Hatanaka Co., Ltd. (Representative Director: Seiji Hatanaka) is offering the SOWAKA Exclusive Overnight Plan with Private Nighttime Entrance to Kodai-ji Temple at its luxury hotel SOWAKA. This exclusive plan offers overnight guests special private nighttime entrance to Kodai-ji Temple, which is well known as a cherry blossom-viewing spot. Reservations are being accepted starting Thursday, January 30.

SOWAKA is a small, 23-room luxury hotel located in the Gion-Yasaka area of the ancient capital of Kyoto, where the history and tradition that epitomize Japan are deeply rooted. The 11 guestrooms of the Main Building are born from a large-scale renovation of a Sukiya-style building that boasts 100 years of history as a venerable Japanese-style restaurant, while the 12-room Annex is newly built with a modern Japanese design. The Main Building opened on Friday, November 23, 2018, and the new Annex that also includes a restaurant had its grand opening on Monday, March 25, 2019. SOWAKA provides a new-style of distinctly Japanese hospitality felt through the calm and luxurious space unique to a hotel but also echoed by the uniquely Japanese qualities of its atmosphere.

Our current offer is a special package that only a luxury hotel SOWAKA can provide—one that adds extra flare to your spring visit to Kyoto and was a big hit with guests when offered last year. Kodai-ji Temple was built by Nene, known as Kitano Mandokoro, wife of Hideyoshi Toyotomi, to mourn the loss of her husband, and has since become a favorite spot to enjoy cherry blossoms. Many people visit the temple every year to see the weeping cherry tree in the Hojo Garden lit up at night. With this plan, we are offering our overnight guests a luxurious and elegant experience with special private entrance to Kodai-ji Temple for nighttime cherry blossom viewing. Take this opportunity to experience an unforgettable plan offered in the spring exclusively by SOWAKA where you can enjoy wondrous cherry blossoms in an atmosphere created by history and tradition and enveloped in tranquility.
We recently begun offering an in-room spa service for our guests. Please enjoy a time of pure relaxation with our high quality fulvate-aroma treatment.
How about a calming therapy after your Kodai-ji Temple night visit? Your extraordinary experience awaits you, here at SOWAKA.
We await your visit to this luxurious sanctuary that creates a harmony between tradition and modern pleasures in a tranquil environment despite being a mere 3-minute walk from Gion Yasaka Shrine.

Kodai-ji Temple was built by Nene, known as Kitano Mandokoro, wife of Hideyoshi Toyotomi, to mourn the loss of her husband. She visited Kodai-ji every day from the nearby Entokuin Temple. She now rests in a mausoleum (important cultural property) that is adorned with gold lacquer called “Kodai-ji Makie”, a craft technique representative of the Momoyama Period. On the temple grounds you can find cherry blossom trees, bamboo, crape myrtles trees, and autumn foliage that provide a year-round feast for the eyes. Furthermore, the pond-admiring garden (historic site/scenic spot), that surrounds Kaizan-do (important cultural property) is said to have been designed by Kobori Enshu, an early Edo-period daimyo and all-around artist. Many visitors come to admire the intricate illumination designs during the evening visitation period that is held annually.

Photos provided by Kodai-ji Temple

SOWAKA is a small luxury hotel perfect for those who enjoy the finer things in life. Located in the Gion-Yasaka area of the ancient capital of Kyoto, where the history and tradition that epitomize Japan are deeply rooted, the hotel is born out of a large-scale renovation of a Sukiya-style building that boasts 100 years of history as a venerable Japanese-style restaurant. SOWAKA provides a new style of distinctly Japanese hospitality felt through the calm and luxurious space unique to a hotel but also echoed by Japanese atmospheric qualities. The Main Building opened on Friday, November 23, 2018 and the new Annex to include the restaurant having had its grand-opening on Monday, March 25 of 2019. The design of both the buildings was undertaken by the Uoya Architectural Institute lead by up-and-coming architect Shigenori Uoya. Uoya has ample experience renovating machiya-style houses traditional to Kyoto, as well as winning numerous awards such as the Kyoto Architecture Award (Koji Fujii Award), which celebrates highly creative architecture that also maintains the cultural heritage of Kyoto. The biggest attraction of both the Main Building and Annex of SOKAWA is the completely unique and individual rooms that are bursting with itricate artisanal detail. From the moment you pass under the curtains of our entrance, we promise an unforgettable and moving experience that stems from our hopes of connecting our guests with artisans through a stay at SOKAWA.

Name: SOWAKA
Address: 480 Kiyoi-cho, Yasaka Toriimae-sagaru, Shimogawara-dori, Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto 605-0821
Phone: 81-75-541-5323
Opening Dates: Main Building: Friday, November 23, 2018; Grand Opening including Annex: Monday, March 25, 2019
Main Building: 10 Guest Rooms (27m2 to 97m2)
Villa: 1 Room（34m2）
Annex: 12 Guest rooms（35m2 to 70m2）
Total: 23 Rooms
Facilities: Bar/Restaurant