In the heart of Kyoto’s incredible Kiyomizu is the Hotel Seiryu, a property that’s located in a former elementary school that can firmly claim to be one of Japan’s best new hotels. To find out what makes the property so unique, James Wilkinson catches-up with Hotel Seiryu Kyoto General Manager, Takanori Muroi.
The Hotel Seiryu Kyoto is brilliant on so many levels, from the location to the design, rooms and food and beverage on offer. Please tell us about the project and how it came about.
In 1869, a total of 64 elementary schools were built in Kyoto for the respective local resident organizations that were called ‘bangumi elementary schools’.
This was before a national elementary school system was established in Japan. These elementary schools of Kyoto were unique in that they were funded and planned by the local residents of each community.
For this reason, each school had a different architectural structure and design reflecting the financial capacity, philosophies, and hopes for education of each community.
Our building, the former Kiyomizu Elementary School (27th Shimogyo Elementary School), built in 1933, has earned a great reputation for its design and its rebirth combining modern comfort as a high-quality heritage hotel under the direction of designer Ryu KOSAKA.
Please tell us about the stylish rooms and suites on offer.
A total of 48 of the guests rooms, including one suite which are classic style converted from a former school building or new modern type. The Panoramic Suite is our signature room with jaw-dropping city views.
Please tell us about the fantastic food and beverage on offer.
Our hotel contains three food and beverage outlets. We have Benoit Kyoto, a partner restaurant, which is a French bistro restaurant overseen by Ducasse Paris, offering seasonal flavours and local ingredients showcased in traditional bistro fare with a modern twist.
There is also K36 The Bar and Rooftop, a partner restaurant, where you can enjoy the cityscape and an astonishing view of Kyoto from the rooftop. It overlooks sightseeing spots around the hotel that can only be seen here. The Bar inside offers rare whiskeys and wines and has an ample food menu, making it a suitable place for various occasions. You can enjoy the tranquil atmosphere in the bar that retains the remnants of the school building.
At the Library restaurant, our breakfast venue, we have a theme of ‘wellbeing’, a concept meaning that both the mind and body are in good condition, where we serve a ‘breakfast for learning’ unique to this restaurant inside a former school building, which incorporates health-conscious ingredients into the meal with which you start your day.
The former auditorium with its high ceiling, and the space surrounding guests with books, are reminiscent of the days when the establishment was still a school. It can be used not only as a restaurant, but also as a multi-purpose space.
You have some fantastic activations, from music to performance. Please tell us about these.
Every Thursday, as an exclusive experience only for staying guests free of charge, we have a Maiko performance. The enigmatic charm of geisha, called geiko and maiko in the Kyoto dialect, is renowned worldwide. Get in touch with traditional Japanese culture and dive into a captivating world. This event includes a dance performance, photo session and a greeting. As well as being able to watch the graceful dances of maiko up close, which are rarely seen, there will be time to take photographs and talk with the maiko.
Every Friday, also as an exclusive experience only for staying guests free of charge, we have a live music event. This event is played on a variety of instruments and delivers the surprise of live background music for a support initiative for young local musicians.
What’s your x-factor at the Hotel Seiryu Kyoto?
The location. Our hotel surrounded by a preserved historical district and its convenient location lets guests enjoy the quaint early morning and night-time sights of empty backstreets in this usually bustling district, as well as enjoy easy access to many of Kyoto’ s other iconic sites. We highly recommend the guest can have a walk before breakfast in the early morning.
Despite its location in the middle of a tourist area, the hotel offers only 48 rooms on a spacious 7,000 square-meter site, an oasis of quiet luxury is completely away from the hustle and bustle of the city.
The Hotel Seiryu has been awarded one Michelin Key by the prestigious Michelin Guide. Tell us about that.
We are very honoured to have received one Michelin Key. We will continue to promote the charms of Kyoto and make the hotel a place where our guests can enjoy their stay. We hope you enjoy your stay at this unique hotel.
How important is the partnership with Leading Hotels of the World (LHW)?
We are confident that LHW can support us to establish our hotel’s luxury positioning globally and help drive profitable growth from international markets, offer our unparallel access and unmatched expertise expanding our reach and growing our business.
What’s one of your favourite things to do in the local area?
Sightseeing by Rickshaw gives a more elevated sight line, lending a fresh perspective to everything you see. Faster than walking but slower than cycling, it allows you to enjoy touring Kyoto efficiently in comfort at an ideal speed.
Getting to Kyoto
You can get to Kyoto on the Japanese high-speed Shinkansen (bullet train) from Tokyo (two hours) and Osaka (12 minutes).
ANA (All Nippon Airways) flies to Tokyo and Osaka from across the globe, including New York, London, Sydney and more global gateways. The author recommends flying in ANA’s Business Class cabin, which features lie-flat seats in a 1-2-1 configuration.
Each seat has direct access to the aisle, a spacious side table with a personal light, a large table that’s ideal for working and dining, storage space under the ottoman for a large item, plus a universal PC power port, USB port and an 18-inch touch-panel LCD wide-screen monitor with a fantastic selection of movies, TV shows and games.
Flights offer ANA’s WiFi service, which will soon become free for all travellers in the Business Class cabin, plus an expansive duty-free offering including premium Japanese Whisky and luxury goods.
Where ANA’s Business Class stands out is food, drinks and hospitality on offer. On the dining front, there is a choice of a western or Japanese meal set and the quality and taste is so impressive, you’ll already feel like you are dining in a top Tokyo restaurant while you’re in the air.
If you go for the Japanese option, you can expect some Zensai (including sushi and morsels), Kobachi (a salmon salad and simmered icefish) and Shusai (simmered beef in wild vegetables), alongside steamed rice, Miso soup and Japanese pickles.
On the Western front, there will be a selection of small appetisers (like citrus marinated shrimps and scallops), followed by a main dish (beef fillet steak with Madiera sauce or steamed golden bream).
Both meal options come with a delightful dessert offering, including strawberry mousse, cheese and fruits.
On the wine front, expect a fantastic selection of top drops from across the globe, spanning France to Australia, New Zealand, Spain and Argentina, alongside a tasty selection of Sake and Shochu.
When it comes to an after-dinner tipple, incredibly, ANA offers the Hibiki Blender’s Choice from the House of Suntory of Japan (a $400 retail whisky) and it’s very, very hard to go past a dram of that.
The service on board ANA is well known as being called ‘five-star’ but that genuinely is what you can expect in the air and the hospitality is one of the many highlights onboard this impressive Business Class cabin that’s nothing short of five stars.
Lounging around
Before you depart from Tokyo’s Haneda Airport, stop by the ANA Lounge where you’ll find views over the airfield, seats for working and relaxing, plus a noodle bar, buffet (don’t skip past a Japanese curry), self-service drinks station (offering sake, shochu and other alcoholic beverages like beers from automated pourers) and a dining area.
For the best prices, get your tickets at https://www.ana.co.jp/