As spring approaches, Kyoto readies itself for another onslaught of tourists who will come in their rented kimonos to gawk at the cherry blossoms at the Kiyomizu-dera and cram the streets of Gion.
In touristy places, the experiences are often kitschy, and tourists feel disconnected from local life. It is ironic that while they have come to learn about Japanese culture in historic Kyoto, they often leave feeling that they have barely scratched the surface.
This is especially so if Kyoto’s cultural heart, Takagamine, is not on their radar. While this area is rather residential, there are famous historic sites and temples like the Koetsu-ji, although these are better known among locals than tourists. Therefore, they are devoid of the hustle and bustle that plagues temples like the Kiyomizu-dera. The tempo here is slow, befitting for a cultural area, and for a country known for being the birthplace of zen.
In the 17th century, Tokugawa Ieyasu gifted the land around Takagamine to Hon’anmi Koetsu, a famous artist and the founder of the Rinpa school of Japanese painting. Here, Koetsu established an artist colony with friends which dissolved over time. In the 1950s, Nishino kimono maker Shozan bought the land and built the 11.6 ha Shozan Kyoto Resort on it.
In 2021, Roku Kyoto opened amidst this landscaped property as the first Asia-Pacific property of Hilton’s LXR Hotels & Resorts. Conceptualised by Singapore-headquartered Blink Design, the 114-key hotel which also has a spa, an outdoor thermal pool, and a restaurant, pays homage to the site’s artistic legacy by embracing craftsmanship and the landscape that inspired it.
A palette of earthy tones, and light woods blend the outdoors with the interiors which are anchored by large windows. They frame views of the lush Takagamine mountains which form the hotel’s backdrop, and change colours with the seasons.
The feature wall in the lobby is finished with Japanese urushi lacquer—a technique dating back 7,000 years. Rooms feature wall coverings with woodblock patterns on washi paper, a nod to the paper factory here during the Heian period, before Koetsu’s time.
To immerse guests in Kyoto’s culture, washi paper making workshops and classes with shokunins (artisans or craftspeople in Japanese) in generations-old ateliers specialising in traditional crafts like pottery, gold leaf art, Nishijin textiles and kintsugi are available. For those who are more food-inclined, a yuba-making experience is available. After all, Kyoto is known for its silky tofu skin.
In a place that is steeped in artistic legacy, Tenjin, the only restaurant at Roku Kyoto, dishes out beautifully plated cuisine. In “Vegetable Garden” a fixture in the multi-course dinner, executive chef Akira Taniguchi dressed seasonal herbs and kyoyasai—heirloom vegetables that originate in Kyoto—in a creamy mentaiko sauce. The karami daikon added a bitter and spicy kick to the salad.
In all my past trips, I had kept to the touristy parts of Kyoto where no one, even in Michelin-starred restaurants, mentioned “kyoyasai” to me. It was only on this trip—my fifth to Kyoto—that I would learn about Kyoto’s heirloom vegetables, which are grown only in the prefecture and have unique flavours and textures. Having kept to the touristy areas previously, it had not occurred to me that Kyoto beyond the city centre is rich in endemic produce. They are the products of a food culture that dates back 1,000 years, which Tenjin tries to use as much as possible. Needless to say, my dining experience here was revelatory.
This story first appeared in the April 2025 issue of GRAZIA Singapore.
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