About this hotel
General information
HOTEL THE MITSUI KYOTO sits in the heart of Kyoto beside Nijo-jo Castle, on land that was a merchant family’s Kyoto residence for more than 250 years. Relics of that past remain: the old Kajiimiya Gate still stands at the entrance, along with stone lanterns and landscape features. At the centre of the site lies a courtyard garden of about 1,300 m², a modern take on the residence garden, with a pond and a path that circles it.
The 160 rooms and suites, from 43 to 213 m², are conceived as a contemporary reading of the traditional tea room, with natural materials, artisan detail and a stone bathtub in every room. The hotel is known for its own thermal spring and spa, its private onsen, TOKI with a kitchen built around Kyoto’s water, and SHIKI-NO-MA, a Japanese cypress hall recreating the reception room of the old residence. Its guest programme reaches deep into the city, from private tours of the castle to ceramics and kimono sessions.
Location
The hotel lies in Nakagyo ward in central Kyoto, next to Nijo-jo Castle, with the guest and car entrance on Aburanokoji Street. Nijojo-mae station on the Tozai subway line is about 3 minutes’ walk away, Karasuma Oike station about 10 minutes, and Kyoto Station about 15 minutes by car; the shinkansen from Tokyo Station takes about 2 hours 20 minutes. Kansai Airport is about 100 minutes by car, or about 75 minutes on the JR Haruka train to Kyoto Station, and Osaka Itami Airport about 60 minutes by car. The hotel arranges private transfers from the station and both airports, and the front desk books taxis.
Spa
THERMAL SPRING SPA is built around the hotel’s own thermal spring, a sodium and calcium chloride water drawn from about 1,000 m directly beneath the property. The thermal bath is shared, so bathers wear swimwear. For privacy there are two private onsen rooms of more than 100 m² on the lower ground floor, each with a thermal bath, a living area, a relaxation space, a mist sauna and its own Japanese garden; hotel guests book them for 60, 90 or 120 minutes, and breakfast can be served in the onsen. Four treatment rooms look onto the Japanese garden. The signature ritual combines three house aromas, HANA, TSUKI and KAZE, with warm stones and a foot-bath ceremony; body massages with house oils follow the principles of Japanese anma, and facials use ALAENA and MIKIMOTO BEAUTY. Treatments are for guests aged 16 and over.
Sports & leisure
The 24-hour gym, for hotel guests aged 16 and over, has treadmills, a cross trainer, exercise bikes, a rowing machine, a Smith machine, Kinesis stations and free weights, and bicycles can be hired for exploring the city. The guest programme opens up Kyoto’s culture: a private, historian-led tour of Nijo-jo Castle that includes areas closed to the public, a private early-morning visit to Kiyomizu-dera, a session with a Kiyomizu ceramics master at a pottery studio, a private kimono experience at the HOSOO gallery and afternoon tea in a historic villa listed as an Important Cultural Property; in the hotel, there are complimentary tours of the lobby art collection and morning breathing sessions in SHIKI-NO-MA.
For children
Young guests can join Hotel Mystery Adventure, a detective quest of about two hours around the hotel: children follow clues from an old diary to find a legendary sword before a phantom thief does, and receive an adventure bag, a mystery kit and a water bottle.
Restaurants & bars
The restaurants and bar are gathered around the courtyard garden; in-room dining runs from morning until late evening.
- TOKI — inventive French-style cooking built on a stock made with Kyoto water and seasonal local produce; lunch and dinner, 12 counter seats, tables and a private room for six, with views of the courtyard garden
- FORNI — Italian cooking from the grill and the ovens, including pizza; breakfast is a buffet or a traditional Japanese breakfast served in a lacquered oju box; 105 seats, some on a garden terrace
- THE GARDEN BAR — bar and lounge overlooking the Japanese garden, with drinks, light bites and a few terrace seats
- SHIKI-NO-MA — a tea-room-style hall in Japanese cypress recreating the reception room of the former residence, with tatami, a sunken hearth, a tokonoma alcove and ink-and-gold fusuma; up to 16 guests at table, for private dining from the hotel’s restaurants, tea gatherings and celebrations
Swimming
There is no conventional swimming pool: THERMAL SPRING SPA has a bath of natural thermal water from the hotel’s own spring, used in swimwear and open daily from 7am to 11pm.
Pets
Pets are not allowed, with the exception of assistance dogs.
Rooms
The 160 rooms and suites, on the lower ground and first to fourth floors, look out over the city, the courtyard garden or Nijo-jo Castle. Interiors pair the aesthetics of the Japanese tea room with modern comfort, and the two Onsen Suites have their own open-air thermal baths.
A stone bathtub with bath salts and a bath pillow, amenities by a Japanese master perfumer, Imabari towels, pyjamas, bathrobes and slippers, a pillow menu, minibar, mineral water, coffee, tea and Japanese green tea, a safe, a 55-inch TV (65-inch in suites) with multilingual channels, a BOSE Bluetooth speaker, a universal adaptor, a cordless phone, bathroom scales, a hairdryer, free Wi-Fi and turndown service.
Deluxe Room
A city-view room on the second to fourth floors with a king bed or two twins and a generous stone-carved bathtub. Sleeps up to three; connecting rooms available.
Garden Room
A room on the second to fourth floors with a sofa lounger by a large window onto the courtyard garden, its weeping cherry, water basin and stone lanterns; king bed or two twins. Sleeps up to three; connecting rooms available.
Nijo Room
A room on the second to fourth floors facing Nijo-jo Castle and its Higashi Otemon Gate, with a sofa lounger by the window and a king bed or two twins. Sleeps up to three.
Premier Room
A larger city-view room on the first to fourth floors with a window sofa lounger, a stone bathtub and a king bed or two twins. Sleeps up to three; connecting rooms available.
Deluxe Suite
A top-floor suite with separate living room and king bedroom, city views and a stone bathtub with a bathroom TV. Sleeps up to three; connecting rooms available.
Executive Suite
A top-floor suite overlooking the city and the Kajiimiya Gate, with soft contemporary furnishings and a king bed or two twins. Sleeps up to three; connecting rooms available.
Garden Suite
A suite facing the courtyard pond garden, designed after the former residence, with a king bed and a bathroom TV. Sleeps up to three.
Onsen Suite
A lower-ground-floor suite finished in cherry wood, with separate living room and bedroom (king bed or two twins) and a private open-air thermal bath looking onto a tsubo-niwa garden with stone lanterns. Sleeps up to three.
Nijo Suite
A suite with separate living room and bedroom and wide windows onto Nijo-jo Castle, the Higashi Otemon Gate and a corner watchtower, its walls lit up at night; king bed or two twins. Sleeps up to three.
Presidential Suite
A top-floor suite overlooking Nijo-jo Castle and the mountains around Kyoto, with a living room, a king bedroom, a dining area for ten and a pantry. Sleeps up to three.
Photos are for illustrative purposes only. Actual room layout, furnishings, décor, views and amenities may differ from those shown and may vary between rooms of the same category. Hotel and room descriptions are based on information provided by the property and are believed to be accurate at the time of publication, but are not guaranteed. The hotel may renovate or change its rooms, facilities, restaurants and services at any time without notice. The final details of your stay are confirmed at the time of booking. See our Terms of Use.