CONCEPT
The Tea Garden and the Lights of the Tea House
DESIGN
Design concept
Our lobby lounge is inspired by “Chatei” - the traditional tea garden culture nurtured in Kyoto with which we offer all guests a warm welcome. By guiding guests to their rooms, which are analogous to teahouses, through the dim garden that lies outside a traditional teahouse with the light of paper lanterns, we create Kyoto’s unique worldview through the presence of the tea garden and the effects of light and invite guests to explore it. With an emphasis on paper lanterns, cobblestone, and ceiling latticework to create essential value and a focus on stone and light in the approach from the entrance to the elevator hall, we use primitive expressive techniques to execute the designs of individual elements.
Paper lanterns
Lighting fixtures evoking the paper lanterns used in Japanese festivals were fabricated just for the hotel. They have been placed at random heights to evoke the ambience of a festival. We’ve worked to create gentle, warm light that fills the space.
Cobblestones
We’ve embedded stones in the ground and placed a large stone in the courtyard. Stonework has been used to highlight the half-underground location of the first floor. We’ve used light from paper lanterns to incorporate the beauty of the stonework into the lobby’s design.
Ceiling latticework
We chose a latticed ceiling as a design that would evoke a uniquely Japanese space. We used aluminum to create a latticed ceiling of the type long used in Japan in order to create a more contemporary design.
Reception desk
We built the reception desk out of stone and used premium, natural ginkgo wood for its counter. Similarly, the bench in front of the reception desk features the simplicity of log cross-sections placed on large stones. To highlight the appeal of wood, the bench is made from wood from a single, valuable ginkgo tree.
Japan's functional beauty
GUEST ROOM
The hotel has a total of 166 guest rooms ranging in area from 15.8 to 42.56 square meters. Double, twin, and triple layouts accommodate the overnight needs of a diverse range of parties ranging from one to three guests. Inside guest rooms, which like the common areas feature lighting designed to evoke traditional Japanese oil lamps, you’ll find a “toolbox” that both doubles as a table while providing storage for tea implements and other room amenities. This arrangement invites you to experience the Japanese worldview, which prizes orderly neatness and space-saving innovation while finding beauty in simple, unpretentious tools.
A memorable "taste" experience of the trip.
RESTAURANT
Japanese breakfast prepared in buffet style that includes rice produced in Kyoto and miso soup with Kyoto style miso, Nanzenji tofu and others made by a local long established tofu shop, Kyoto syle obanzai, Japanese pickes, and so on. From 15:00 pm to 6:00 pm, the restaurant area operates as a complimentary cafe for hotel guests. Guests enjoy coffee and tea free of charge.
