This restaurant turned ryokan is steeped in Kyoto tradition

Hotel Sawaka is located in a 100-year old former ryotei in Kyoto’s Gion district and offers an authentic taste of the past thanks to its architectural period details.

The Kyoto hotel retains the decorated ceilings and windows of the sukiya architectural style, as well as several other traditional features including patterned timber, clay walls and sliding paper screens as part of its refurb.

Hotel Sawaka offers just 23 unique rooms, including a suite that looks out onto the main garden, with prices starting from ¥56,824 per night. Smaller rooms peer onto the green central courtyard, complete with bubbling Japanese water feature.

Local and seasonal ingredients are cooked in the boutique hotel’s restaurant, La Bombance Gion, which serves a nine-dish dinner that blends typical Japanese cuisine with influences from around the world.