Yoshikawa is an authentic luxury ryokan, set on a quite side street, in the centre of Kyoto. Built more than a century ago in the Sukiya architectural style, this former residence of a wealthy merchant and now a deluxe ryokan is everything you imagine a traditional Japanese home to be. Kimono clad maids drift around discreetly, the beautifully landscaped garden features a koi carp filled pond and interiors strike the perfect balance between authentic simplicity and refined luxury.
Housed within an ancient Japanese sukiya-style building, Yoshikawa Ryokan features just nine tatami-style rooms. On your arrival, you will remove your shoes and slip into a pair of leather slippers that you will wear while indoors. Rooms are simply furnished to avoid distraction and focus on simpler things including the immaculate zen garden. Famous in Kyoto for its excellent tempura, breakfast and dinner are included in your overnight stay and served in your guest room.
Situated in central Kyoto, Yoshikawa Ryokan is within walking distance of shopping districts, restaurants and near the Kyoto Imperial Palace and Nijo Castle. There are over 400 Shinto shrines in Kyoto of which the 8th-century Fushimi Inari is most famous for its 10,000 red and orange lacquered torii gates that line the 3km-long path up Mount Inari. One day, experience zen meditation or an elaborate tea ceremony or find peace while taking a stroll in the Arashiyama bamboo forest.
Amenities
24hr Room ServiceConciergeCribs/Infant Beds AvailableGardenMultilingual StaffRestaurantSafety Deposit BoxesSpa/SaunaWi-Fi AvailableStay Yoshikawa Ryokan features just nine Japanese style rooms. Each are traditionally decorated in the traditional style and are arranged around a pretty courtyard with a pond. Rooms have traditional tatami mat floors, paper shoji doors and comfortable futon beds which are discreetly tidied away each morning. All rooms have en-suite bathrooms with western style facilities and a traditional cedar wood Japanese bath.
ChildCare Families with children are welcome to stay at Yoshikawa Ryokan but there are no specific facilities available for children. A maximum of one child can share a room with their parents. Babysitting service can be arranged, on request.
Dine Breakfast and kaiseki dinner are usually served in your private tatami mat rooms. But, Yoshikawa Ryokan also has a casual twelve-seat counter where guests can sit and watch as the tempura chefs labour over their cauldrons of hot oil. Popular amongst locals, Tempura is served as the last course of a kaiseki (multi-course) meal served with rice or chazuke style (hot tea over rice). The house dipping sauce is a closely guarded secret that's been handed down through generations.
Relax The whole purpose of staying here is to relax. Yoshikawa Ryokan is a place of serenity within urban chaos. It offers an elegant and peaceful atmosphere where you will enjoy a relaxing moment at the centre of Kyoto. There are no rough edges at Yoshikawa. There are almost no edges at all. But there is silence, peace, tranquillity. Once inside you will realise that the street is the outside world, and the ryokan is the serenity one seeks within.
Experience As in all traditional ryokans, Yoshikawa has no facilities one would expect from a hotel. But there is much to do in Kyoto which boasts several unmissable sites, including the Temple of the Golden Pavilion and the Kiyomizu-dera shrine, Kyoto’s most famous Buddhist temple. To the west is the 17th-century Nijo Castle, built by the founder of the Edo period and further afield is Arashiyama, bamboo forest and a world-class scenic spot.
Location Located at Matsushitacho, Nakagyo-ku in central Kyoto, close to the business district and central shopping district of Shijo-Kawaramachi, within walking distance from the Imperial Palace.
Getting there 12-hour International flight to Tokyo International Airport-Haneda, followed by a 2-hour Shinkansen (bullet train) journey to Kyoto. Yoshikawa is 15-minutes by car from the train station.
When to go You can visit Kyoto at any time of year, although the summer, from June to August, can be very hot and humid, and winter can be a little chilly. For the rest of Japan, Spring brings pleasant, warm days, and early April is a good time to view the cherry blossoms. Autumn brings dramatic foliage season, when the parks and green areas of the city mellow into varying hues of orange and red.
Destination
Honshu, Japan
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