Luxury Hotels Atlas / Places / Japan / Kyoto / Hotel Okura Kyoto
Hotel Okura Kyoto
Kyoto, Japan · Okura · Grand Luxury
The future Tsar Nicholas II of Russia stayed here in 1891, prompting a personal visit from Emperor Meiji after Nicholas survived an assassination attempt in nearby Otsu. The hotel's roots run to 1888, when Kyoto innkeeper Matakichi Maeda opened the Kyoto Tokiwa on a former Choshu clan estate along the Kamo River; it was rebuilt in 1994 with 320 rooms and renamed Hotel Okura Kyoto in 2022, steps from the river and the Higashiyama hills.
- 320 rooms
- Opened 1888
- Neighborhood: Kawaramachi-Oike
About Hotel Okura Kyoto
- Innkeeper Matakichi Maeda opened the ryokan Kyoto Tokiwa in 1888 on a former Choshu clan estate along the Kamo River, then redeveloped it as Kyoto Hotel in 1890.
- The 1994 rebuild has 320 rooms across 17 floors and four basement levels; the Okura partnership dates to 2001 and the present name to 2022.
- Leading Hotels of the World carries the house; Nishiki Market is a 13-minute walk and Nijo Castle 2 km.
- Four restaurants, two bars, a bakery, a cafe, a fitness center, and an indoor pool sit on Kawaramachi-Oike.
History
Hotel Okura Kyoto traces its lineage to 1888, when Kyoto innkeeper Matakichi Maeda opened a ryokan called Kyoto Tokiwa on the banks of the Kamo River. In 1890 he redeveloped a former Choshu clan estate at Kawaramachi-Oike into the Kyoto Hotel, one of the earliest Western-style hotels in Kyoto; Russia's Crown Prince Nicholas, the future Tsar Nicholas II, stayed there in 1891, and Emperor Meiji personally visited him after an attempt on his life in nearby Otsu.
The hotel was rebuilt several times over the 20th century, most recently in 1994 with 320 rooms across 17 floors and 4 basement levels. It formed a business partnership with Hotel Okura in 2001, was renamed Kyoto Hotel Okura in 2002, and took its current name, Hotel Okura Kyoto, in 2022. It is a member of Leading Hotels of the World.
The setting
2 km from Nijō Castle.
Amenities
- Indoor pool
- Hot tub
- Fitness center
Awards
- Forbes Travel Guide Recommended (2026)
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