A Stay at HOTEL THE MITSUI KYOTO

Table of Contents

I stayed at HOTEL THE MITSUI KYOTO.

A hotel on land with ties to the Mitsui family

My Kyoto trip was finally down to one of its later stays. For various reasons, I ended up staying at a different hotel each night, and one of them was HOTEL THE MITSUI KYOTO.

It may be described as land connected to the Mitsui family, but the fact that they can call such a huge plot right in front of Nijo Castle “connected land” really drives home just how elite the Mitsui world is… or at least that’s how it feels from an ordinary person’s perspective. (lol)

Originally, a residence for the main Mitsui family was built here in 1710. Later, after the turmoil at the end of the Edo period, the site became the Fukui domain’s residence for a time, before returning to the Mitsui family in the Meiji era.

After the war, however, the breakup of the zaibatsu separated the land from the Mitsui family again, and the Kyoto International Hotel, operated by Fujita Kanko—known for Chinzanso—remained in business here until December 2014. After it closed, Hankyu Realty owned the land for a condominium project, but Mitsui Fudosan acquired it, bringing it back into Mitsui hands once more.

So in other words, this was the third time the property had returned to Mitsui. I also found quite a bit of information in this sponsored article, so take a look if you’re interested. (It doesn’t mention Fujita Kanko or Hankyu Realty, though—because, well, it’s an ad.)

https://discoverjapan-web.com/article/39606

I walked to HOTEL THE MITSUI KYOTO from Karasuma Oike Station on the subway. Since it’s right in front of Nijo Castle, I followed the path on the castle side and then…

The back entrance of HOTEL THE MITSUI KYOTO

…found myself at the back entrance, which you can’t use to get in!!! (lol) I messed up. So I had no choice but to walk all the way around the property to reach the main entrance.

The Kajii-no-miya Gate at the entrance of HOTEL THE MITSUI KYOTO — Kajii-no-miya Gate

I finally made it!! Later, though, I realized there’s actually a shortcut if you cut through the ANA Crowne Plaza Hotel grounds.

So if you accidentally end up at the back entrance like I did, make use of the ANA Crowne Plaza shortcut route… (lol)

The sign at the entrance of HOTEL THE MITSUI KYOTO — A member of The Luxury Collection

Anyway, time to check in

Pulling myself together, I checked in. In the lobby, they served cold tea, sweets, and a hand towel.

The cold tea, sweets, and hand towel served at check-in at HOTEL THE MITSUI

The elevator buttons are set into something that looks like an ancient ruin. (Center of the photo.)

In the elevator hall on the guest room floor, there was something like a bench, or maybe an art piece. It had moss on it, but… are you actually supposed to sit there? (lol)

A bench-like object placed in the elevator hall at HOTEL THE MITSUI KYOTO

Then I headed to my room along a carpet pattern that seemed to be inspired by karesansui dry landscape gardens.

The corridor in front of the guest rooms at HOTEL THE MITSUI KYOTO — A karesansui-pattern carpet—something Kyoto really loves to do

A Japanese-style room with a slight twist

The room I stayed in was the entry-level “Deluxe Room.” The bedroom was wonderfully spacious.

The bed area of the Deluxe Room at HOTEL THE MITSUI KYOTO

View: “city view” sounds nice, but since the hotel is low-rise, people passing by and neighbors can pretty much see right inside. (lol)

The view from the Deluxe Room at HOTEL THE MITSUI KYOTO, with a building visible beyond

Tea sweets had been prepared on the table. Sofas are nice, but I do think a table that can also be used for dining is more practical. (Though having both is ideal.)

The sweets placed in the room at HOTEL THE MITSUI KYOTO

The bedside switches were fun—very tactile, analog little push-buttons. I did wonder how durable they are, though…

The various bedside switches in the room at HOTEL THE MITSUI KYOTO

Since Japanese atmosphere is one of the hotel’s selling points, teacups were set out next to the Nespresso machine.

The tea set in the room at HOTEL THE MITSUI KYOTO

These mugs were the ones for coffee. Their Japanese-style design was so cute that I wanted them for myself.

The mug in the room at HOTEL THE MITSUI KYOTO

The bath area was done in stone, with that unmistakable “luxury hotel!” feel. The bathtub is stone too, so be careful not to bang into it—you could really hurt yourself. Maybe I’m the only one who manages to injure myself that often, though…

The exterior view of the bathroom at HOTEL THE MITSUI KYOTO

The toilet had a dark, moody atmosphere.

The toilet in the room at HOTEL THE MITSUI KYOTO

Exploring the inner courtyard

At the center of HOTEL THE MITSUI is an inner courtyard. That said, much of it is covered with a shallow layer of water, so there isn’t actually that much space you can walk on.

The inner courtyard of HOTEL THE MITSUI KYOTO

There’s even a stone bridge that makes you wonder, “Where on earth did they bring that from?”

An old-looking stone bridge in the inner courtyard of HOTEL THE MITSUI KYOTO

And at night, the whole atmosphere changes dramatically.

The lobby at night at HOTEL THE MITSUI KYOTO — The lobby at night

At night, the illuminated trees reflect in the water basin, and it feels like an entirely different garden.

The illuminated inner courtyard at night at HOTEL THE MITSUI KYOTO

This is the lobby seen from the opposite side of the garden. It’s so quiet.

The night lobby seen from the inner courtyard at HOTEL THE MITSUI KYOTO

During turndown service, my cable had been neatly bundled up with a HOTEL THE MITSUI logo cable tie. (lol)

A smartphone cable neatly bundled during turndown service at HOTEL THE MITSUI KYOTO

Heading to the swimsuit-required Thermal Spring SPA in the basement

One of HOTEL THE MITSUI’s signature features is the “Thermal Spring SPA” in the basement. Unlike a standard public bath, it has a mixed-gender thermal spring area where swimsuits are required. (Free for guests.)

You call ahead from your room before heading down.

The sign for the Thermal Spring SPA at HOTEL THE MITSUI KYOTO

This is the corridor from the elevator to the Thermal Spring SPA. Maybe because of the water feature on the left, it had a strangely strong chlorine smell…

The underground corridor to the Thermal Spring SPA at HOTEL THE MITSUI KYOTO

It had a kind of Kengo Kuma–inspired vibe. (lol)

After changing into a swimsuit in the locker room, I went into the thermal spring area… The water wasn’t all that hot, and it felt more like a large heated pool. There was also a mist waterfall that comes down at set times, and warm reclining chairs.

Personally, I didn’t really feel like my body got warmed through, so I think I would have preferred a regular hot spring. Between this and the sauna at sequence KYOTO GOJO, maybe Mitsui just likes unusual ideas.

Breakfast and a tea experience

A Japanese set breakfast

I had breakfast at the hotel. A Western option was available too, but I went with the Japanese set. Maybe being in Kyoto just puts me in the mood for Japanese food?

The Japanese set breakfast at HOTEL THE MITSUI KYOTO

Even if you choose the Japanese breakfast, you still get freshly baked croissants. (The calories…)

The breakfast croissant at HOTEL THE MITSUI KYOTO

A tea experience

Before checking out, I took part in a ryurei-style tea service experience called “A Cup of Tea at Chakai,” which I had reserved in advance.

Chakai at HOTEL THE MITSUI KYOTO — Chakai beside the lobby

These were the sweets. Adorable.

The sweets served during the tea service experience at HOTEL THE MITSUI KYOTO

I do sometimes have tea in tearooms at museums, but this was actually my first time watching the tea preparation performed right in front of me like this.

A woman preparing tea during the tea service experience at Chakai at HOTEL THE MITSUI KYOTO

It wasn’t a stiff or intimidating setting, so being able to hear explanations of what was happening and ask questions made it a really great experience.

My stay at HOTEL THE MITSUI KYOTO ended on a very good note.