Hotel Kanra Kyoto – Experience the Kyoto Spirit of Embracing the Beauty, Wisdom and Hospitality of Japan

Hotel Kanra Kyoto is a great choice of accommodation if you wish to experience staying in a traditional Japanese ryokan but still want to sleep in a fluffy and comfortable modern bed instead of on a tatami mat. “KAN” in “KANRA” stems from the letter “Kan” (experience) and “RA” comes from the letter “Raku” (Kyoto). Hotel Kanra Kyoto hopes that guests get to “experience” the spirit of Kyoto “city” that embraces the beauty, wisdom, and hospitality of Japan. Check out the following 5 unique selling points Jayden and I have noticed after staying at Hotel Kanra Kyoto.

#1 – Experience Traditional Kyoto at the Hotel

A wonderful way to experience Kyoto-style living is to stay in a machiya. If you don’t already know, machiya(s) are traditional wooden townhouses with an enclosed courtyard garden that used to house Kyoto merchants and craftspeople. At Hotel Kanra Kyoto, every room and suite is designed to replicate a machiya. The interior is constructed with traditional skill and technique, using natural materials such as wood, stone, iron, solid or green. You will enter a mini courtyard before going into your room or suite. There is also a seasonal piece of art displayed along the corridor on every level of the hotel.

#2 – Rooms and Suites with a Splendid View of the Iconic Kyoto Tower

We were hosted in the Deluxe Twin Room, a multi-purpose guest room accommodating to couples, groups and families. This room category features a master bedroom with windows that look out to the view of Kyoto Tower. There are two 1,400mm wide sized beds and a tatami room which exudes a traditional Japanese vibe. As compared to other accommodation in Japan, we find this room quite spacious.

#3 – Private Onsen in the Rooms and Suites

If you’re too shy to visit a public bath in Japan, you’ll be happy to know that the rooms and suites at Hotel Kanra Kyoto include a Japanese-style bathtub, and you can enjoy a private onsen experience. Made from Japanese cypress, the bathtub features a smooth texture with a soothing lemony fragrance – just imagine the warm comfort of soaking away all the tension and stress of the day! If you book the Kanra Junior Suite, the bathtub is outdoor and you’ll get a view of the Kyoto Tower.

#4 – Hearty Breakfast served at The Kitchen Kanra

Be prepared to go on a gastronomical journey when you dine at Hanaroku or have breakfast at The Kitchen Kanra. You can choose from the Japanese breakfast set, the Western breakfast set or the Continental breakfast set in the morning. I highly recommend the Japanese breakfast set as you’ll get to savour Kyoto’s food culture, with seasonal ingredients.

The Japanese set during autumn season contains miso-grilled Spanish mackerel with vegetables, roast duck with fig, snow crab soy croquette, simmered hijiki, kyo-tofu, the day’s special, simmered shrimp, sweet potato, lotus root and spinach, Kyoto-Akaoya’s Japanese pickles, a choice between cooked rice or porridge, mushroom and pork miso soup, Kamo-shizennouen’s roasted green tea, and Japanese sweet “Kyoto-Kanayamasahiro’s shinseimame”. Such a hearty breakfast!

#5 – Café with a Garden-dining Concept & Shop Offering Local Crafts

Feeling exhausted from too much time spent out exploring Kyoto? Indulge in hand-dripped coffee with Kanra original sweets, as well as, other Japanese sweets from long-established stores at the cafe that looks out to a small Japanese garden. There is a shop beside the cafe that carries authentically crafted goods from all over Japan. The hotel also houses a kintsugi studio. KINTSUGI is the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery with lacquer dusted or mixed with powdered gold, silver, or platinum. As a philosophy, it treats breakage and repair as part of the history of an object. It’s interesting to watch how pottery are repaired.

Located 80 minutes from the Kansai International Airport on the JR limited express “Haruka” and 12 minutes on foot from Kyoto Station (JR) Central Exit makes Hotel Kanra Kyoto quite accessible. If you’re thinking of pampering yourself and splurging for a holiday in Kyoto, you can consider staying at Hotel Kanra Kyoto.

Hotel Kanra Kyoto
Address: 190 Kitamachi, Shimogyo Ward, Kyoto, 600-8176, Japan
Contact: +81753443815
Website: https://www.hotelkanra.jp/en/

Note that this is an invited stay, but the opinions are the writer’s own.