5 Best Hotels in Kyoto, Japan

Founded in 1818 to accommodate provincial lords visiting the capital, this elegant inn is well known for its restrained and subtle beauty. The private hallway leading to each room's doorway makes all the accommodations feel like suites. The seven rooms in the modern wing have private gardens, even on the upper floor, and are equipped with cedar baths. Rooms in the older wing set the standard for quiet elegance, with exquisitely sculpted wooden details and in some cases gold-leaf sliding doors. In traditional ryokan style, meals are served in your room by a kimono-clad attendant. Hiiragiya has an annex a few blocks away with more affordable prices.

Directly opposite the Kyoto National Museum and next to the famous Sanjusangen-do Temple, this is one of Kyoto's premier hotels, offering spacious tasteful rooms. Room interiors are exquisitely designed with soothing colors and garden views for south-facing rooms. The multilingual staff are knowledgeable and most helpful. The garden-view Japanese restaurant specializes in kaiseki dining.

In a neighborhood with many traditional buildings, this ryokan that's an easy distance from the city center has a welcoming staff and serves delightful kaiseki (multicourse meals). Dining takes place in a downstairs room, and there's a comfortable lounge with computer terminals and laptop ports. The large Japanese-style public baths (separate areas for men and women) stay open late, so taking a late-night dip is no problem, though Japanese guests generally bathe before the evening meal. The rooms are comfortable but not exceptional.

A bit of a miniature miracle, the Ryokan Seryo is in the semirural village of Ohara, near the Sanzen-in Temple. The rooms are spacious with views of beautiful gardens and access to natural hot-spring baths in the rooms. Breakfast and the kaiseki dinner includes mountain vegetables and seasonal specialties like wild boar stew in winter, and is served on a veranda overlooking the koi pond. Two new rooms have outdoor baths with memorable mountain views. The hotel is a 70-minute bus ride from Kyoto Station or from buses leaving from the Kokusai Kaikan subway station, 20 minutes away.

Some rooms at this hillside hot-springs resort outside Kyoto proper have their own rotemburo (outdoor hot tub) overlooking a private garden, but gender-separated communal baths are available to all guests, and meals are included with your room. Though the building's facade is nondescript, the Japanese-style lobby's garden path–like approach and sliding paper door suggest Old Kyoto. Seasonal ingredients form the basis of kaiseki meals that can include crab, sukiyaki, and, in winter, wild boar. The scenic way to get here is aboard the Sagano Torokko train that leaves from Saga Torokko Station in Arashiyama.