Sora Niwa Terrace Kyoto
Sora Niwa Terrace Kyoto
Kyoto has a plethora of accommodation options in the city, from cozy machiya stays to boutique and mainstream luxury hotels; however there are barely any onsen ryokan; which is not surprising since onsen ryokan are generally found near mountains and vast amount of nature where the hot springs originate - rarely in bustling cities.
In 2022, the first onsen ryokan hotel: Sora Niwa Terrace Kyoto opened right in one of my favourite areas of Kyoto; Kawaramachi, where on the other side of the river lies Gion.
Sora Niwa Terrace Kyoto provides an affordable modern onsen ryokan experience in the heart of Kyoto, however if you wish to splurge (or you’re shy/have tattoos) and have your own private open air onsen - book their sister onsen ryokan Shijo Bettei which is located in a private annex of the same building.
The Rooftop Terrace Bar & Onsen Footbath
A highlight of Sora Niwa is of course their wide and expansive rooftop terrace with stunning views of the Kyoto landscape. A special highlight is the subtle onsen footbath which lies under the terrace’s counter top table! a delightful pleasant surprise which I greatly enjoyed as I sipped my complimentary drinks from the bar. I spent a considerable amount of time relaxing here after my explorations, reading a good book & just enjoying the views.
*at the time of stay, at least one drink was complimentary, however I’m not sure now - I stayed during their first initial period when they were still figuring things out.
Yasaka no Yu
Known as the “open air bath in the sky”; Yasaka no Yu is one of Sora Niwa’s public onsen available for guests to enjoy. Situated on the 2nd highest floor, the onsen’s highlight is it’s standing onsen (at 1.2m depth) with open views of the surrounding Kyoto landscape (same view as what you see from the rooftop terrace). Other baths to enjoy is the rectangular sitting onsen next to the standing bath as well as a particular onsen bath they’ve created; the “silky Jacuzzi bath” where the milky white bubbles are said to keep the skin smooth and moist long after bathing.
The sunrise view from this onsen is also said to be very lovely, and if you’re an early riser you can ask the staff the day before for what time sunrise is expected. Since I’m not a morning person, I didn’t do this.
To access & attempt to find an onsen source, the hotel had to drill down ridiculously deep below the earth before construction (if memory serves 1km down?) to see if there was even an onsen spring & luckily they found one! (or else that would have been a lot of money wasted!)
Niwa no Yu
Located on the lower floor, is their other public onsen Niwa no Yu (Garden Bath) which is an indoor onsen with the exact same types of onsen baths that can be found at Yasaka no Yu.
Yasaka no Yu & Niwa no Yu are gender separated and switch each day, so during your stay you can enjoy both of the public onsen.
The Rooms
Three types of rooms are available to stay in at Sora Niwa Terrace; the Moderate Double, Superior Double & Universal Twin.
Decorated in beautiful fabrics and earthy tones, the design of the rooms is modern & comfortable within the space.
The room’s size and layout is evocative of the current trend of many of the newer modern hotels popping up all over Japan. If you stay at some of the newer hotels, by the bigger/local brands - you will find it similar and familiar.
I stayed in the Moderate Double.
A Delicious Japanese Kaiseki Dinner
Now generally when I stay in an onsen ryokan, I always choose half board (ie. breakfast & dinner) especially because I’m in a more remote area where the local restaurants tend to close at 5 or 6pm! However in Kyoto. there is an abundance of amazing restaurants to choose from for dining options, so it’s quite nice there are various options to choose from at Sora Niwa Terrace when you book; from “without meals”, “breakfast only”, “dinner only”.
That being said, if you want to try a Kaiseki meal whilst in Kyoto, my dinners at Sora Niwa were delightful, so if you want to do only one meal at the property, I would choose dinner over breakfast. Which is what I did, as in normal every day life; I prefer just simple fruit & green tea for breakfast. Find my thoughts below.
MY PERSONAL THOUGHTS
FOOD
Kaiseki is the highest haute cuisine of all Japanese food, and to eat Kaiseki in Kyoto is the culmination of everything quintessentially Japan, with it seasonal, local and specialised produce in the heart of Japan’s culturally rich city. The kaiseki dinner at Sora Niwa Terrace was a delight! I’m actually always a bit hesitant about “fine dining” in Kyoto, since its such a popular, visited city, prices can reflect that & when you go further afield, you can get similar/better at a lower price. Plus there’s always the hassle of trying to get a booking months in advance!
However my dinner was just so lovely, tasty and a wonderful amount. Beautifully presented, showcasing some of Kyoto’s best seasonal & local produce, everything was of the highest, freshest quality. I especially loved the shabu shabu of white fish sashimi and Kyoto’s famed yuba, with light ponzu sauce as I’m not a fan of meat shabu shabu (sorry!)
I’m very pleased that I decided to only go with dinner rather than breakfast, because if you are going to pick one - I would always, always go with a Kaiseki dinner.
If this is your first trip to Japan, and you’re only visiting the Golden Triangle of Tokyo, Kyoto & Osaka and you wish to have an onsen ryokan (with more modern amenities) experience along with a kaiseki meal, this would tick all the boxes.
ONSEN
Loved the onsen! It’s rare to have onsen in the heart of the city, and to have it in one of my favourite areas of Kyoto was just bliss. The open-air onsen Yasaka no Yu was definitely my favourite of the two public baths, and I loved the “silky jacuzzi” with its micro bubbles. Perfect to relax after exploring Kyoto.
As the hotel drilled deep down into the earth to find the onsen source and are pumping it to high floors, the onsen water is circulated. Many onsen ryokan are like this, you will find the purest of onsen waters “gensen kakenagashi” in select onsen towns across the country (where they proudly state this). Gensen Kakengashi means the onsen water is continously flowing in and then out of the onsen, it’s not circulated or treated, it is “pure”.
The onsen Yasaka no Yu & Niwa no Yu are the public onsen, so if you’re shy/have tattoos/wanna splurge, book a room at their sister property Shijo Bettei where every room has their own private semi open air onsen.
ROOM AMBIANCE
With 102 rooms available, Sora Niwa Terrace is a modern onsen ryokan hotel. Rooms are comfortable, typical Japanese size and designed in the style and layout that has become popular for many newer hotels being built across Japan. With comfy beds, a little couch/lounge area, small coffee table, mini fridge and the usual amenities - its utterly fine for one’s stay in Kyoto.
VENUE AMBIANCE
Most of Sora Niwa Terrace is located in a tall building, with its floors being its available rooms. In terms of traditional onsen ryokan, there’s no little library or sitting nooks, as its pretty much the restaurant (ground floor), the reception (upper floor), onsen and rooms (other higher floors). However their rooftop terrace with onsen footbath, drinks and stunning Kyoto views is definitely a perfect alternative to the more traditional rest areas.
SURROUNDING AREA
It’s in one of my favourite areas of Kyoto, near some of my favourite cafes, restaurants, bars and shops. Perfectly located a short walk from the Kamo river and Gion, it’s a great stop to visit the main city areas of Kyoto with easy enough access (buses) to the popular sights.
SORANIWA TERRACE KYOTO (at time of stay)
COST: starting from ~20500JPY per person per night (without meals)
MEALS INCLUDED: Breakfast & Dinner depending on plan
CHECK IN/CHECK OUT TIME: 1500 / 1000
PAYMENT: Cash or Credit
ROOMS: 102
ENGLISH SPEAKING STAFF: Some
WEBSITE: SORANIWA TERRACE KYOTO
IG: @soraniwa.kyoto
