Luxury Hotel SOWAKA is all about soothing one’s soul and embracing nature. The property blends a mix of traditional elements – Japanese tea house, Zen garden – with contemporary features offering guests access to mountain views, a Michelin-starred restaurant, and 23 unique rooms. Planned to help calm the minds and please the senses, Sowaka has put well-being and inner balance at the forefront of the experience it offers to all its guests. 

The hotel’s renovation, led by Shigenori Uoya Architects and Associates, organically transformed the main building – originally constructed in the Sukiya-zukuri architectural style that was prominent in Japan during the 1920-30s and closely aligned with the Japanese Arts and Crafts movement. 

The architect’s vision was to balance the structure’s history with authentic and contemporary aesthetics focusing on the finest details. Guest rooms are furnished with locally-inspired design elements, including carefully selected furniture, fixtures, and amenities – all of which have been chosen for their high level of craftsmanship and connection to Kyoto’s culture and history. 

Inside Sowaka’s main building, Shigenori Uoya chose to step outside of the Japanese tradition by incorporating a set of Hans J. Wegner’s CH26 dining chairs into the hotel’s reception area. “While selecting new furniture to go inside an old Japanese building,” says Uoya, “I felt that it would be interesting to choose pieces from outside of Japan, but pieces that still work well in a Japanese atmosphere.” The choice of the CH26 works well, explains Uoya, because of the chair’s simple elegance and exceptional craftsmanship.