Stand on your balcony, overlooking the serene Kamogawa River and you’ll be pleased you made the Ritz-Carlton part of your luxury, tailor-made tour of Japan. Especially as you’ll be perfectly placed to explore Japan’s old city and one its most historic places. Kyoto has literally hundreds of Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines, not to mention palaces and tranquil ornamental gardens.

But the hotel has also brought the outside traditional atmosphere and tranquillity inside. Some of its suites, for example, have gardens based on tsukimidai or moon-viewing decks. The rooms typically have old fashioned engawa verandas and the décor reflects the timeless Japanese ideas about space and light. In fact, they’re amongst the largest in Kyoto. And they have restful views of the Kamogawa River and the Higashiyama Mountains.