Garrya Nijo Castle Kyoto

The place

In the center of Kyoto, a modern building that borrows its lines from traditional Japanese castles and villas. Lush greenery weaves through the whole property, so the city’s noise seems to stop at the gate.

Twenty-five oversized rooms and suites, kept to white and wood with occasional pops of red. Floor-to-ceiling windows frame the garden; the essentials — TV, coffee and tea facilities, free wifi — are handled without fuss.

There is one dining room, and it is enough. Singular works in contemporary French, threading Japanese flavors through each dish.