UTAHI

Utahi - a Place Where Your Senses Unfold

A place where yin and yang meet in Kyoto.

Utahi sits at the foot of Mount Nyoigatake, close to Ginkakuji Temple (the Silver Pavilion) and the Philosopher’s Path.

Here, the Higashiyama Mountains stretch from north to south in gentle, feminine curves—the very place where the sun first rises over Kyoto.

Located at the back of SIONE, the craft and ceramic shop, Utahi is a space where guests can appreciate a carefully selected collection of fine crafts and artwork.

Our private courtyard is blessed with well water from Mount Hiei and Mount Nyoigatake, a sacred mountain known for Kyoto’s Gozan no Okuribi bonfires.

Tea prepared with the water leaves you feeling refreshed and nourished.

SIONE, a craft and ceramics shop, is located at the entrance to Utahi.

The concept we have always cherished is “a place where your senses unfolds.”

Spend time here, and turn your attention to the shifting light, the sounds of the wind, and the birdsong.

Enjoy a cup of tea and appreciate the bowl with all five senses.

Write down your thoughts, then quietly close your eyes.

your senses will be guided to awaken and unfold.

We created this space with the hope that our guests would experience such moments.

This building was originally built as a ryokan. The role of a ryokan, a traditional Japanese inn, is to offer people a place to step away from their everyday lives and recharge.

When we started Utahi, a thought came to mind: perhaps this place exists for people to awaken their senses and discover a new side of themselves, so that when they return to their everyday lives, they can enjoy life in a new way.

Together with Mariko Mizumura, an interior and architectural designer, we aimed to create a gentle, calming space where people can quietly reflect on themselves, preserving the memories accumulated here over 100 years and the ambiance that fills this place.

We chose pink-beige as the theme color and installed original lighting fixtures and furniture featuring gentle curves and a soft, tactile quality.

Mizu-no-Ma (Bedroom)

The bedroom named “mizu-no-ma” is a tranquil space that evokes the feeling of floating on water.

White small pebbles, the kind used in traditional Japanese dry gardens, covers the floor, while the bed and garden deck flow seamlessly into one another, creating a space with a sense of floating.

Throughout the day, you can relax and immerse yourself in the gentle presence of life, feeling the breeze and the shifting light.

Kaze-no-Ma (Living room)

The living room, named “kaze-no-ma,” features calming tatami flooring and furnishings that showcase craftsmanship from Japan and beyond.

Open the windows and let the breeze flow through. As you enjoy the light falling on traditional Japanese materials such as tatami, shoji screens, diatomaceous earth floor, and washi paper, your creativity will be gently awakened.

Bathroom

Washroom

Dressing room

Programs to Unfold Your Senses

Utahi offers more than just a place to stay; it also offers programs designed to adjust your body and mind to a state of comfort and to your authentic self.

Herb bath salt making (included in the standard )

Morning meditation program (included in the standard package)

Rice porridge set for breakfast (included in the standard package)

Acupuncture & Moxibustion Session Bed on Oriental Medicine

We also offer “Tayutau,” our original acupuncture and moxibustion course, which invites you to discover your constitution and experience the healing properties of plants, including medicinal herbs, through treatments that nurture both body and mind.

Using medicinal herbs grown in the land, the treatment gently warms the body and helps restore its natural balance.

“Tayutau”: Utahi’s original acupuncture and moxibustion course (the acupuncture & moxibustion package)

Crafts/Ceramic Painting Experience

Learn about the history of Japanese ceramics as you paint your own ceramic piece by hand.

By immersing yourself in the creative process, you can savor the richness of the present moment.

While taking in the play of light and shadow created by the dappled sunlight in traditional Japanese architecture, you can spend time allowing your senses to open up as you reflect on the meaning of your own existence.

Painting with the ceramic transfer printing technique (the crafts/ceramic painting experience package)

Between everyday life and travel.

Between everyday life and travel.

Between the self and others.

Between special occasions and everyday life.

Utahi is surrounded by many beautiful landscapes and cultural treasures, and lovely places to be cherished.

Craft shops, bakeries, local shrines, temples such as Ginkakuji, Mount Nyoigatake, known for the Gozan no Okuribi bonfires, and the cherry trees lining the Philosopher’s Path.

This is a place where your senses will begin to awaken just by walking around.

Here, beautiful landscapes and culture weave between everyday life and travel.

You will experience moments where the ordinary and the extraordinary gently overlap.

Between yin and yang, or light and shadow, lies your true, original self.

In this quiet place, you may reconnect with your very existence and recall the purpose you were meant to fulfill.

Emerging, parting, and reconnecting back to the source—

The name Utahi was born from the harmony of these sounds.

Like a tranquil stream, may your stay gently fill your heart with deep richness and guide you back into connection with yourself.

We look forward to welcoming you.