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At Kyoto’s Imperial Hotel, a New Stay in a Historic Space

Set inside the former Yasaka Kaikan in Gion, the newly opened hotel offers 55 rooms, a restrained design and a surprisingly smooth start.

When I first traveled to Japan a dozen years ago for my honeymoon, I had been so ensorcelled by the otherworldly appearance of Tokyo that I didn’t even think to add another stop on our itinerary in the country. Of course, once you’re in the country, it’s impossible to avoid billboards and advertisements everywhere for Kyoto, which is only a little over two hours away from Japan’s capital via the Shinkansen, or bullet train. Alas, by the time I realized how much we were missing of Japanese history, culture and cuisine by not visiting, it was too late to pivot and add a stop.

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But, as I am nothing if not annoyingly determined, I’ve spent the last 12 years plotting both my return to the country and, finally, a stop at this dynamic and picturesque former capital.

While Tokyo overwhelms itinerary planning with its sheer size, organizing a trip to Kyoto requires attention to detail for different reasons—namely, that nearly all of its hotel stock and range of restaurants are, bafflingly, recommended. And even if........

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