In the 12th century in Kyoto, the ancient former capital of Japan, a tranquil garden was created for a samurai.
Today, the same garden is home to Four Seasons Hotel Kyoto, a lush retreat that offers a glimpse into a bygone era of Japan.
I check in for a stay a few weeks before the garden’s annual bloom of cherry blossoms and find glamorous travelers strolling where warriors probably once walked.
Japan lays claim to some of the world’s best gardens, but this oasis is particularly notable because it is one of the few remaining from the end of the Heian period, considered a golden age for art and culture.
Archives suggest that the samurai for whom this Eden was created was Taira no Shigemori, the eldest son of the leader of the powerful Taira clan.
Ailbhe MacMahon checks into Four Seasons Hotel Kyoto. The 800-year-old garden (above) was built for a samurai
The entrance to the Four Seasons Hotel Kyoto is shaded by a striking wooden canopy
Taira no Shigemori, the samurai for whom the garden is believed to have been built
Ailbhe stayed in a Premier Room above, with beautiful garden views
The marble-clad bathroom in a Premier room has a walk-in shower and deep soaking bath
A One Bedroom Hotel Residence – Garden View, suitable for up to four guests
His stately home on the land is long gone, but his garden, which sits on prime real estate in the historic Higashiyama district, remains a beauty thanks to careful conservation work by the luxury hotel chain.
A glass bridge arches over the garden’s ponds, with the transparent floor revealing the original stone bridge below.
Archive sketches formed the basis for the restoration of the waterfall in the garden. A winding path leads to the ‘Jizo’ statue, believed to protect travelers, which has been in place for hundreds of years.
Naturally, the garden view rooms have proven very popular since the hotel, with 123 rooms and suites, as well as 57 long-stay ‘residences’, opened in 2016.
Fortunately, my Premier Room overlooks the enchanting green landscape. Sliding ‘shoji’ panels divide the room, with hand-painted screens framing the bed and traditional yukata robes (an informal kimono) folded in the wardrobe.
The indoor, upstairs and outdoor dining space at the Emba Kyoto Chophouse, overlooking the lake
The spacious lobby with high ceilings with installations by Japanese artists
The underground spa and fitness area features a 20-metre heated swimming pool
The spa’s ‘Ofuro’ pools are designed to provide the bather with total immersion
It provides a snapshot of the hotel as a whole: a serene retreat sprinkled with artistic design details.
A bamboo-lined path leads to the entrance. The lobby has a high ceiling and is filled with art, with abstract paintings and installations by Japanese artists catching the eye.
A glass elevator takes me to the underground spa and fitness area, a quiet space spread over two floors.
Here the main act is the swimming pool – one of the largest hotel pools in Kyoto, measuring 20 meters in length. Steaming whirlpools, ‘ofuro’ baths and saunas create a striking cast.
The cypress wood tea house overlooking the garden’s tranquil pond
A performance by a maiko, an apprentice geisha, in the hotel lobby
I unwind with one of the free yoga classes at the gym before heading into the city, with many of Kyoto’s most visited temples and shrines a short walk away.
There’s even a high-profile neighbor right across the street: the Kyoto National Museum, one of Japan’s oldest museums.
The entertainment district of Gion, where geisha perform, is also nearby, but you can experience their artistry without leaving the hotel grounds thanks to the twice-weekly performances by a ‘maiko’ apprentice geisha.
I witness it at dusk, as silence falls over the lobby as the young woman dances in harmony to a song about Kyoto’s changing seasons.
A creative touch is also given to the hotel’s culinary offering. Stepping into a booth at the Emba Kyoto Chophouse, I order a traditional Japanese breakfast (7,000 JPY/£37/$47 with buffet).
Afternoon tea is beautifully presented in bento boxes in the Fuju lounge
Inside the serene Fuju lounge, overlooking the gardens
The tea house at night and the seasonal cherry blossoms from the tea house
It arrives on a tray, with seasonal delicacies such as shrimp wrapped in pickled radish and soy milk curd with a dollop of salmon eggs, nicely displayed next to miso soup and steamed rice.
It’s a decadent start to the day, but the most magical culinary experience of my stay is yet to come.
It’s afternoon tea in the 800 year old garden.
Near the pond there is a tea house made of cypress wood, divided into two parts; salon ‘Fuju’ and a tea ceremony room where a small group can perform ancient brewing rituals with a ‘Tea Master‘ (20,000 JPY/£106/$135).
The Japanese breakfast served on a tray that Ailbhe enjoys at the Emba Kyoto Chophouse
The Lounge & Bar serves everything from coffee and pastries to after-dinner drinks
I’m led to a low table at Fuju and presented with a miso butter roll and a spicy yuzu jelly, arranged chocolate box style with other beautiful treats in lacquer boxes (JPY6,500/£34/$44).
While I eat, I admire the garden through the surrounding windows. It’s common to see the turtles and the pair of herons – nicknamed Angela and Alex, I’m told – who call the ponds home. Koi carp dart around in the water and the staff provide fine bags of fish food to throw to them.
Despite its well-located postcode, the hotel feels a million miles away from the vibrant streets of the city, which attracts more than 70 million visitors every year.
If you have a visit to Kyoto in mind, come here to relax, enjoy luxury and be transported back to a Japan lost to time.