When spring begins to stir Kyoto’s ancient streets, the Imperial Hotel, Kyoto will open on March 5, 2026 as a 55-room sanctuary of heritage and modern grace.
Rising within the restored Yasaka Kaikan, a nationally registered Tangible Cultural Property in Gion, the hotel introduces four destinations for culinary discovery: REN, YASAKA, OLD IMPERIAL BAR, and THE ROOFTOP, each conceived as an intimate stage for flavour, craft, and atmosphere inspired by the city’s seasons.
REN is a study in intimacy and precision. The 18-seat space, anchored by a 10-seat chef’s counter, glows under soft, directional lighting that frames the counter like a stage while the room rests in a warm, cinematic hush. The artworks adorning the walls were created by a renowned plaster artisan, depicting cherry blossoms—symbolic of Gion’s Miyako Odori—dancing on the breeze drifting in from Higashiyama, creating a cocoon for quiet conversation. Here, Executive Chef Koji Imajo blends classic French technique with Japanese seasonality, presenting menus guided by Japan’s twenty-four solar terms. Chef Imajo joined Imperial Hotel in 1996, refined his craft in France, and was appointed Head Chef of the Kyoto property in 2025, leading REN’s counter experience where movement, aroma, warmth, texture, and flavour unfold in real time.
“Kyoto’s light changes by the hour, and so must the plate,” says Imajo. “At REN, you taste the moment—the gentle bitterness of early spring greens, the comforting warmth of a slowly coaxed jus, and the harmony of textures composed at the counter before your eyes.”
YASAKA hums with the theatre of flame. A custom wood and charcoal oven casts flicker and fragrant smoke across the open kitchen. A historic “Bashō relief,” originally preserved in the former VIP room of the Yasaka Kaikan, has been carefully reinstalled, carrying forward the memories of the past. Morning light floods the room at breakfast, then yields to layered warmth as evening deepens. The venue’s communal spirit arrives on plates like the Yasaka Burger and Yasaka Curry, each marked by a subtle char and a whisper of smoke that nods to the grill’s artistry. YASAKA sits on the second floor with 54 seats, welcoming guests for breakfast, lunch, tea, and dinner.
OLD IMPERIAL BAR is steeped in quiet nostalgia, its design inspired by the Imperial Hotel’s Wright Building. The bar counter is crafted from a single, substantial slab of zelkova wood, allowing guests to gaze out over Kyoto’s townscape from across the counter. Lighting is architectural and deliberate, low pools grazing ceramic reliefs, making cocktails gleam like jewels. The bar seats 19 on the seventh floor, a timeless refuge where conversation softens and the evening’s tempo slows. Classics share the menu with Kyoto-inflected originals, including Mount Hiei, a matcha-based homage to the storied Mount Fuji cocktail.
Reserved for staying guests, THE ROOFTOP trades enclosed warmth for open-air clarity. Located in the very heart of Gion, the space enjoys an unobstructed setting, open to the city around it—so Kyoto’s skyline can take the lead. Lighting remains minimal and atmospheric, concealed terrace strips and lantern-like fixtures glowing against the night sky, the breeze carrying the city’s quiet over the rim of the glass. The terrace operates seasonally from late March to late November, seats 24, and is accessed via a dedicated staircase from the seventh floor. In the off-season or during inclement weather, guests are invited to enjoy OLD IMPERIAL BAR.
Culinary Leadership
Executive Chef Koji Imajo sets the culinary vision across the hotel’s dining portfolio. His approach marries French foundations with the cadence of Kyoto’s seasons, using the twenty-four solar terms as a compass for menu evolution and the chef’s counter as a stage for deft, sensory storytelling.
Food & Beverage Manager Yuto Jindo oversees concept execution and guest experience across REN, YASAKA, OLD IMPERIAL BAR, and THE ROOFTOP. He aligns pacing, tone, and ambiance with each space’s identity, orchestrating staff training, seasonal rollouts, and service choreography so hospitality feels effortless and deeply personal. “Our craft lives in small moments—the warmth of the grill’s first ignition, the quiet exchange at the counter, the way a cocktail meets the night air on the terrace,” says Jindo. “Each space feels timeless and distinctly Kyoto.”
Design Concept and Colour Story
Beyond its dining spaces, the Imperial Hotel, Kyoto reimagines the 1936 Yasaka Kaikan with an ethos of old is new, preserving historic fabric while introducing interiors shaped by materiality and restraint. The design draws on Japanese marble, Ōya stone, and Tamina-ishi, together with crafted woodwork and, in the North Wing, tatami flooring, grounding the experience in Kyoto’s climate and craft culture. The overall palette favors warm woods, nuanced neutrals, and subdued metallic accents, creating public spaces and guest rooms that feel quietly luminous and seasonally attuned. The hotel is a member of The Leading Hotels of the World as of April 2025. With 55 guest rooms and a quartet of culinary destinations, the hotel promises an experience that is as much about atmosphere as it is about taste.
The hotel opens Thursday, March 5, 2026. Reservations for REN and YASAKA began on January 7, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. for Imperial Club International members, with general reservations starting from January 13, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. OLD IMPERIAL BAR and THE ROOFTOP are reserved for registered hotel guests, rooftop operations subject to season and weather conditions. Reservations can be made via the official website: imperialhotel.co.jp/en/kyoto.