New Luxury Hotels in Japan
What has opened and what opens by spring 2027

For a trip to Japan between November 2026 and May 2027, the new luxury hotels you can actually stay in are these. In Kyoto, the Imperial Hotel, Kyoto opened in Gion on March 5, 2026, and Capella Kyoto opened on March 22, 2026, in Miyagawa-chō. In Tokyo, 1 Hotel Tokyo opened in Akasaka in March 2026. In Nara, Hoshinoya Nara Prison opened on June 25, 2026, inside the red-brick Meiji prison. In Hakone, HOTEL THE MITSUI HAKONE is scheduled to open on December 15, 2026. On Mount Hiei above Kyoto, THE THOUSAND HIEI Mui no Okuyama is planned for spring 2027, with no exact date yet.

Below is where each one stands, what the rooms look onto, who each one suits, and what to expect from a hotel in its first season. Every opening date comes from the operator's or the developer's own announcement, which we read on October 31, 2026, together with the MICHELIN Guide's hotel listings, Condé Nast Traveller, The Japan Times, and the Nara Marathon organisers. We did not contact any of the hotels; the sources are listed at the end. Where a hotel has announced only a season, we say so. For the districts themselves and the established hotels in each, see Where to Stay in Kyoto: The Best Areas for a First Visit →.

ASK US ABOUT THE NEW HOTELS →

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WHAT HAS OPENED AND WHAT IS COMING

The table lists the hotels we could confirm from an official announcement, in the order they open. Room counts are the operators' own. "Scheduled" and "planned" are the operators' words for hotels that have not opened yet.

New luxury hotels for a trip between November 2026 and May 2027, from the operators' announcements

Hotel	Where	Opening	Rooms
Imperial Hotel, Kyoto	Gion, Kyoto	Opened Thu, March 5, 2026	55
Capella Kyoto	Miyagawa-chō, Kyoto	Opened Sun, March 22, 2026	89
1 Hotel Tokyo	Akasaka, Tokyo	Opened March 2026	Not given in the release we read
Hoshinoya Nara Prison	Nara	Opened June 25, 2026	48
HOTEL THE MITSUI HAKONE	Kowakidani, Hakone	Scheduled for Tue, December 15, 2026	126
THE THOUSAND HIEI Mui no Okuyama	Mount Hiei, Kyoto	Planned for spring 2027, date to be announced	33 (planned)

Two hotels that opened in 2025 are still new enough to belong here, and are covered further down: Patina Osaka and GORA KADAN FUJI. Two more are announced for after May 2027 and are noted at the end of the Mount Hiei section.

KYOTO: TWO NEW HOTELS IN THE GEISHA DISTRICTS

Kyoto's two spring openings sit about ten minutes' walk apart, and both are built into the life of a hanamachi, a geisha district.

Imperial Hotel, Kyoto

The Imperial Hotel, Kyoto opened on March 5, 2026, in the Yasaka Kaikan, a 1936 theatre building on the grounds of the Gion Kōbu Kaburenjō and a registered tangible cultural property of Japan. The hotel says it preserves and reuses part of that building. Its 55 rooms are spread across three areas: the main building, a preserved section on the southwest side where the old pillars and window frames remain, and a new north wing built to match the teahouse streets, where the Imperial Hotel has used tatami in its rooms for the first time. There are five room categories, from Premier rooms of 50 to 58 m² to three Signature Suites. The largest, the Imperial Suite, has 193 m² including a terrace on two sides looking over the teahouse roofs, the Kaburenjō and the Higashiyama hills; in June 2025 the hotel gave its planned price as ¥3,000,000 a night (about US$19,000), tax and service included, varying by season.

The Japan Times, staying in the opening weeks, noted that the building is the only one in Gion that stands above the district's 12-metre height limit, which is why the upper rooms see across the rooftops. There is a French restaurant, Ren, for dinner only, an all-day restaurant, Yasaka, the Old Imperial Bar on the seventh floor, a rooftop bar, a pastry shop, and a spa with a pool and heat rooms in the basement. For guests, the hotel offers a Japanese breakfast devised by the master of the Gion kappō restaurant Gion Kawakami (¥7,500, by advance request and in limited numbers), free entry to the Gion Hanamachi Art Museum next door, and, because it stands within the Kaburenjō grounds, help with tickets for the Miyako Odori, the geiko and maiko dance held there each spring. In late 2026 it also lists a stay that includes first-class seats at the Kaomise kabuki performances.

It suits couples and anyone who wants to step out of the hotel straight into Gion, and travellers who know the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo and want the same service in Kyoto.

Capella Kyoto

Capella Kyoto, the first Capella hotel in Japan, opened on March 22, 2026. It stands on the site of the former Shinmichi Elementary School, founded by local residents in 1869, between Kennin-ji, Kyoto's oldest Zen temple, and the Miyagawa-chō Kaburenjō theatre. NTT Urban Development, which built and owns it, describes a low building of four storeys above ground designed under Kengo Kuma's office to keep the scale of Kyoto's narrow lanes, with hinoki, cedar, bamboo, washi and ceramics inside. The 89 rooms follow the deep plan of a machiya townhouse, with baths that look onto a small courtyard garden. The Japan Times, writing in April, gave the rooms as starting from ¥394,200 a night for two (about US$2,500).

The signature restaurant, SoNoMa by SingleThread, is the first project outside the United States for SingleThread, the three-star restaurant in Sonoma, California, with a counter facing the open kitchen. There is also a Japanese restaurant, Yoi, an all-day restaurant, Lanterne, a pastry shop, and Auriga Spa with natural hot spring water. Condé Nast Traveller's readers placed Capella Kyoto sixth among hotels in Japan in its 2026 Readers' Choice Awards, and the MICHELIN Guide gave it two Keys in its first year.

It suits travellers who want a quieter district than central Gion, and those for whom dinner is part of the reason to stay.

TOKYO AND NARA

1 Hotel Tokyo

1 Hotel Tokyo opened in March 2026 as the first Japanese hotel of 1 Hotels, a brand built around nature and reclaimed materials. Its developer, Mori Trust, places it in the Akasaka Trust Tower; The Japan Times describes the hotel on the 38th to 43rd floors, with more than 1,500 plants in the public spaces, and suites on the 41st floor looking over the city. Mori Trust says the hotel received one MICHELIN Key in 2026. It suits travellers who want a high-floor Tokyo room with a softer, greener feel than the classic grand hotels. For the established Tokyo hotels by district, see our guide to where to stay in Tokyo.

Hoshinoya Nara Prison

Hoshinoya Nara Prison opened on June 25, 2026, in the former Nara Prison, a red-brick Meiji building that the hotel calls an important cultural property. Its 48 rooms are made by joining former cells under high ceilings, and The Japan Times, staying in the summer, described a red-brick gatehouse, guard posts that look down five cell blocks across two floors, and rooms that do not hide what they once were. The hotel sits a short way north of Tōdai-ji, and the Nara Prison Museum is on the same site.

Each room takes one or two guests, so it suits couples and solo travellers and does not work for families sharing a room. The hotel has free parking and no shuttle of its own. One date to note: on Sunday, December 13, 2026, the Nara Marathon closes the roads around the hotel from 8:30 am to about 3 pm, and the hotel suggests arriving or leaving after 3 pm that day. For a day among the temples nearby, see A Day in Nara from Kyoto →.

HAKONE IN DECEMBER

HOTEL THE MITSUI HAKONE is the one major opening that falls inside a winter trip. Mitsui Fudosan has scheduled it for Tuesday, December 15, 2026, as the second HOTEL THE MITSUI after the Kyoto hotel, in partnership with Marriott's Luxury Collection. It stands in Kowakidani, where the Mitsui family once kept a cluster of villas, on about 14 hectares inside the Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park, facing Mount Sengen across the Jakotsu river. Mitsui says the land south of the river has been left as old forest.

All 126 rooms have a private bath fed by a hot spring that rises on the site, and a balcony or terrace. They run from Deluxe rooms of 48 m² to villas of more than 100 m² with indoor and open-air baths, a Presidential Suite of more than 200 m² and a Signature Villa. Interiors are by Yabu Pushelberg. The thermal spring is a hot spring pool worn with swimsuits, indoors and out, and the spa has five treatment rooms, one of them for couples. The Japanese restaurant, Sankei, serves kaiseki, sushi and teppanyaki; there is also an all-day restaurant, Riverine, a bar, Lambent, and a separate sukiya-style pavilion, Shikian, built by the Kyoto carpenters Yasui Moku Kōmuten, which Mitsui says can be used for tea.

It suits couples and families who want Hakone's hot springs with the service of a large hotel, and anyone who prefers to bathe in private. A first-week stay is possible, though see the notes on opening seasons below. For Hakone's museums and the Fuji view, see Hakone: Art, Onsen and the Fuji View →.

MOUNT HIEI IN SPRING 2027 AND WHAT COMES AFTER

Keihan Hotels & Resorts announced in May 2026 that it is taking over L'Hotel de Hiei, on the ridge of Mount Hiei above Kyoto, and reopening it as THE THOUSAND HIEI Mui no Okuyama, with a grand opening planned for spring 2027. Mount Hiei is the seat of Enryaku-ji, a World Heritage temple. The plans show 33 rooms, 26 standard rooms and seven suites, a terrace with a water basin looking toward Lake Biwa, a restaurant, a bar and a spa. In June Keihan named the restaurant team: head chef Hideyuki Obase, who grew up at the foot of the mountain and ran his own Kyoto restaurant, Obase, for ten years, with Ken Sakamoto of the Kyoto restaurant cenci directing the cooking around wood fire and fermentation. Keihan says the plans may change and that the opening date will be announced once decided. For a spring 2027 trip, treat it as possible and confirm closer to the time.

Two further openings fall after May 2027. Hoshino Resorts lists Hoshinoya Asuka, in the village of Asuka south of Nara, as opening on July 22, 2027, with 35 rooms. Mitsui Fudosan says the Waldorf Astoria Tokyo Nihonbashi will open on floors 39 to 47 of the new Tokyo Midtown Nihonbashi tower, completed on September 30, 2026, with 197 rooms; its October 2026 release gives no opening date for the hotel.

OPENED IN 2025 AND STILL NEW

Patina Osaka opened in May 2025 as the first hotel in Japan of Patina, Capella's newer brand. NTT Urban Development describes 221 rooms, with rooms of 50 m², a spa and a ballroom near Osaka Castle Park, and says Travel + Leisure's World's Best Awards 2026 ranked it first among the world's hotels; Condé Nast Traveller's readers placed it ninth in Japan. It suits travellers who want Osaka as a base for Nara and Kyoto, with the castle park outside.

GORA KADAN FUJI, the second inn of the Hakone ryokan Gora Kadan, opened on July 20, 2025. The Japan Times notes that the Hakone inn opened in 1948 in a former imperial villa. Gora Kadan describes it as facing the summit of Mount Fuji due west, with every room a suite in a shoin style, and a golf course on the grounds. It suits travellers who want a ryokan's service with Mount Fuji in the window. For how to choose between ryokan, see How to Choose a Ryokan in Japan →.

STAYING IN A HOTEL IN ITS FIRST SEASON

A new hotel has fresh rooms and a staff keen to be noticed. It also has habits that are still forming. Here is what we watch for when a stay falls in a hotel's first months.

• Dates can move. Keihan's releases for Mount Hiei say the plans may change. Until a hotel is open, we keep a second choice ready for the same nights.
• Some parts open later. When the JW Marriott Tokyo opened in October 2025, The Japan Times reported that its spa and pool were already running and that its Mindful Rooms would follow in early December. We ask each hotel which rooms, restaurants and spa services will be open on your nights.
• Small hotels fill early. With 33 to 89 rooms, the Kyoto, Nara and Hiei hotels have few rooms of each type, and the suites run to a handful. If one room matters, such as a terrace over Gion, we ask for it by name.
• Advance requests. At the Imperial Hotel, Kyoto, the spa and the Gion Kawakami breakfast are taken by advance request, and the breakfast is limited in number. We put these requests in before you arrive, along with any dietary needs.
• Local calendars. A marathon in Nara on December 13, the Kaomise season in Kyoto, the Miyako Odori in April: events outside the hotel shape arrival times and ticket chances. We check them against your dates.
• Bathing customs. At HOTEL THE MITSUI HAKONE, the private baths in the rooms are your own, and the thermal spring is worn with swimsuits. We tell you which is which before you pack.

WHERE STAYGO COMES IN

STAYGO plans private trips across Japan from Tokyo. Tell us your dates and the hotels that interest you, and we will ask each one what will be open on your nights, which rooms are free, and what can be arranged: the room you want, meals around a dietary need, a car from the station, tickets for a performance. We arrange the stay in your names, and you pay the hotel directly at its own prices, with no commission or markup from us. We will tell you plainly what was confirmed and what was not. Trips are planned on the Signature plan, for 7 to 14 days, or as Bespoke for longer or more complex journeys.

SOURCES AND HOW WE CHECKED

We read the pages below on October 31, 2026: the operators' and developers' own releases and sites for opening dates, room counts, rooms, restaurants and facilities; the MICHELIN Guide and Condé Nast Traveller for awards; the Nara Marathon organisers for the road closures; and The Japan Times for what reporters found on their stays. We did not contact any hotel, developer or organiser. Facts taken from the press are marked as such in the text. Hotels in their first season can change dates and facilities; we check again before anything is arranged. Dollar amounts are a guide only, at ¥158 to US$1 (October 2026); hotels charge in yen.

• Imperial Hotel, news releases for Kyoto, 2025 fiscal year (Japanese): the March 5 opening and the order of announcements
• Imperial Hotel, release of October 2, 2025 (Japanese): opening date, 55 rooms, three areas, five room categories and sizes
• Imperial Hotel, release of June 4, 2025 (Japanese): the Imperial Suite, its terrace and planned price, and the tatami rooms of the north wing
• Imperial Hotel, release of March 26, 2026 (Japanese): Miyako Odori tickets, the Gion Kawakami breakfast, the spa, the art museum and the facilities
• Imperial Hotel, Kyoto (Japanese): restaurants and bars, the MICHELIN Key and the Kaomise stay
• NTT Urban Development, Capella Kyoto opens March 22 (Japanese): the site, the design, 89 rooms, restaurants and spa
• NTT Urban Development, MICHELIN Keys 2026 (Japanese): Capella Kyoto's two Keys, Patina Osaka's opening, rooms and awards
• Mori Trust, MICHELIN Keys 2026 (Japanese): 1 Hotel Tokyo's opening in March 2026, its building and its Key
• Hoshinoya Nara Prison (Japanese): opening date, 48 rooms, room capacity, parking and the December 13 road closures
• Hoshinoya Asuka (Japanese): opening date and 35 rooms
• Mitsui Fudosan, HOTEL THE MITSUI HAKONE opens December 15 (Japanese): date, site, 126 rooms, baths, spa, restaurants and pavilion
• Mitsui Fudosan, Tokyo Midtown Nihonbashi completed (Japanese): the Waldorf Astoria Tokyo Nihonbashi floors and rooms
• Keihan Hotels & Resorts, release of May 12, 2026 (Japanese): THE THOUSAND HIEI, spring 2027, 33 rooms and planned facilities
• Keihan Hotels & Resorts, release of June 25, 2026 (Japanese): the restaurant and its chefs
• Gora Kadan (Japanese) and GORA KADAN FUJI: the July 20, 2025 opening, the view and the suites
• Nara Marathon 2026, road closures (Japanese): the December 13 race and its organisers
• MICHELIN Guide, hotels in Kyoto: the Imperial Hotel, Kyoto and Capella Kyoto in the hotel selection
• Condé Nast Traveller, Readers' Choice Awards 2026, Asia: the top ten hotels in Japan
• The Japan Times on the Imperial Hotel, Kyoto: the height of the building and the rooftop views
• The Japan Times on Capella Kyoto: room rates and the lane by the Kaburenjō
• The Japan Times on 1 Hotel Tokyo: the floors, the plants and the suites
• The Japan Times on Hoshinoya Nara Prison: the gatehouse, the cell blocks and the rooms
• The Japan Times on Gora Kadan: the 1948 opening in a former imperial villa and the inn near Mount Fuji
• The Japan Times on the JW Marriott Tokyo: rooms that opened after the hotel

QUESTIONS TRAVELLERS ASK

Which new luxury hotels are open in Kyoto?

The Imperial Hotel, Kyoto opened in Gion on March 5, 2026, and Capella Kyoto opened in Miyagawa-chō on March 22, 2026. Both are open for a trip between November 2026 and May 2027.

When does HOTEL THE MITSUI HAKONE open?

Mitsui Fudosan has scheduled it for Tuesday, December 15, 2026. It has 126 rooms, each with a private hot spring bath, in Kowakidani, Hakone.

When does THE THOUSAND HIEI open?

Keihan Hotels & Resorts plans a grand opening in spring 2027 and says the exact date will be announced once decided. On October 31, 2026, no date had been published.

Is it a good idea to stay at a hotel that has just opened?

It can be lovely, with fresh rooms and attentive staff. Ask which restaurants, rooms and spa services will be open on your nights, keep a second choice for any hotel not yet open, and send dietary and spa requests ahead.

Can families stay at Hoshinoya Nara Prison?

Each room takes one or two guests, and the hotel accepts children under 12 sharing existing bedding within that limit. A family of more than two would need separate rooms.