The new Six Senses hotel in Kyoto is the luxury resort brand’s first in Japan and second in an urban centre, after Rome

Max Allen

May 29, 2024 – 5.00am

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I slowly rub my hands together and bring my palms up to my face. I close my eyes as instructed and breathe in gently. A delicate, sweet, earthy scent fills my nostrils as I’m invited to centre myself in time and space. I open my eyes and take a sip of the tea created just for this moment: a deeply aromatic blend of mugwort, lemon verbena and angelica root. I begin to feel remarkably relaxed and forget about the hordes of tourists in the streets outside.

The 81-room Six Senses Kyoto takes its cues from the arts and crafts of the Heian period (794-1185) when Kyoto was the Japanese capital. 

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