no Ondokoro Nishijin Bettei #5
Quiet, artful, residential — feels like borrowing a well-curated friend's Kyoto home, not checking into a hotel. Old merchant architecture softened by Minä Perhonen fabrics and art selected by Minagawa. No front desk on-site, no room service, no concierge hovering around.
Check-in does NOT happen at the villa — you go first to The Royal Park Hotel Iconic Kyoto (formerly the Wacoal New Kyoto Bldg) near Kyoto Station to collect your key.
Why It Matters
One of the most design-serious machiya rentals in Japan. Wacoal leases historic townhouses, commissions notable architects and designers, then returns them to owners fully renovated after 10–15 years — a genuine preservation model. This property is one of only two in the chain designed by the Nakamura–Minagawa duo, and the larger of the two.
A late-Meiji period Nishijin silk merchant's villa, turned into a whole-home rental by Wacoal Corp. Architect Yoshifumi Nakamura and Minä Perhonen designer Akira Minagawa collaborated on the renovation, layering Scandinavian vintage furniture, Minä Perhonen textiles, and art pieces over the original tatami rooms and wooden beams. You get the entire 196 sqm, two-story machiya to yourself — up to 8 people — plus a courtyard garden, an Aomori cypress soaking bath, and a two-car garage.
Where You'll Stay
5 room types available
Entire Villa — Ground Floor: Cypress Bath
A private soaking tub crafted from Aomori hiba (cypress), positioned to look directly onto the inner courtyard garden. The courtyard features manicured maple, moss, and low plantings around a wooden deck. Two showerheads in the same space. Soaking here in autumn — maple leaves overhead — is apparently the highlight of the stay for many guests.
Entire Villa — Ground Floor: Japanese Tatami Rooms
Two connected tatami rooms — 6-mat and 8-mat — where geisha and maiko once performed for the merchant family's guests. The rooms have been updated with art pieces selected by Minagawa (including a scroll and artworks by Morrison Kobayashi and Fujio Ishimoto of Marimekko fame). The 8-mat room opens onto the courtyard deck. Futon bedding available for up to 4 guests in these rooms (from 5th guest onwards).
Traditional futon (up to 4 sets available)Entire Villa — Ground Floor: Kitchen & Dining
The kitchen and dining area sits in the machiya's original torinowa (passage garden) corridor, topped by a skylight that floods the space with natural light. Charcoal mortar flooring — cool underfoot in summer, heated from below in winter. The kitchen is stocked with a Staub pot, yukihira pan, iittala Teema tableware, Cutipol cutlery, and a wine cellar. The counter faces the room like a stage. No seasoning provided — the idea is you shop at Kyoto markets first.
196 sqmEntire Villa — Second Floor: Bedrooms
Two bedrooms on the second floor, each furnished with Simmons semi-double mattresses and Nishikawa bedding (feather duvets). Ceilings are finished in traditional Juraku plaster in a warm, muted tone. Minä Perhonen textiles appear on the bed linens and soft furnishings. Total of 4 semi-double beds across both rooms.
Semi-double (4 beds total across 2 rooms)Entire Villa — Second Floor: Library & Shower Room
A library room with roughly 60 books selected by book director Yoshitaka Haba — titles focused on Nishijin culture and Kyoto. A second bathroom on this floor features a sunlit shower booth, described as a 'futuristic stall shower' that fills with natural light from above. Separate from the ground-floor cypress bath.
The Property
Eat & Drink
2 venues on property
Restaurant
Spa & Wellness
Treatment Menu
On Property
How you'll actually spend your days.
The villa has a two-car private garage (height limit 2m) — unusual for a central Kyoto property. Miyama (thatched-roof village, ~60 min), Kurama (mountain onsen, ~40 min), and Ohara (morning markets, ~30 min) are all accessible by car for day trips. The villa's brochure specifically recommends this.
A curated library of approximately 60 books selected by book director Yoshitaka Haba, with a focus on Nishijin culture, textiles, and Kyoto. Housed in the second-floor library room overlooking the garden.
Kyo no Ondokoro provides a seasonal guide booklet called 'Kurashi no Teian-cho' (Living Suggestion Book) with curated local tips — restaurants, markets, shops, and seasonal Kyoto activities — updated by the team. This applies across all properties in the chain.
The villa's kitchen is built for this. Wake up, drive to morning markets in Miyama (charcoal-town mountain village) or Ohara (farm market), buy local Kyoto vegetables and proteins, cook in a kitchen equipped with Staub pots and a wine cellar. Minagawa chose every utensil intentionally. No seasoning provided — that's part of the experience.
Step outside and you're in a working weaving district — you can still hear looms on some streets. Kamishichiken (the oldest geisha district in Kyoto) is 7 minutes on foot. Kitano Tenmangu shrine is 12 minutes. Nishijin Textile Center is 300 meters away. Seimei Shrine is 8 minutes.
Amenities & Practical Info
The details that matter for planning.
Simmons soft mattresses in both bedrooms. Feather duvets and balanced support futons by Nishikawa Corp.
In-unit washing machine with dryer — useful for longer stays, which the property actively encourages.
A private courtyard with manicured maple, moss and low foliage arranged around a wooden deck. Visible from the cypress bath and several ground-floor rooms.
On-site dedicated garage for two standard vehicles (up to 2.0m height). Included in the stay. Unusual for central Kyoto.
No gym or fitness facilities on-site.
There is no swimming pool on-site.
Luggage can be stored and/or transported from The Royal Park Hotel Iconic Kyoto (check-in front desk location) to the villa. Luggage delivered by 2 PM is transported free.
BUILD YOUR KYO NO ONDOKORO NISHIJIN BETTEI #5 PLAN
Rooms, dining, spa, and resort experiences — organized into one trip plan.
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