Hotel Tour｜The Overlooked Hotel Okura in Kyoto

- Kyoto surprisingly has two Hotel Okura properties—one located centrally near City Hall, and the other on the Heian Shrine side, known as Okazaki Bettei. The styles of the two are completely different. The one near City Hall somewhat resembles its Tokyo counterpart, while Okazaki Bettei feels much more modern. However, anything bearing the Okura name is synonymous with reliability. For this trip, I deliberately chose Okazaki Bettei (the word "Bettei" itself sounds grand). The real reason was that my itinerary those days conveniently revolved around that area—a natural choice. The compact drop-off area at the entrance is easy to miss. In the morning, there were no staff to greet guests, and after getting out of the car, I had to walk through a long corridor. Coincidentally, it was snowing in Kyoto, and the hotel had drawn cute little snowmen in the garden—a charming touch. Nearby are the Higashi Honganji Okazaki Betsuin and Okazaki Shrine. The front desk mentioned morning temple-waking activities, though I knew I'd never wake up in time. Another memorable detail was Okazaki Bettei's nighttime curfew, with separate glass doors on each floor—a first for me. Apart from the minor inconvenience of the curfew, the main drawback compared to similarly priced Ace Hotel is its relatively remote location. For tourists, it almost necessitates relying on taxis, which isn't very convenient.