Aman Kyoto

The place

On Kyoto’s northern side, in a forest, where the city goes quiet. Aman Kyoto is a scattering of black timber-clad buildings by Kerry Hill Architects, and the silence is part of the architecture.

Twenty-six rooms and suites, no more. Each keeps to a spare wooden palette drawn from the traditional ryokan — tatami underfoot, a tokonoma alcove, a Hinoki bath, floor-to-ceiling windows facing the trees. Deluxe bedding and free wifi, quietly present.

The onsen — indoor and outdoor — draws on Japan’s bathing culture. Taka-An sets a sophisticated degustation menu; The Living Pavilion cooks Kyoto-style home food, with a few comforting Western dishes.