{"id":9377,"date":"2018-03-15T21:37:00","date_gmt":"2018-03-16T02:37:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/outsidesuburbia.com\/?p=9377"},"modified":"2022-09-05T16:22:38","modified_gmt":"2022-09-05T21:22:38","slug":"four-seasons-kyoto","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/outsidesuburbia.com\/reviews\/stay\/four-seasons-kyoto\/","title":{"rendered":"Four Seasons Kyoto: Where it is easy to find your Zen"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Zen in Kyoto is not easy to find, yes there are more temples and shrines than convenience stores but most Zen gardens are flooded with selfie stick toting travelers trying to check another temple off their list.  But when we stepped into Four Seasons Kyoto for a day of Spa and lunch we could immediately feel the calm that is missing in most Zen gardens we had visited. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Kyoto is known to be the city where Japanese culture was born and shaped into what it is today. Did you know Kyoto has 17 World Heritage sites and about 2,000 temples and shrines across the city? We did manage to find one quiet Buddhist temple and garden where we were the only ones there – more about the temple later.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Located in Kyoto\u2019s vibrant temple district and just a few minutes cab ride from Kyoto Station, the hotel is set at the foot of the Higashiyama Mountains and within easy reach of Sannen-zaka, a narrow street teeming with traditional merchant homes that now house souvenir shops, tea stalls, and noodle joints.  The drive up to the property has some bamboo tree that adds to the atmosphere. There were waterfalls, natural wood panels, tatami walls, and stone pathways that lead to an impressive Teahouse on the 800 year old pond garden.  Four Seasons Kyoto like all other properties of Four Seasons is understatedly elegant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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It was a tough choice for us when we were planning our trip, we wanted to stay at the Four Seasons but since it was our first time in Japan, we wanted an authentic Ryokan experience and chose to stay at the Kanamean Nishitomiya.  Kyoto lacks first-class luxury hotels and with their signature service and well-known hospitality standard Four Season fills that void quite nicely.  One afternoon after a few hours of wandering in Gion looking for Geishas, we made it to the Spa at Four Seasons Kyoto and had lunch at the Brasserie that involved no chopsticks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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