Stay: Ugenta

Mt. Kurama-Kifune, Kyoto, Japan

2 rooms from 140,000 yen (880 usd)

Ugenta is one of our favorite hotels in the world, without question. Just about an hour north of central Kyoto, in the lush forests of the temple-topped Mt. Kurama, the village of Kifune is a cluster of a few accommodations running alongside a mountain stream. Ugenta is one of them.

Arriving is like an exotic dream. A bow greets you at reception. Remove your shoes as you enter, replacing them with traditional house sandals that are awaiting. No English is spoken – you rely on hand gestures – but that’s just as well, as you are captivated by your surroundings. When booking, you are given a choice of 2 rooms, one “western” and one “eastern,” the difference being that one has a proper dining table, and the other table is low to the floor. Both rooms are luxurious: 2-story suites – each with a fireplace, living room, bedroom with rice paper doors and low mattresses, a bathroom facing the forest, balconies, small library, and roof deck with a traditional wooden hot tub. Activities include hiking in the forest, where you’ll occasionally stumble upon deer, visiting the mountaintop temple, and soaking in the hot springs onsen on the other side.

But the real hero of Ugenta is the food: the dinner and breakfasts are some of the most extraordinary we’ve ever experienced. Dinner is served on a platform over the mountain stream. Guests are given traditional yukatas (for men) and kimonos (for ladies) to don before being escorted to a table beside a waterfall. The sake you are served has been made from the water in the stream below. Plates are presented like paintings. And even if you are totally stuffed after the multi-course dinner, you will most certainly devour the Japanese-style breakfast that is set upon your room’s dining table in the morning – a smorgasbord of delights that will keep you yearning for this feast again for years to come.

https://guide.michelin.com/us/en/hotels-stays/kyoto-prefecture/ugenta-6875

Photo Source: Syllogi

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