Stay For Good
Travel with purpose. Connect with the living culture of a city shaped by over a thousand years of history, tradition and artistry — and help carry its heritage forward.
Ninnaji Experience
NINNAJI LEGACY EXPERIENCE
In partnership with Ninnaji — an Imperial temple founded in 888 and designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site — Banyan Tree Higashiyama Kyoto presents an immersive programme that goes beyond sightseeing. Walk through spaces normally closed to the public, encounter centuries-old Buddhist sculptures and wall paintings up close, and engage in hands-on cultural practice under the guidance of master artisans.
A portion of the programme fee is dedicated to the restoration and preservation of Ninnaji's cultural properties, ensuring that your experience contributes directly to safeguarding Kyoto's heritage for generations to come.
- Advance reservation required (request-based)
- Duration: Approximately 4 hours
- Round-trip transportation between the hotel and Ninnaji included
- Reservations must be made at least 20 days prior to the desired date
- Advance payment by credit card after reservation confirmation; non-refundable
- Availability may be limited during temple ceremonies, festivals, Obon and year-end/New Year periods. Please provide multiple preferred dates.
Pricing:
2–5 guests: ¥125,000 per person (tax included)
6–10 guests: ¥105,000 per person (tax included)
Please contact us for details.
PRIVATE TEMPLE ACCESS
Step beyond the public gaze into spaces that have remained unchanged for centuries. Accompanied by a knowledgeable guide, explore areas of Ninnaji usually closed to visitors — encountering Buddhist statues, wall paintings and cultural treasures that have been devotedly safeguarded through the ages.
Standing quietly before these works is to feel the weight of time — and the care of countless hands that have preserved them.
BUDDHIST SCULPTURE PAINTING WORKSHOP
Under the guidance of a Buddhist sculptor, try your hand at painting a traditional statue — a contemplative art form passed down through generations. Feel the precision required of each brushstroke as you bring colour and expression to a sacred figure, gaining an intimate understanding of the devotion and skill embedded in Japan's spiritual heritage.
Each finished work is uniquely your own — a lasting memento of an art that connects past and present.
A TEMPLE THROUGH THE SEASONS
Cherry blossoms in spring. Vivid greenery in early summer. Crimson foliage in autumn. A hush of snow in winter.
Ninnaji reveals a different face with every season. As part of the programme, guests are invited to experience the beauty that each visit brings — a reminder that Kyoto's cultural landscape is not a museum piece, but a living, evolving presence best appreciated in the moment.
Contact Us
Reservations must be made at least 20 days prior to the desired date
Miyama Town Experience
Miyama Town Thatched Village Tour
Ever since the Jomon period, over 2,000 years ago, people in Japan have been covering their homes with thatched roofs (kayabuki) made of environmentally friendly grass-based materials. Tour a traditional home with a thatched roof in Miyama, and take part in this ancient tradition laying susuki grass and tying it onto a roof. Taxi transfer + tour guide included (1 group; 1 to 4 people within 7 hours for using a shuttle taxi.）
From hotel to Miyama village: About 1 hour and 30 minutes by car.
No activities included.
- Reservation for only guests staying at the hotel.
- Reservation required at least 7 days before desired date.
- Advance payment by credit card after reservation confirmation, non refundable.
Miyama Kintsugi Experience
Going beyond giving broken tableware another lease of life, the traditional technique of Kintsugi encourages highlighting these imperfections as something to be appreciated and valued. Cracks or breaks are first repaired by applying lacquer (urushi), before being decorated with gold, silver or platinum powder.
* This plan can only be reserved by those who have applied for the Miyama Town Thatched Village tour.
From hotel to Miyama village: About 1 hour and 30 minutes by car.
- Reservation for only guests staying at the hotel.
- Transportation is not included.
- Reservation required at least 7 days before desired date
- Advance payment by credit card after reservation confirmation, non-refundable.
Please contact us for details.
Miyama Traditional Mochitsuki Experience
Mochitsuki is a traditional process of making rice cakes out of rice – an ingredient revered in Japan as a sacred object that boosts vitality. The rice is first steamed, then pounded with a wooden mallet (kine) in a large wooden bowl called usu, before flavours are added and the dough is made into bite-sized balls.
* This plan can only be reserved by those who have applied for the Miyama Town Thatched Village tour.
From hotel to Miyama village: About 1 hour and 30 minutes by car.
1 group (up to 30 people) about 1 hour.
- Reservation for only guests staying at the hotel.
- Transportation is not included.
- Reservation required at least 7 days before desired date
- Advance payment by credit card after reservation confirmation, non refundable.
Please contact us for details.
Miyama Thatched Roof Experience
Registered as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Property, experience the techniques of thatch craftsmen that have been handed down in the village.
One group of three people. About 2 hours.
* This plan can only be reserved by those who have applied for the Miyama Town Thatched Village tour.
From hotel to Miyama village: About 1 hour and 30 minutes by car.
- Reservation for only guests staying at the hotel.
- Transportation is not included. Reservation required at least 7 days before desired date.
- Advance payment by credit card after reservation confirmation, non refundable.
Please contact us for details.
