Stay in style: Art hotels and creative lodging in Kyoto

Japan Today

2 days ago

Quirky art awaits at the Hotel Anteroom Kyoto throughout the entirety of its grounds.
By Kimberly Hughes
As with other highly-traveled destinations, Japan has no shortage of unique accommodation options. These include numerous inns incorporating explicitly artistic touches, such as one styled around a treehouse in Okinawa and another that's a denim-themed guesthouse in the Kojima district of Kurashiki, Okayama (known as Japan's 'jeans capital').
This article introduces two artistically themed inns in Kyoto to keep on your radar for future getaways. While differing from the more traditional accommodation experience in Japan's ancient capital, such as a stay in a ryokan (traditional Japanese inn) or a machiya (townhouse), both of these options offer an opportunity to experience Kyoto's local culture through the unique lens of innovative modern art and design.
Ace Hotel Kyoto: Portland cool meets Kyoto craftsmanship
Featuring a copper donut-shaped front desk, with unique overhead lighting and wooden beams, Ace Hotel Kyoto is infused with art on every level.
Image: Kimberly Hughes
Established in 2020, this hotel is part of the global Ace Hotel network, whose first location was repurposed in 1999 from a fisherman's inn in the U.S. city of Portland, Oregon — setting the tone for the brand's ethos of craftsmanship and community.
Ace Hotel Kyoto similarly represents a restoration project, featuring two legendary architects working one century apart. It is housed in the atmospheric Shinpuhkan complex, which was designed in the 1920s as the Kyoto Central Telephone Office by leading modernist Yoshida Tetsuro. The present-day structure features the work of Kengo Kuma — including a majestic kigumi (wood joinery) timber ceiling — with additional collaboration from Atelier Ace and Commune Design.
Equal parts cozy and chic, the Ace Hotel Kyoto's lobby area invites lounging with friends while gazing at onsite art installations.
Image: Kimberly Hughes
The hotel grounds brim with the works of local and far-flung artists and designers alike. Lobby accents include copper light fixtures, works from famed katazome (stencil dyeing) artist Yunoki Samiro and verdant foliage homed in earthy, chunky pots created by artist and fisherman Kazunori Hamana. The first-floor exhibition space features artworks from guest creators, which include a rotating lineup of international, multigenre artists-in-residence.
A long working table and comfy couch area serve as a community hub — perfect for enjoying a seasonal latte from the adjacent Stumptown Coffee Roasters, a Portland classic. The chilled-out playlist features everything from ambient jazz to funk, with live DJs often spinning for events. Artworks also dot its three onsite restaurants: Kosa, featuring impeccably-presented seasonal local cuisine; Mr. Maurice's Italian, whose specialties include wood-fired pizzas and rooftop cocktails; and Piopiko, an uber-stylish bar and taco lounge.
Even the food is an artful affair at the Ace Hotel — including this matcha-dusted, vegan black sesame panna cotta at its stylish Kosa restaurant.
Image: Kimberly Hughes
While visitors are welcome to enjoy this veritable festival of art in the hotel's restaurant and common spaces, in-room features are of course available exclusively to overnight guests. These include soaking tubs, vinyl turntables, Tivoli radios and Gibson guitars; along with exclusively-designed fabrics, furniture inspired by Charlotte Perriand's work during her World War II-era Japan sojourn, and in-room artworks from Japan's Mingei folk artist movement. While such extravagance naturally comes with a price, off-season rates do run lower; and there are also special deals for Japan residents. Besides its design-oriented accolades, the hotel has additionally received recognition for its diversity-related efforts — including a 2025 Japan Travel Award for its consistent support of LGBTQ+ guests.
Hotel Anteroom Kyoto: A contemporary stay with artistic flair
Cafe by day and bar in the evening, this space also serves as a spot to gaze at creative art installations.
Image: Kimberly Hughes
Lying four kilometers due south, this hotel — in the midrange budget category — is significantly more compact in size than the Ace Hotel Kyoto, and offers an altogether different vibe; although no less of an artistic experience.
Fronted by a rock garden, along with strategically-positioned lights that cast a soft glow after dark, this inn exudes style even before you first enter. Once a student dormitory, its interior has been renovated in the style of a smart boutique hotel, replete with clean neon-white signage and a spacious area for guest dining. There is also a separate café, open to the public, that turns into a chilled-out bar at nighttime (think Portishead over a dram of whisky).
Artistic elements also abound here. There are two styles of rooms — concept and standard — with those in the concept category each showcasing the works of a specific artistic individual or entity; and interesting artworks even featuring in the standard rooms. The first-floor lobby also serves as a space to host exhibitions and events, along with pop-up shops selling artworks and various goods.
Even walking down the hallway at the Hotel Anteroom Kyoto feels artsy.
Image: Kimberly Hughes
In one recent exhibition, titled 'The Box of Memories', the first-floor main space and wall corridor were lined with works that recounted the history of Kumagusuku — another local art hostel, with roots in the Setouchi Art Triennale event, which closed its doors earlier in 2025.
All featured artists have a close connection to Kyoto, so between the deeply local exhibitions and the informational clearinghouse-style space filled with racks of pamphlets covering the city's artistic happenings, a stay at the Hotel Anteroom Kyoto affords an intimate window into Kyoto's artistic scene. Since the hotel also has locations in Naha, Okinawa and Seoul, Korea that feature a similar vibe, the next time you visit those cities you can take the opportunity to get artsy there, as well.
Find more information on these art-oriented Kyoto hotels here:
Ace Hotel Kyoto
245-2 Kurumayacho, Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto, Kyoto 604-8185, Japan
Tel: [phone]
Website: Ace Hotel Kyoto
Hotel Anteroom Kyoto
7 Aketa-cho, Higashi-Kujo, Minami-ku, Kyoto, 601-8044 Japan
Tel: [phone]
Website: Hotel Anteroom Kyoto
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