Will Speros • October 22, 2019
Aman Resorts International is slated to unveil its third property in Japan at the heart of a 79-acre forest in Kyoto next month. Conceived by the resort’s long term collaborator Kerry Hill Architects, Aman Kyoto is crafted in an elegant, minimalist style with respect to its verdant surroundings.
Accommodating 26 guestrooms across its six guest pavilions whose latticework translates traditional ryokan style through a modern lens, the boutique resort features a neutral color palette throughout, punctuated by handmade raku tiles and custom ceramics.
Named for the two mountains in the surrounding national parks of Kyoto, the Washigamine and Takagamine pavilions are located at the highest and most secluded points of the resort campus with two en-suite bedrooms, separate living and dining areas, a kitchen and tatami room, while the rooms at the Susuki, Nara, Kaede, and Hotaru pavilions average 646 square feet and wrapped in floor-to-ceiling windows. The interior design of these four pavilions feature tatami mats that line the floors, and traditional Japanese lanterns suspended from the ceilings. The large ofuro bathtubs in each guest room is crafted from hinoki cypress wood, a native material to central Japan.
The convivial Living Pavilion is the resort’s most spacious eatery with a central fireplace and floor-to-ceiling glass doors overlooking the forest, while Japanese food concept Taka-an with two private dining rooms honors the legacy of artist Honami Koetsu who created an artist’s colony on the area in which Aman Kyoto resides. Rounding out the resort’s amenities is the Aman Spa, in addition to its lush onsite gardens.
