Winter Retreat in the Sleeping Mountains – HOSHINOYA Kyoto

A Serene and Relaxing Rest in Oku-Arashiyama



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A cozy winter retreat at HOSHINOYA Kyoto for a serene and relaxing stay. Start your stay with an incense session by creating a personal paste by mixing natural aromatic ingredients. Savor a cup of Japanese tea whilst on Hisui, HOSHINOYA Kyoto’s original yakata boat, for a private boat ride through the winters of Kyoto. From the comfort of your own room, warm the body from its core and fill the body with nutrients with a hot pot dinner of suppon nabe, and white miso hot pot for breakfast. Enjoy a restful moment away from the busyness of daily life, spending a focused and quiet time in Kyoto.

Background
Arashiyama, where HOSHINOYA Kyoto is located, is a scenic tourist destination, where in winter, its dignified landscape resembles an ink painting. The aristocrats of the Heian period built villas in Arashiyama and enjoyed boating while admiring the valley's scenery in the four seasons. The Tale of Genji depicts a scene where people enjoyed a game using combinations of fragrances to enjoy a relaxing winter. With the hopes for our guests to forget about daily life and simply relax and indulge in the moment, a stay program to enjoy fragrances while boating around Arashiyama in winter and savoring meals that nourish the body has been created.  

Activities during the Winter Retreat in the Sleeping Mountains Program
Incense paste workshop to formulate your own unique fragrance
The aristocrats of the Heian period enjoyed fragrances through a game of takimono-awase to spend a relaxing winter. Takimono-awase is an imperial game in the Heian period where aristocrats brought their secret blend of incense paste to compete against each other for the best fragrance. Begin your stay by following the Heian aristocrats' culture and enjoying winter fragrances of your own mix of ingredients. Natural aromatic ingredients such as powdered aromatic wood and natural ingredients from Yamadamatsu Kobokuten, a long-established store in Kyoto specializing in aromatic wood products, will be kneaded with honey and plum paste. Forget the busyness of daily life and spend focused time creating your own fragrance at HOSHINOYA Kyoto, away from the hustle and bustle of the city.

A cup of tea on Hisui, our original, private yakata boat
On the following morning, enjoy a private boat ride in our original yakata boat, named “Hisui” (or jade in English) on the Oi River flowing in front of HOSHINOYA Kyoto. Savor tea and seasonal Japanese sweets prepared by our staff while burning your incense. The Hisui is surrounded by windows on all sides, offering a serene oasis to savor tea while admiring the valley scenery resembling an ink painting. Relax and spend a leisurely time like the Heian aristocrats who once enjoyed boating while admiring the scenery of the four seasons in the valley.

Meals from the comfort of your room during the Winter Retreat in the Sleeping Mountains Program
Relish in a memorable white miso nabe breakfast while gazing at the valley scenery.
Enjoy a memorable breakfast of winter vegetables and chicken dumplings in white miso broth. White miso is essential in Kyoto winters, with a mild, sweet flavor that warms your body on chilly mornings. We will also serve yellowtail teriyaki and dashimaki rolled eggs topped with yuba (tofu skin) sauce. Taste it in the comfort of your guest room while admiring the winter scenery of the valley.

Savor a memorable dinner of suppon nabe to warm your body from inside amid the chilly Kyoto winter.
Enjoy a dinner of suppon nabe rich in nutrients to warm your body from the inside. Enjoy your suppon with vegetables that retain their sweetness in the winter, such as Kujo leeks, turnips, Kintoki carrots, and ginger. Lastly, finish your meal with rice porridge in broth filled with the ingredients' umami. We will serve kue, a representative winter fish, as the side dish along with Japanese bluefish grilled in Saikyo style and steamed crab in chawanmushi (savory, steamed egg custard). Enjoy a warm dinner from the guest rooms softly illuminated by the paper lantern lights on a chilly winter night in Kyoto.

Example of stay schedule
<Day 1>
3:00 pm Check-in
4:00 pm Incense paste workshop
6:00 pm Special Suppon Nabe Dinner

<Day 2>
8:00 am Special White Miso Nabe Breakfast
10:30 am Boat ride on original yakata boat, Hisui
12:00 pm Check-out

Overview of Winter Retreat in the Sleeping Mountains Program
Time Period: 15 December 2022 to 10 March 2023
Price: 90,000 JPY per person, 111,000 JPY for 2 people (price includes tax and service charge)
Price includes: Incense paste workshop, dinner, breakfast, private use of yakata boat, matcha green tea, Japanese confectionery
Available to: 1 pair per day (1 to 2 persons)
Reservation: Required by 7 days in advance

About HOSHINOYA Kyoto
Address: 11-2 Arashiyama Genrokuzancho, Nishikyo-ku, Kyoto 616-0007
Price: Starts from 136,000 JPY per night per room (includes tax and service charge, excludes meals)
Number of Rooms: 25
Check-in: 3:00 pm / Check-out: 12:00 pm
Directions: Approximately 10 minutes by walk from Hankyu Arashiyama Station

About HOSHINOYA Brand
Luxury hotel embodying the true characteristics of land, history, and culture
HOSHINOYA is an accommodation with distinct themes, conceptualized from each location’s land, history, and culture. Woven into these distinct themes is our attention to detail in every aspect from the design to hospitality; contributing to the creation of a one-of-a-kind world of HOSHINOYA. Enrich the heart with the epiphanies of travel through a unique stay experience.