FUFU Kyoto
Kyoto / 京都
Nestled at the foot of Higashiyama, between a garden considered a modern masterpiece and a sakura-li
THE STORY
Nestled at the foot of Higashiyama, between a garden considered a modern masterpiece and a sakura-lined waterway flowing with Lake Biwa’s lifeblood waters, FUFU Kyoto is a new luxury ryokan that embodies the beauty of Kyoto’s ancient culture while providing the comforts of modern technology.
Located at the very northern edge of the district, steps away from historic Nanzen-ji Temple, FUFU Kyoto provides a more expansive experience than the narrow alleys and closed off machiya further south. Going back to the days of the imperial court, this area of lush nature and mountain views made it a popular choice among Kyoto’s elite for sprawling residences and vacation homes.
Like those opulent properties, FUFU Kyoto features its own Japanese-style garden with detached teahouse. Called Yae Hitoe after a variety of sakura, the teahouse provides the venue for a range of exclusive experiences such as geisha performances and tea ceremonies. At night, it becomes an exclusive bar, with local sakes and original cocktails served in elegantly etched glassware.
Restaurant Ioto provides creative kyo-kaiseki cuisine in a mixture of private rooms, a garden-facing counter, and a theater-style kappo counter where guests can watch the chefs charcoal grilling the signature sumibiyaki dishes or contemplate the exquisite bonsai terrarium and maki-e lacquer art by Yui Higashibata.
In addition to a design that draws heavily on elements of traditional Kyoto architecture and the rich warmth of natural materials like washi paper and sakura wood, the rooms feature one-of-a-kind pieces from local artisans. Fresh flowers in ceramic vases and a tea ceremony set complete with custom iron kettle nod to ancient arts like ikebana and sado, while heated floors, Bose speakers, and tablets for touchless communication provide a global standard in comfort. Each room also features a private hot spring bath, a rarity in Kyoto, with a tub crafted from aromatic hinoki cypress.
At FUFU Kyoto, guests can enjoy the dynamic changes of the season, wrapped in the natural world, and still have all the pleasures of Kyoto at their fingertips.
Located at the very northern edge of the district, steps away from historic Nanzen-ji Temple, FUFU Kyoto provides a more expansive experience than the narrow alleys and closed off machiya further south. Going back to the days of the imperial court, this area of lush nature and mountain views made it a popular choice among Kyoto’s elite for sprawling residences and vacation homes.
Like those opulent properties, FUFU Kyoto features its own Japanese-style garden with detached teahouse. Called Yae Hitoe after a variety of sakura, the teahouse provides the venue for a range of exclusive experiences such as geisha performances and tea ceremonies. At night, it becomes an exclusive bar, with local sakes and original cocktails served in elegantly etched glassware.
Restaurant Ioto provides creative kyo-kaiseki cuisine in a mixture of private rooms, a garden-facing counter, and a theater-style kappo counter where guests can watch the chefs charcoal grilling the signature sumibiyaki dishes or contemplate the exquisite bonsai terrarium and maki-e lacquer art by Yui Higashibata.
In addition to a design that draws heavily on elements of traditional Kyoto architecture and the rich warmth of natural materials like washi paper and sakura wood, the rooms feature one-of-a-kind pieces from local artisans. Fresh flowers in ceramic vases and a tea ceremony set complete with custom iron kettle nod to ancient arts like ikebana and sado, while heated floors, Bose speakers, and tablets for touchless communication provide a global standard in comfort. Each room also features a private hot spring bath, a rarity in Kyoto, with a tub crafted from aromatic hinoki cypress.
At FUFU Kyoto, guests can enjoy the dynamic changes of the season, wrapped in the natural world, and still have all the pleasures of Kyoto at their fingertips.
ROOMS
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ROOM
FUFU Luxury Premium Suite
The 2 Luxury Premium Suites are not only the most spacious in the ryokan, they are some the lar…
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ROOM
FUFU Luxury Corner Suite
The 3rd and 4th floor luxury corner suites offer excellent views on the s…
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ROOM
Premium Suite
The 3rd and 4th floor premium suites overlook the gardens, with the tree-…
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ROOM
Precious Suite
The 3rd and 4th floor precious suites offer an especially spacious atmosp…
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ROOM
Comfort Twin
The most common room type, the comfort twin can be found on all floors and has three main floor…
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ROOM
Stylish Double
The 1st floor stylish suites, with their single king-size bed and view through the b…
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ROOM
FUFU Luxury Premium Suite
The 2 Luxury Premium Suites are not only the most spacious in the ryokan, they are some the largest rooms available in center of Kyoto. Featuring a sprawling living-dining space with lush carpets depicting the lifeblood waters of Lake Biwa and seasonal flora from the garden, these suites provide ample room for in-room dining, as well as a traditional stone basin with bamboo spout called a chouzubachi that has been cleverly adapted as a wine cooler. Silky tatami in the bedroom, gently undulating naguri patterning on the sakura wood floors, a built-in bench inviting long soaks in the hinoki bath: every detail in this luxurious suite is designed for sensory pleasure. With views on both the garden and Higashiyama, this room invites guest to enjoy the dynamic natural beauty of the area without ever needing to step foot outside.
RESERVATION
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ROOM
FUFU Luxury Corner Suite
The 3rd and 4th floor luxury corner suites offer excellent views on the surrounding gardens with the verdant slope of Higashiyama rising behind them. Vermillion lacquered boxes, sakura wood floors shaved in an undulating naguri pattern, and delicate yukimi shoji screens that wouldn’t be out of place in Kyoto’s ancient imperial court join heated floors, Bose speakers, and rainfall showers to immerse guests in Kyoto’s refined history of art and architecture without sparing any modern comfort. A particularly charming detail is an in-room chouzubachi, a traditional stone basin with bamboo spout usually found in Japanese gardens. This one has been cleverly adapted to cool a bottle of wine or sake.
RESERVATION
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ROOM
Premium Suite
The 3rd and 4th floor premium suites overlook the gardens, with the tree-covered slope of Higashiyama rising behind them, almost close enough to touch. Guest can enjoy the view and the gentle breezes rolling off the mountian either from the comfortable low-slung sofas in the living area or while soaking in the private hot spring bath. With blonde wood, traditional tsuchikabe wattle and daub walls, yukimi shoji windows, red lacquer accents, and washi wallpaper in natural motifs, these rooms embody the elegant simplicity and functional design of Kyoto architecture. Sliding doors separate the living and sleeping areas to retain a feeling of spaciousness but provide privacy when needed.
RESERVATION
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ROOM
Precious Suite
The 3rd and 4th floor precious suites offer an especially spacious atmosphere, with the living and sleeping areas separated by a rolling sudare screen that descends from the ceiling. Still a popular feature of Japanese homes, the wooden slats in sudare provide cooling shade in the summer while allowing pleasant breezes to pass through. Like ones used centuries ago to shield courtly ladies from prying eyes, FUFU’s sudare are adorned with embroidered fabric trim elevating a functionally quotidian item to a subtle work of art. These rooms face north, with bedroom and bath views along the sakura-lined canal that are particularly nice in spring.
RESERVATION
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ROOM
Comfort Twin
The most common room type, the comfort twin can be found on all floors and has three main floorplans. One uses a smaller circular hinoki bath to prioritize living space. This allows for a large tatami-floored relaxation area with comfortable low-slung sofas and FUFU Kyoto’s trademark IH brazier and iron tea kettle as a functional centerpiece. Another floorplan makes more room for the circular hinoki bath, keeping the two-person size available in the higher room classes, with sliding doors to separate the more compact living and sleeping areas. The other floorplan prioritizes a bright living space with a sofa on the side of the window. These types provide an atmosphere of refinement with small details typical of Kyoto’s machiya architecture like yukimi shoji windows, slatted wood sliding doors, and textured tsuchikabe wattle and daub walls.
RESERVATION
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ROOM
Stylish Double
The 1st floor stylish suites, with their single king-size bed and view through the bath to a shaded side garden, offer a more secluded and romantic atmosphere for couples with all the same amenities of the higher room classes, including organic Yokou toiletries in FUFU Kyoto’s original sakura and sandalwood scent, a green tea set and traditional iron kettle designed by artist Naoki Sakai, one-of-a-kind ceramic artworks holding fresh flowers, and a private bath crafted from redolent hinoki cypress, always filled with natural hot spring waters at exactly 42 degrees for long, relaxing soaks whenever the fancy strikes.
RESERVATION
FACILITIES &
SERVICES
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Restaurant Ioto
Innovative kyo-kaiseki restaurant Ioto creates exciting anticipation from the moment guests cross the curtain-draped threshold. A cluster of private rooms created by wood slatted fronts and warm backlit washi paper recreates the feel of slipping through Kyoto’s winding alleyways before emerging at a counter with wide views of the pond in the Japanese garden, where passing koi make the water shiver and dance. Pressing on, one finds the best seats in the house at a theater-style kappo counter where the chefs grill the signature sumibiyaki dishes and the garden view is mirrored by an exquisite bonsai terrarium floating above a maki-e lacquer pond where red-gold fish glide through silver waters.
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Cuisine
The kaiseki of Kyoto is simultaneously one of the oldest and youngest cuisines in Japan. From the days when the city was the imperial seat comes the traditional philosophy of presenting local ingredients like the heirloom vegetables known as kyoyasai at the peak of flavor. More recently, Kyoto’s international popularity has attracted chefs interested in fusing this ancient haute cuisine with the best of global dining. This exquisite marriage of old and new is embodied at Ihoto, resulting in creative dishes like kyoyasai topped with shrimp and firefly squid in an ajillo-style anchovy sauce, while sumibiyaki charcoal grilling at the table brings bold presentation and rich, smoky flavor to classics like kurage wagyu.
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Bar Yae Hitoe
Named after a variety of sakura that grows in the garden, this custom-built teahouse provides the venue for a range of exclusive experiences such as ikebana lessons and tea ceremonies by day and becomes an extraordinary bar at night. The structure is perched on the edge of the ornamental pond and has two walls that fully retract in fine weather, allowing the borders between indoors and out to blur as gentle breezes and the murmur of the nearby falls soothe guests enjoying local sakes and original cocktails in elegantly etched glassware. It is also possible to reserve Yae Hitoe for a private geisha performance.
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Art & Craft
Unlike museum treasures behind distant glass, art makes up the texture of life at FUFU Kyoto. Every room displays fresh flowers in one-of-a-kind treasures like anagama kiln ceramics from artist Aiko Watanabe and blown glass from Kentaro Senuma, while 330-year-old Nishijin textile house Hosoo provides subtly elegant brocade bolsters that please the fingertips as much as the eyes. In the restaurant, angular tessellations of traditional hinoki joinery woven with threads of washi paper and silk dangle from the ceiling, beautiful decorations that also naturally absorb humidity and odors. The lobby lounge is similarly adorned with partitions of koyori washi in organically spiderwebbing patterns that provide privacy while allowing light and air to pass. Everywhere, masterworks of Yuzen silk dyeing, Shigaraki ware ceramics, and maki-e lacquer are unobtrusively displayed, creating a subtly immersive experience of Kyoto’s rich craft tradition.
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Exclusive Experiences
Through an extensive network of local partners, including an unprecedented partnership with nearby Nanzen-ji Temple, FUFU Kyoto offers a range of exclusive experiences that allow guests to delve into Kyoto’s ancient culture. The graceful luxury of Higashiyama, long favored by the city’s aristocrats and other elites, provides the perfect backdrop for these courtly pursuits.
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Private geisha performance
In the ryokan’s garden teahouse, guests can enjoy a private performance by Kyoto’s famed geisha and maiko. With the gentle susurrus of the waterfall and rustling leaves as their accompaniment, these exacting artists will embody a history of elegant dance and music that stretches back centuries.
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Ikebana experience
Guests are invited to be inspired by the nature around them at Yae Hitoe as they take a private lesson in ikebana flower arrangement from a practitioner of the Saga Goryu school, which began over 1,200 years ago with Emperor Saga’s foundation of nearby Daikaku-ji Temple.
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Tea ceremony experience
The hotel’s garden teahouse is the venue for a quintessential Kyoto experience: the tea ceremony. The Buddhist-influenced ritual of preparing and serving matcha is said to bring order to one’s mind and express profound respect for one’s guest.
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Incense experience
Incense has been synonymous with Kyoto since the imperial court moved to the city in the 8th century. Like flowers and tea, the refined appreciation of incense has been codified over the centuries into a practice called koudou. A private teacher will enlighten guests about this lesser-known philosophy and teach the techniques of incense appreciation.
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Private yoga lesson in Murin-an
The exquisite 19th-century naturalist gardens of Murin-an next door to the hotel are the ideal spot for calming and reflective yoga practice with a private teacher. The teahouse or the main villa will be reserved for the guest’s exclusive use.
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Zazen experience
In this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, the head of Nanzen-ji Temple will be the guide, the ancient halls and majestic grounds the classroom, as guests seek spiritual enlightenment through the practice of zazen meditation.
Map &
Transportation
| Closest Train Station | Keage Station | |
|---|---|---|
| Closest Bus Station | Jingu-michi Bus Stop | |
| Free pick-up service | N/A |
Key Gate Way Int'l Airport and Train (Shinkansen) Station
MOVIE
Ryokan Data
| Area | Kyoto / 京都 |
|---|---|
| Name of Ryokan | FUFU Kyoto / ふふ京都 |
| Address | 41 Nanzenji Kusagawa-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto-shi, Kyoto 606-8437 〒606-8437京都府京都市左京区南禅寺草川町41 |
| Total Number of Rooms | 40 rooms |
| Check-in Time | 15:00 |
| Check-Out Time | 11:00 |
| Credit Card | Yes |
Meals
| Dinner Start Time | 18:00 - 20:30 |
|---|---|
| Breakfast Start Time | 8:00 - 9:30 |
| In Room Dining Available | No |
| Bar | |
| Special Dietary Arrangements | Yes |
| Vegan Friendly | No |
| Western Breakfast Available | No |
Other Facilities & Services
| Communal Bath | No |
|---|---|
| Family Bath | No |
| Private indoor bath in room | Yes |
| Private open-air bath in the room | No |
Room Rates
| Room Type | Number of guest per room (JPY) | |||
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |
| FUFU Luxury Premium Suite | ||||
| - | 137,500 | 104,500 | 88,000 | |
| FUFU Luxury Corner Suite | ||||
| - | 110,000 | 86,200 | - | |
| Premium Suite | ||||
| 137,500 | 77,000 | - | - | |
| Precious Suite | ||||
| 82,500 | 55,000 | - | - | |
| Comfort Twin | ||||
| 71,500 | 44,000 | - | - | |
| Stylish Double | ||||
| 60,500 | 38,500 | - | - | |
Smoking room: NO
Barrier Free: NO
Ryokan rate includes one night accommodation, full course dinner, breakfast, service charge, and tax.
Please note that Kyoto Accommodation Tax is NOT included in the rates above.
Please note that the rate will change depending on number of guests and dates. Please contact us for details.
*We will inform you of the individual charges when making a reservation due to its variable charge system.
Please contact us for the detailed information.
- The mentioned rates and service are available only for LRC Members who book through LRC's website.
Barrier Free: NO
Ryokan rate includes one night accommodation, full course dinner, breakfast, service charge, and tax.
Please note that Kyoto Accommodation Tax is NOT included in the rates above.
Please note that the rate will change depending on number of guests and dates. Please contact us for details.
*We will inform you of the individual charges when making a reservation due to its variable charge system.
Please contact us for the detailed information.
- The mentioned rates and service are available only for LRC Members who book through LRC's website.
- The rates are subject to change without any prior notice.