Trip Feedback: Tokyo & Kyoto Hoshinoya Properties

TOKYO

Hoshinoya Tokyo

Probably one of my favorite hotels ever. I booked this before joining Fora and booked 4+ months in advance so got some insane rates though nonrefundable (aka $120/night.)

Location: Otemachi district which is a 10 min walk from the Tokyo station and right next to the Imperial Palace. Otemachi is a fairly business-y district though the Aman and Four Seasons are within a block radius. We were able to get everywhere we wanted to go very efficiently via subway and only took a taxi once. Subway was so incredibly cheap, clean and easy to use. ~8 min subway from Ginza district which has tons of shopping and food.

Service: Some of the kindest and most helpful people I have ever met. They can anticipate your next move, helped make so many reservations (even had a print out of all the ones they had booked for us before we arrived when I checked in), and it almost felt like the staff to guest ratio was 1:1. We had no issues but if we had, I trusted they would have been able to solve it immediately.

Design: It's stunning. They call the hotel a ryokan even though it's in a 17 story high rise. They have tatami mats in the entrance and you take your shoes off and store them in these cubbies that are also beautiful. It's definitely a modern take on a ryokan (think beds not on the floor) but lots of traditional Japanese culture is built within the design.

Rooms: We stayed in their Yuri (Deluxe King) room. It was really large with a seating area and separate toilet room from the bathroom which had a large walk in shower and huge standalone tub. Bed was super comfy and had great lighting also. I didn't check out the other rooms but each floor (which has ~5 rooms) has a unique lounge which has a big table and a coffee and tea bar with all the Nespresso and teas you could ever want. They also leave tons of Japanese snacks that you can take including ice cream in the fridge. All free. The coffee/tea station came in super handy for the jet lag or afternoon pick me up.

Restaurants + Bars: I didn't actually go to their restaurant/bar which is on the bottom floor. People seemed to love it and they have things like free sake tasting or soba during some evening hours but we were out exploring other places.

Amenities: You CANNOT miss their hot spring on the 17th floor. I wish we went earlier and ended up only going the last few days of our trip. Mistake!! The outdoor bath was incredible and highly recommend seeing it in the day and at night. From their site: "The top floor of HOSHINOYA Tokyo consists of two bath halls, separated by gender. The baths are fed by hot spring waters drawn from 1,500 meters below the ground. Due to its high saline content, the bath water is pleasant to the skin, gently relaxing the body while improving its ability to preserve heat. Each bath hall contains an indoor and outdoor bath, connected by a cave-like tunnel. The outdoor bath is located at the bottom of an open-roof chamber with soaring walls that frame the sky above. Through the open roof, guests are presented with a private viewing of a dynamic tapestry painted with the ever-changing colors of the sky and decorated with clouds of many shapes. At night, pleasantly cool breezes blow in, bringing seasonal aromas with them."

KYOTO

Nazuna Kyoto Gosho + Hoshinoya Kyoto

We stayed 6 nights in Kyoto: 4 at Nazuna and 2 at the Hoshinoya. The Hoshinoya is not in the most convenient location as it's in the Arashiyama district (30 min taxi outside central Kyoto) and you have to access it by boat. So knowing that, we wanted to stay somewhere more central to have access to all the sites (especially since you should do them early in the morning.) We then moved to the Hoshinoya to just explore Arashiyama and relax at the hotel and enjoy the Oi river.

NAZUNA GOSHO

Location: We were able to walk everywhere from here! If you're only there for a day or two, I probably would try and stay somewhere closer to Gion just to be in more action. It took us about 30 mins to walk to Gion which was totally fine for us as we would grab coffee or shop our way to some of the attractions. It's also right next to the Imperial Palace. 

Service: Also incredible service (but Japan's level of service is just incredible across the board). They were able to make all our reservations, they have a courier service that sent our bags to our next hotel so we could go explore all day, and we're always willing to help us when/if we needed it. Again, no issues but knew they would have been able to handle it.

Design: Nazuna Kyoto Gosho is a 7 room “Wagashi” (traditional Japanese confections) themed luxury Ryokan spanning across two, large scale “Kyomachiya” (traditional Kyoto-style townhouse. The architect who did this renovation did an amazing job. They had heated floors, large bathrooms and kept many traditional ryokan elements with western beds. 

Rooms: We stayed in the "Kushi Dango" room and loved it. It had a huge living space, very large bathroom (with standing shower and separate tub), heated floors, and overlooked the garden that separates the two townhouses. The shower pressure of this shower was one of the best of my life. All of their rooms looked lovely and we had the hardest time picking which room when we booked it. 

Restaurants + Bars: They have a lounge that serves breakfast (you need to reserve by the night before) which was amazing. You also have access to coffee, tea, beer and snacks all day long (for free) if you ever needed it. 

Amenities: They have a private bath inside a renovated traditional Japanese storehouse which you can book and while enjoying a 40-minute program of illumination art. 

HOSHINOYA KYOTO

Location: It is located on the Oi River in the Arashiyama district of Kyoto which you need to take a little boat up the river to access (about 10 min ride). This is 30-45 min taxi ride to Gion from their boat landing. I would NOT suggest staying here if this is your first time to Kyoto or if you plan on doing lots of activities in more central Kyoto (which you should!!). 

Service: Top notch service just like Hoshinoya Tokyo. Anticipated our every move and were very helpful with timing of logistics for things like the boat and taxis to dinner/Kyoto Station when we were checking out. It also felt like the staff to guest ratio was 1:1. People remembered your name when you came back to the property, it was lovely.

Design: Another beautifully designed ryokan. This felt the most traditional of all the ones we stayed at as they have rooms with western beds and also floor level beds. All the rooms overlook the river with a beautifully designed couch that sits under the windows that you could sit at for hours just watching and listening to the river. The grounds were also incredibly well manicured with lots of little water falls and cherry blossoms everywhere. The boat landing lounge is so nice to have and beautifully designed as well so while you sometimes have to wait for the boat, it's in a beautiful spot (with a bathroom too!). 

Rooms: We stayed in the "Mizunone" room which is their most basic room but it was still large and had a separate shower and gigantic wooden bathtub that was so lovely. We didn't check out the other rooms but they just got bigger and bigger with larger seating areas.

Restaurants + Bars: We had dinner at the restaurant one night. While I think it would be lovely for most people, it wasn't our favorite and it was fairly expensive compared to other course style meals you get in Japan and we had already eaten so many great places. It's a great option if you don't want to leave the property though.

Amenities: The boat ride in and out was really a highlight. It was so peaceful and very unique, just not something I would want to do if I was trying to move around a lot as you need to schedule your boat trips out. They also don't have a spa (which was kind of surprising to us) but they do have folks who will do in room massages. They have some traditional tea rooms you can use also, but we didn't. 

If you want more specific feedback about food/experiences, feel free to reach out! We can't wait to go back to Japan.

This trip report is part of our ongoing series on travel to Japan. In need of further inspiration? Check out David Rosenberg’s guide, Off-the-Beaten-Path Guide to Kyoto, Japan.