Approaching MUNI Kyoto, it’s hard to imagine there is a hotel just around the corner of a street in the Arashiyama district. The area is completely quiet save for a couple of locals. Blink and you might miss the entrance, which is discreetly guarded by low stone walls. It hints at the intimacy that awaits inside.
MUNI Kyoto opened in 2020 amid the Covid-19 pandemic – a challenge for the global hospitality sector, but even more so in Japan. However, the hotel has since recovered from years of restrictions and now welcomes domestic and international guests in equal numbers, helped by its optimal location next to the Katsura River.
In true Japanese fashion, the service was attentive and very welcoming. During my visit, the staff were preparing for momijigari, an annual festival celebrating Kyoto’s gorgeous fall foliage. It is one of the most beautiful – and popular – times to visit Kyoto, and MUNI serves as an escape from the throngs of tourists in some of the city’s busier areas.
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The hotel’s interiors are dark and silent, accentuated by moody lighting and narrow windows allowing some light in from outside. As I step into my room and watch the blinds unroll to offer views of the hotel’s slate-covered pond-and-spring garden, I’m enveloped in a sense of peace.
MUNI Kyoto’s design encapsulates minimalism in the best way possible. Any tiring, unnecessary details are omitted, but at the same time, nothing feels boring or plain. Everything about the hotel is atmospheric, serene and luxurious.
[See also: Park Hyatt Kyoto, Review: An Overwhelming Sense of Calm]
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Stay
There are only 21 rooms in MUNI Kyoto, ranging from 164 to 230 sq ft, and these harmonize perfectly with the hotel’s surroundings. Each room features high ceilings and windows to create a sense of vastness that’s rare to find in many traditional Japanese lodgings.
The use of natural materials such as stone and wood in hues of beige, brown and gray create a sense of tranquility and comfort. The only wall art comes in the form of artist Kineta Kunimatu’s work, made using the surface of a cut tree.
The bathroom is also covered in gray stone, with a bathtub surrounded by glass, allowing guests to enjoy views as they soak (and, although there is no way of being seen from outside, wooden blinds can be drawn down for extra privacy). Of course, no proper Japanese bathroom is complete without a high-tech toilet. A Dyson supersonic hairdryer is also at every guest’s disposal.
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Dine
MUNI Kyoto takes great pride in being home to two French eateries: La Terrasse, an upscale yet laid-back bistro offering breakfast and lunch, and MUNI Alain Ducasse. The latter holds a Michelin star, making MUNI the only hotel in Kyoto with a Michelin-starred restaurant. At La Terrasse, I enjoyed a delectable breakfast complete with fresh fruit and vegetables, a main dish, as well as a selection of warm pastries from the hotel’s in-house bakery.
The dinner at MUNI Alain Ducasse was on an entirely different level. The young yet talented executive chef Alessandro Guardiani cut his teeth in Ducasse’s locations in Monaco, Paris and London. He collaborates with Ducasse to regularly update the menu, which focuses on seasonal Japanese ingredients prepared with French techniques.
Each dish was distinctly French, with certain changes to accommodate Japanese tastes, and the flavor combinations were unlike anything I had tried before. Hiroyuki Fukutomi is the restaurant’s sommelier, and his wine recommendations are paired with each dish wonderfully.
Relax
If listening to the waterfall from your room’s balcony is somehow not relaxing enough already, MUNI Kyoto provides other facilities to help guests unwind after a long day of exploring the city’s landmarks.
Enjoy holistic body and facial treatments at MUNI Spa, or anti-aging treatments using products from the prestigious Swiss brand Valmont. The hotel’s own-brand products, which are also provided in each room, use Japanese ingredients like yuzu extract and tea oil. MUNI Kyoto is also unique in being one of few hotels in the area to have a gym, which is small but fairly well equipped.
Explore
During your stay, it’s worth getting up early for a stroll through the otherworldly Arashiyama Bamboo Forest. From there, take a tour of the area on a rickshaw drawn by entertaining and knowledgeable drivers.
The owner of MUNI Kyoto is an avid art lover who also owns the Fukuda Art Museum just across the road from the hotel, and the concierge can arrange personal guided tours for guests.
3 Sagatenryuji Susukinobabacho, Ukyo Ward, Kyoto, 616-8385, Japan
Contact +81 75 863 1110, muni.by-onko-chishin.com
