Singapore-based Capella Hotels and Resorts has announced its entry into the Japanese market. Its first property in Japan – Capella Kyoto – is slated to open in mid-2025. The luxurious four-storey, 92-room hotel will be located in the Miyagawa-chō district, an important geika (geisha) and maiko (apprentice geisha) neighbourhood and cultural treasure in Kyoto.

Capella Kyoto is being designed by world-acclaimed architect firm, Kengo Kuma and Associates. Defined by the flourishing Japanese art scene, the hotel will mirror Higashiyama culture through its curation of Japanese artworks and artefacts. Its spaces will also echo important elements of Japanese art and architecture such as composition, balance and harmony.

Design highlights will include a bamboo courtyard in the centre of the property. Comprised of a lone Japanese Maple on the bank of a shallow pond with a pebbled shoreline, this courtyard will offer guests an idyllic, contemplative space in which to relax.

Beneath the courtyard, the Capella ballroom will face a multi-storey internal rock garden atrium serving as a centerpiece for the pre-function area. Capella’s signature Auriga Spa will be located on the same floor. Its spa treatment rooms will offer the comforts of a private Onsen experience, giving guests a taste of Japan’s renowned bathing culture.

The property will also have three dining concepts: a signature restaurant, conceptualized as a modern brasserie with an adjoining patisserie; a Japanese restaurant in the hotel’s south-eastern corner with a sunken garden; and Carte Blanche, which will offer an immersive dining experience focuses on innovative food and beverage pairings.

Developed by NTT Urban Development Corporation, a comprehensive real estate company within the NTT Group, Capella Kyoto is the hospitality component of a development situated between Miyagawa-chō Kaburenjo, an opera house that showcases famous female geiko and maiko dances, and Miyagawa Maiko Performance School.

Capella Hotels and Resorts collection consists of properties in Singapore, Ubud (Bali), Bangkok, Hanoi, Shanghai and Hainan. In addition to Japan, new properties are planned for the Maldives, Sydney, and South Korea.