Hiiragiya
Deeply traditional Japanese ryokan. Tatami floors, shoji paper windows, sliding fusuma doors, yukata robes, multi-course kaiseki in your room. The Main Building rooms have aged, authentic character; the New Wing rooms are clean-lined and refined. Neither feels like a hotel.
The Main Building rooms have more wabi-sabi character and aged patina; the New Wing rooms are cleaner and brighter—pick based on your aesthetic preference
Why It Matters
Founded in 1818 and continuously family-owned, Hiiragiya is one of Kyoto's three most storied ryokan. The Main Building is a National Registered Tangible Cultural Property. Every room is unique—each with its own motif, artwork, and private wooden ofuro bath. Multiple rooms feature original stained glass by pioneer artist Sanchi Ogawa (1867-1928). Nobel laureate Yasunari Kawabata wrote that 'only here does time stand still.'
Hiiragiya opened in 1818 and has been hosting writers, politicians, and imperial family members ever since. Nobel laureates Yasunari Kawabata and Junichiro Tanizaki called it their home away from home. Today it's one of Kyoto's original 'big three' ryokan—sitting directly across a narrow one-way street from its main rival, Tawaraya. The Main Building (Honkan) is a National Registered Tangible Cultural Property and carries the kind of wabi-sabi patina you can't manufacture. The 2006 New Wing (Shinkan) is a concrete addition with a more contemporary aesthetic and an elevator, which older guests will appreciate. Rooms don't have televisions as the main feature—they have private ofuro baths carved from Japanese umbrella pine wood, fed by an underground aquifer beneath the property. No pool, no gym, no spa. But the omotenashi (hospitality) is exceptional: staff remember individual preferences, wipe down your luggage wheels before bringing them up, and ship items you've left behind without asking for payment.
Where You'll Stay
10 room types available
Imperial Size Room – Main Building 80㎡
Main Building's top category at 80㎡. Four-guest capacity. Unusually large for a Kyoto ryokan. Futon bedding, indoor bath, garden views. Rate from ¥210,100/person (based on double occupancy, includes full kaiseki dinner and breakfast).
Futon · 80 sqm
Luxury Size Room – New Wing 45㎡
New Wing luxury room at 45㎡. Traditional elements with well-balanced textures and subdued color. Garden view from the window. Futon. Indoor bath. Capacity 1-2. Rate from ¥126,500/person (based on double occupancy, includes dinner and breakfast).
Futon · 45 sqmRoom 16 – Main Building
A ground-floor room with a sense of timelessness. Veranda looks onto a chozubachi stone basin in the moss-covered garden. Bathroom is compact but striking—a stained glass window depicting Kinkakuji temple by Sanchi Ogawa (1867-1928). Private ofuro bath of Japanese umbrella pine wood fed by underground aquifer. Late Edo period (early-mid 1800s). Capacity 2.
Futon · 39 sqmRoom 21 – Main Building
Second floor corner room, 70㎡ (10+7 tatami mats). Handcrafted metal nail covers and door pulls throughout. Porch window with garden views below. Bathroom has a stained glass depiction of Jidai Matsuri ('Festival of the Ages') by Sanchi Ogawa. Private ofuro of Japanese umbrella pine wood. Late Edo period. Capacity 4. Requires inquiry to book.
Futon · 70 sqmRoom 25 – Main Building
Second floor, 64㎡ (12+7 tatami mats). Impressive golden fusuma sliding doors covered with Edo-period fan paintings with bas-relief chrysanthemum motifs. Spacious feeling with main garden views from both the main room and the adjacent shoin study. Private umbrella pine ofuro bath. Early Meiji period. Capacity 4.
Futon · 64 sqmRoom 30 – Main Building (Largest Room)
The most spacious room in Hiiragiya at 97㎡ (15+14 tatami mats). Ground floor. Grand view of the main garden. Bathroom features a stained glass window by Sanchi Ogawa depicting Arashiyama. Private ofuro of Japanese umbrella pine wood fed by underground aquifer. Built 1952. Capacity 5.
Futon · 97 sqmRoom 32 – Main Building
A compact but refined ground-floor room with tea ceremony aesthetic (suki). Walled courtyard garden view. Private ofuro of Japanese umbrella pine wood. Built 1952. Capacity 2. Note: limited luggage storage—one regular suitcase with a few bags, or two small suitcases.
Futon · 31 sqmRoom 52 – New Wing
Second floor, 57㎡. Light and clean impression with beautiful straight-grain wood. The tokonoma alcove flooring uses rare Jindai cryptomeria wood from Mt. Chokai, crafted by Kiyotsugu Nakagawa (Living National Treasure). Adjacent tsuboniwa courtyard garden. Private umbrella pine ofuro bath. 2006. Capacity 2.
Futon · 57 sqmRoom 53 – New Wing
A diminutive second-floor room in the 2006 New Wing. Features a tsuboniwa courtyard garden that evokes a Kyo-machiya townhouse. Small window with Hiiragiya's trademark holly pattern opens to the garden. Shoin study benefits from comfortable breeze. Private umbrella pine ofuro bath. Capacity 2.
Futon · 49 sqmRoom 54 – New Wing (Western Style)
The only Western-style room in the New Wing. Second floor, 50㎡. Wood flooring throughout. Graceful transoms and elegant curving walls. Features comfortable beds with luxurious Japanese futon and a view of an intimate courtyard garden. Walls and ceiling covered in handmade Japanese paper for warmth. Private umbrella pine ofuro bath. 2006. Capacity 2.
Bed with futon option · 50 sqmThe Property
Eat & Drink
2 venues on property
Restaurant
Spa & Wellness
Treatment Menu
On Property
How you'll actually spend your days.
The ryokan's philosophy of Ka-Cho-Fu-Getsu (flowers, birds, wind, and moon) is embedded in the property's design—from listening to water trickling into stone basins outside your window to sitting on your veranda watching the garden change. This isn't a scheduled activity—it's the ambient atmosphere of the stay.
A 2-day, 1-night curated experience available through the Ryokan Collection that includes visits to Nishijin-ori weaving ateliers, embroidery studios, and gold-leaf artisan workshops in Kyoto, with check-in at Hiiragiya.
Hiiragiya offers rotating cultural experiences for staying guests. As of May 2026 these include on-site workshops and demonstrations. Check the property's news page for current programming.
The property hosts periodic exhibitions of Japanese textile art, calligraphy, and decorative arts within its gallery spaces. Recent exhibitions have featured calligraphy by Hiroshi Ueta and textile art by CHISO and Atelier YU.
Amenities & Practical Info
The details that matter for planning.
Elevator in the New Wing (Shinkan), offering accessible access to upper floors for older guests and those with mobility issues.
Hiiragiya does not have a swimming pool, fitness center, or dedicated spa. The experience centers on the ofuro bath, kaiseki cuisine, and Japanese cultural atmosphere.
Free WiFi available in rooms and public areas.
~44㎡ gallery with silk coarse-weave fabric walls and Kitayama cedar, offset by dark rough-hewn wood beam rafters. Used for exhibitions, seminars, and cultural events.
~34㎡ meeting room with a vaulted ceiling of arched bamboo and massive wood beams, with authentic polished clay walls. Suitable for small ceremonies, cultural lessons, and meetings.
~99㎡ pillarless event hall in the New Wing. Three floor-to-ceiling glass walls overlook a garden representing Kyoto's natural scenery. Equipped with a stage. Suitable for banquets, receptions, cultural presentations, and annual meetings.
A ~31㎡ calm library room with cut glass panes, coffered wood ceiling, and stained glass windows reflecting late 19th-century Japanese design. Wisteria branches visible through the window.
Versatile air conditioning in all rooms.
Complimentary valet parking for guests arriving by car. Staff clean luggage wheels before delivery to rooms.
All in-room ofuro baths are filled with water drawn from a private underground aquifer beneath the property.
BUILD YOUR HIIRAGIYA PLAN
Rooms, dining, spa, and resort experiences — organized into one trip plan.
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