Urban Sanctuary Dusit Thani Kyoto’s Cultural Immersions Bring Traditional Tea Experiences into the Hotel

DUSIT THANI HAS LONG BEEN shorthand for the essence of Thai hospitality. With the arrival of Dusit Thani Kyoto, Japan has received its second serving, with the serene urban sanctuary melding the best of the two cultures into a unique experience greater than the sum of its parts.

Checking in to Dusit Thani Kyoto is an exercise in luxury, discovery and authentic experiences tucked inside a tranquil destination inspired by the former Japanese capital’s cultural heritage and singular architecture. And experiencing Kyoto during Winter and Spring is to witness the city at its very finest.

Perfectly Placed

Easy to find, Dusit Thani Kyoto is a calming ten-minute stroll from Kyoto Station, opening up the city for exploration and enabling guests to discover everything Kyoto offers at their own pace and in their own time. 

Conceived as the ultimate city retreat, the hotel combines two iconic cultures in one glorious space. Outside is all Japanese modernism: refined, tasteful and stylish. Inside, the restrained glamour of Japanese design blends with the visual cues of another ancient metropolis and former grand capital – Ayutthaya, Thailand.

The artful alignment of these two different and distinct cultures creates a unique atmosphere that can be felt throughout the hotel’s public spaces and guestrooms, filling visitors with a sense of peace and gentle calm that is impossible to replicate elsewhere in the city.

Alongside the thoughtful design, Dusit Thani Kyoto has all the facilities a guest could want, including versatile event spaces ideal for business and social occasions, a well-equipped fitness centre, an indoor pool and — a favourite of Dusit Thani guests across all the brand’s addresses — the Devarana Wellness centre.

Your Tea is Served

Dusit Thani Kyoto offers a range of cultural experiences that allow immersion into Kyoto’s rich history and traditions. These experiences include calligraphy lessons and guided tours of nearby temples and shrines. However, the hotel is particularly proud of its tea plantation, the Dusit Thani Kyoto’s Wazuka-cho field. 

First established in 1888, the plantation is renowned for producing high-quality tea leaves, used to make some of the finest tea blends in the world. The tea plantation covers an area of about 40 hectares and is surrounded by mountains on all sides. Visitors to the plantation can take a guided tour of the fields and learn about the traditional tea farming methods, including cultivation, harvesting and how to process the leaves to extract the most flavour.

Back at the hotel, guests gain more knowledge of the importance of tea to the Japanese way of life by participating in a traditional tea ceremony. The ceremony, called chanoyu or sado in Japanese, is a mannered and ritualised take on serving matcha or green tea designed to heighten the sensual experience of consuming the drink by driving out mundane thoughts and focusing solely on the complexities of the beverage’s taste and aroma inside a traditional-style tea house.

With the New Year just around the corner, there could not be a better time to celebrate the best of Kyoto and its fascinating cultural traditions. 

For more information and to make your reservation, please visit www.dusit.com/thanikyoto.

Article Sponsored by Dusit Thani Kyoto.
Images courtesy of Dusit Thani Kyoto.

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