bamboo, lacquer, stone), and artworks to add splashes of colour | Shoji screens roll back to reveal floor-to-ceiling views and there are hand-woven Kawashima Orimono carpets and hardwood flooring | Sitting area with a live-edge table | King-size bed dressed in 500-thread-count linen from Pedersoli | Large walk-in closet | Bathroom with an onsen-style Hinoki bath tub with a rain shower overhead, double monolithic marble vanity, and bath products that are a collaboration with French hotel Villa La Coste | 55-inch Sony Bravia 4K TV, sound-system, yoga mats, free gourmet minibar, selection of Uji farm teas, Nespresso machine on request, Ploh Plush bathrobes, pyjamas, yukatas, Dyson hairdryer, USB chargers, free high-speed WiFi

from £2468

Ishi

56sq m | Private balcony with a table and chairs and views over Shirakawa River | This open-plan suite is soothingly minimalist in style, designed using neutral shades and natural materials (bamboo, lacquer, stone) | Shoji screens roll back to reveal floor-to-ceiling views and there’s tatami matting and hardwood flooring | Sitting area with a live-edge table | Iwata twin futon beds dressed in 500-thread-count linen from Pedersoli | Large walk-in closet | Bathroom with an onsen-style Hinoki bath tub with a rain shower overhead, double monolithic marble vanity, and bath products that are a collaboration with French hotel Villa La Coste | 55-inch Sony Bravia 4K TV, sound-system, yoga mats, free gourmet minibar, selection of Uji farm teas, Nespresso machine on request, Ploh Plush bathrobes, pyjamas, yukatas, Dyson hairdryer, USB chargers, free high-speed WiFi

from £2164

Urushi

62sq m | An art-lined hallway leads to this suite | Small private balcony with Shirakawa River views | This elegant suite is soothingly minimalist in style, designed using neutral shades and natural materials (bamboo, lacquer, stone) | Shoji screens roll back to reveal floor-to-ceiling views and there are hand-woven Kawashima Orimono carpets and hardwood flooring | Sitting area with a live-edge table | King-size bed dressed in 500-thread-count linen from Pedersoli | Large open closet | Bathroom with an onsen-style Hinoki bath tub with a rain shower overhead, double monolithic vanity in cream-hued marble, and bath products that are a collaboration with French hotel Villa La Coste | 55-inch Sony Bravia 4K TV, sound-system, yoga mats, free gourmet minibar, selection of Uji farm teas, Nespresso machine on request, Ploh Plush bathrobes, pyjamas, yukatas, Dyson hairdryer, USB chargers, free high-speed WiFi

from £2468

Suisho

68sq m | Two private balconies: one with sunloungers and space for alfresco dining and another overlooking Shirakawa River | This open-plan suite is soothingly minimalist in style, designed using neutral shades and natural materials (bamboo, lacquer, stone) | Shoji screens roll back to reveal floor-to-ceiling views and there are hand-woven Kawashima Orimono carpets and hardwood flooring | Sitting area with a live-edge table | Twin beds dressed in 500-thread-count linen from Pedersoli | Large walk-in closet | Bathroom with an onsen-style Hinoki bath tub with a rain shower overhead, double monolithic vanity in sea-grass-hued marble, and bath products that are a collaboration with French hotel Villa La Coste | 55-inch Sony Bravia 4K TV, sound-system, yoga mats, free gourmet minibar, selection of Uji farm teas, Nespresso machine on request, Ploh Plush bathrobes, pyjamas, yukatas, Dyson hairdryer, USB chargers, free high-speed WiFi

from £2942

Kinu

80sq m | A small terrace and a private balcony (accessible from the bedroom) with Shirakawa River views | This open-plan suite is soothingly minimalist in style, designed using neutral shades and natural materials (bamboo, lacquer, stone) Shoji screens roll back to reveal floor-to-ceiling views and there’s tatami matting and hardwood flooring | Sitting area with a live-edge table | Iwata twin futon beds dressed in 500-thread-count linen from Pedersoli | Large walk-in closet | Bathroom with an onsen-style Hinoki bath tub with a rain shower overhead, double monolithic vanity in sea-grass-hued marble, and bath products that are a collaboration with French hotel Villa La Coste | 55-inch Sony Bravia 4K TV, sound-system, yoga mats, free gourmet minibar, selection of Uji farm teas, Nespresso machine on request, Ploh Plush bathrobes, pyjamas, yukatas, Dyson hairdryer, USB chargers, free high-speed WiFi

from £2942

Location

Shinmonzen-dori, 235 Nishinocho, Higashiyama Ward, Kyoto, 605-0088

£1994 / night

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