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Is this the world's most tranquil hotel? Inside the sumptuous Kyoto property built on an 800-year-old samurai's garden that offers a window into a bygone era
In the 12th century, a tranquil garden was built for a samurai in Kyoto, Japan’s ancient former capital.
Today, the same garden is home to Four Seasons Hotel Kyoto, a sumptuous retreat that offers a window into a bygone era of Japan.
I check in for a stay a few weeks shy of the garden's annual bloom of cherry blossoms and find glamorous travellers strolling where warriors likely once walked.
Japan lays claim to some of the world’s best gardens, but this oasis is of particular note in that it's one of the few remaining from the end of the Heian Period, considered a golden age for arts and culture.
Archives suggest that the samurai for whom this Eden was created was Taira no Shigemori, the eldest son of the leader of the powerful Taira clan.
Ailbhe MacMahon checks into Four Seasons Hotel Kyoto. Its 800-year-old garden (above) was created for a samurai
The entrance to the Four Seasons Hotel Kyoto is shaded by a striking wooden canopy
Taira no Shigemori, the samurai for whom it is believed the garden was built
Ailbhe stayed in a Premier Room, above, with a stunning garden view
The marble-clad bathroom in a Premier Room has a walk-in shower and deep bath
A one-bedroom Hotel Residence - Garden View, which sleeps up to four guests
His stately home on the land is long gone, but his garden - occupying prime real estate in the historic Higashiyama district - remains a thing of beauty thanks to careful preservation work by the luxury hotel chain.
A glass bridge arches over the garden's ponds, its transparent floor showcasing the original stone bridge beneath.
Archival sketches informed the restoration of the garden's waterfall. A winding pathway leads to the 'Jizo' statue - believed to protect travellers - that's been in situ for several hundred years.
Naturally, garden-facing rooms have proven highly popular since the hotel, with 123 rooms and suites, as well as 57 'residences' for longer stays, opened in 2016.
Happily, my Premier Room overlooks the enchanting greenscape. Sliding 'shoji' panels divide the room, with hand-painted screens framing the bed and traditional yukata robes (a casual kimono) folded in the wardrobe.
The indoor, top, and outdoor dining area at the Emba Kyoto Chophouse, overlooking the lake
The spacious high-ceilinged lobby with installations by Japanese artists
In the subterranean spa and fitness area, there is a 65ft (20m) heated pool
The 'Ofuro' baths in the spa area are designed to provide total immersion for the bather
It gives a snapshot of the hotel as a whole - a serene sanctuary sprinkled with artistic design details.
A bamboo-lined pathway leads to the entrance. The lobby is high-ceilinged and art-filled, with abstract paintings and installations by Japanese artists catching the eye.
A glass lift takes me down to the subterranean spa and fitness area, a hushed space spread over two storeys.
Here, the headline act is the pool - one of the biggest hotel pools in Kyoto at 65ft (20m) in length. Steaming whirlpools, 'ofuro' baths and saunas make for a standout supporting cast.
The cypress-wood teahouse overlooking the garden's tranquil pond
A performance by a maiko, an apprentice geisha, in the hotel lobby
I unwind with one of the gym’s complimentary yoga classes before stepping out into the city, with many of Kyoto's most-visited temples and shrines a short walk away.
There’s even a high-profile neighbour right across the street - the Kyoto National Museum, one of Japan’s oldest museums.
The Gion entertainment district, where geisha perform, is nearby too, though you can experience their artistry without leaving the hotel grounds through bi-weekly performances by a 'maiko' apprentice geisha.
I witness one at dusk, with quiet falling over the lobby as the young woman dances in harmony to a song about the changing seasons in Kyoto.
A creative touch is applied to the hotel's culinary offering, too. Sliding into a booth at the Emba Kyoto Chophouse, I order a traditional Japanese set breakfast (JPY7,000/£37/$47 with buffet).
Afternoon tea is beautifully presented in Bento boxes in the Fuju lounge
Inside the serene Fuju lounge, overlooking the gardens
The teahouse at night and the seasonal cherry blossom viewed from the teahouse
It arrives on a tray, with seasonal delicacies - such as shrimp wrapped in pickled radish and soy milk curd with a dollop of salmon roe laid out prettily beside miso soup and steamed rice.
It's a decadent start to a day, but the most magical culinary experience of my stay has yet to come.
It is afternoon tea in the 800-year-old garden.
Sitting by the pond is a cypress-wood teahouse, split into two parts; lounge ‘Fuju’ and a tea ceremony room where a small group can engage in time-honoured brewing rituals with a 'Tea Master' (JPY20,000/£106/$135).
The Japanese set breakfast served on tray that Ailbhe enjoys at the Emba Kyoto Chophouse
The Lounge & Bar serves everything from coffee and cake to after-dinner drinks
I’m shown to a low table at Fuju and presented with a miso-butter sandwich and a zingy yuzu jelly, arranged chocolate-box-style with other gorgeous confections in lacquer boxes (JPY6,500/£34/$44).
While I eat, I admire the garden through wraparound windows. It’s common to catch sight of the turtles and the pair of herons - nicknamed Angela and Alex, I’m told - that call the ponds home. Koi carp dart around the water, with staff supplying dainty sachets of fish food to throw to them.
Despite its well-placed postcode, the hotel feels a million miles from the animated streets of the city, which attracts more than 70million visitors a year.
If a visit to Kyoto is in your sights, come here to relax, revel in luxury and be transported back to a Japan lost to time.