Artful Escapes: Banyan Tree Higashiyama Kyoto
Architect Kengo Kuma designed a sanctuary in the foothills of Japan that achieves a medley of the historic and the contemporary
Hidden away in the verdant foothills of Kyoto’s eastern periphery (only steps from Kiyomizu-dera Temple), Banyan Tree Higashiyama Kyoto was designed by renowned architect Kengo Kuma to be a sanctuary that achieves a medley of the historic and the contemporary. Guests first encounter a triple-height lobby where a sweeping sculpture of bamboo stalks suspended from the ceiling makes for a grand welcome.
Opposite the installation, Kuma erected an equally soaring glass wall to not only flood the space with light but also draw attention to the lush landscape outside. One of the property’s most striking components is the stage for Noh, an ancient form of Japanese theater. This example—made of slender slats of cedar and cypress that echo Kuma’s latticework of rafters folded under the sloping eaves of the main building’s roof—is the first of its kind in a Kyoto hotel.
A version of this article first appeared in print in our 2025 Summer Issue in the section “Artful Escapes.” Subscribe to the magazine.