Hiiragiya-Ryokan

HIIRAGIYA-RYOKAN

NEXT "On a drizzly afternoon in Kyoto, sitting by the window, I watch the falling rain, listen to it's calming sound. It is here, at Hiiragiya, that I wistfully recall that sense of tranquility that belonged to old Japan. Yasunari KAWABATA

A-CHO-FU-GETSU, flower, birds, wind, and moon. An image of K nature that recurs throughout Japanese literature-the importance of acknowledging the changing seasons. The unadorned beauty and feeling of cool- ness evoked by handwoven ajiro mats in summer...the lustre of wooden beams whose natural sheen comes from constant hand-polishing...the clean, astrin- gent taste of green tea...or the fresh quality of a cuisine that relies more on the flavor of natural ingredients than on rich sauces or heavy seasonings... all these elements characterize the love for unaffected beauty that can be found at Hiiragiya. Even the simple pleasure of sitting still enough, long enough, to hear the sound of water trickling into a small stone basin just outside the window of your room. An appreciation for the subtleties of nature-KA-CHO- FU-GETSU-is an essential part of ex- periencing an evening...or better yet, a morning at Hiiragiya. NEXT Hiiragiya-Ryokan

" The light from the pale white paper , powerless to dispel the heavy darkness of the alcove, is instead repelled by the darkness, creating a world where dark and light are indistinguishable . . . a rare tranquility not found in ordinary light . . . " Junichiro TANIZAKI

BACK NEXT MOTENASHI, an atmosphere of graciousness, hospitality, and O welcome. The inscription that holds such a prominent place in the entry hall of Hiiragiya - "Kuru mono, kaeru gotoshi " - has become this innkeeper's motto . . . that a guest at Hiiragiya might feel "as if he has come home". The service is attentive to a fault, but the real charm lies in the time and care given to the most inconspicuous details: catching a glimpse of the gardener tweezing the last microscopic weed from the mossy garden floor . . .or the maid, who has been with the inn for over fifty years, fussing over the flower arrangement in the alcove. She must slip the last and most important flower into place just before you enter your room. Each visit to Hiiragiya is a delightfully new experience. Every room is designed differently, and great pains are taken to insure that you will not be served the same meal twice. . .unless you should request other- wise. Individual preferences are catered to impeccably. Unobtrusive , meticulous attention to detail is a part of the spirit of OMOTENASHI , the hospitality for which Hiiragiya has gained its requ- tation as Kyoto's finest traditional inn.

BACK NEXT IYABI, a sense of ele- gance and refinement , M neither effusive nor baroque. . . simplicity and under- statement with an aristocratic pride that has no need to boast. These are the qualities that have been associated with Kyoto, which was the capital and cultural center of Japan for over a thousand years. Hiiragiya is noted for this subtle quality, in the use of natural woods, paper, and sand. . . in the soft lustre of lacquered furnishings . . . in the subdued reflective quality of gold leaf on its classic folding screens as the light from a stone lantern in the garden reaches in to draw out this gift of MIYABI. Nobel Prize winning novelist Yasunari Kawabata once wrote this is praise of his favorite inn: "There have always been fine inns in Kyoto - intimate, peace- ful places-but today everything is changing. Only here does time stand still. . . at Hiiragiya, a symbol of Kyoto, the ancient capital of Japan.

YASURAGI , relaxation , plain and simple. . . the kind that removes all tension from body and mind. Water has always had significance in Japan as a source of purification. It is used not only to cleanse , but to refresh and soothe. Whether in the hot, purging water of our cedar baths, or in the gentle , reassuring trickle that flows. . . forever changing ,always the same...into an old stone basin smoothed and shpaed by centuries of constant caressing. . . water relaxes the mind. YASURAGI : sip the green tea slowly, listen to the sound of water. . . to the rustle of bamboo. Take the time to feel the time in the quiet privacy of Hiiragiya.

BACK NEXT HIIRAGIYA-RYOKAN Oike-kado,Fuyacho,Nakakyo-ku,KYOTO JAPAN 604 Telephone. 075-221-1136 E-mail : [email protected]

IIRAGIYA was established in paper in the Zen style. Details like pol- 1818 , and has gained a requta- ished wooden beams, reed ceilings, and H tion over the past one-hundred- hand-carved transomes are to be found and-fifty years as one of the most beloved in all the rooms at Hiiragiya, as well as of Japan's traditional inns, or ryokan. antique maki-e lacquered writing boxes Under the ownership of the same family . . . gilded and inlaid with mother-of- for five generations, Hiiragiya has been pearl. All rooms are traditional Japanese host to internationally famous men and style, with tatami mats, papered shoji women-writers, artists, politicians, sci- window, and sliding fusuma doors. entists, and members of the imperial Contemporary amentities have been family. Both Nobel Prize winning nov- unobtrusively combined with the overall elist, Yasunari Kawabata , and noted traditional design. Modern air-condition- author, Junichiro Tanizaki, considered ing and up-to-date communication facili- Hiiragiya to be their home away from ties (including international telephone home. service and Telex) are available for your Hiiragiya takes its name from a type convenience. Since the turn of the cen- of holly (hiiragi) that is believed to bring tury, the proprietors of Hiiragiya have good fortune. You'll find the symbol of tried to keep abreast of the times. Note the holly leaf, our tradmark, throughout the specially-made lacquered remote the inn. It is our wish that it will bring control boxes shaped like gourds in you the good luck it has brought us over every room-one of great-grandfather's the years. treasured inventions. It not only turns Each of the thirty-three rooms at the light off and on, but opens and Hiiragiya was uniquely designed with its closes the curtains-a first in its day, own special motif. Some rooms feature and a symbol of Hiiragiya's wish to lacquered bathrooms, while others are of serve the needs of the present without marble or tile. Painted folding screens in disregarding the aesthetic considerations some of the rooms are done on gold leaf; of the past. others have ink paintings on handmade

BACK NEXT MAP OF KYOTO

KYOTO INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE HALL SHUGAKUIN IMPERIAL DAITOKUJI KITAYAMA St. VILLA KINKAKUJI TEMPLE TEMPLE KITAOJI St.

RYOANJI TEMPLE

NINNAJI TEMPLE IMADEGAWA St. KITANO SHRINE GINKAKUJI TEMPLE OLD IMPERIAL PALAGE MARUTAMACHI St. TENRYUJI TEMPLE

HIIRAGIYA ANNEX HEIAN NIJO NIJO St. SHRINE

KORYUJI SENBON St. CASTLE TEMPLE

OIKE St.

HIIRAGIYA NANZENJI SANJO St. TEMPLE FUYACHO St. HORIKAWA St. KARASUMA St. TERAMACHI St. GOKOMACHI St. HIGASHIOJI St. KAWARAMACHI St. NISHIOJI St. SHIJO St. YASAKA SHRINE

GION CORNER

KAMO R. KIYOMIZUDERA KATSURA R. KATSURA

OMIYA St. GOJO St.

KATSURA IMPERIAL NISHI HIGASHI VILLA HONGANJI HONGANJI SHICHIJO St.

SANJYU SANGENDO

KYOTO STATION

TOJI TEMPLE HACHIJO St. AVANTI KUJO ST. TO AIR PORT

HIIRAGIYA Ryokan

CUSTOMS AND COURTESIES AT A JAPANESE INN

In keeping with the inscription that hangs in our are requested to take special care not to disturb them. entry way, a saying that has become our motto at One room in a ryokan serves many different func- Hiiragiya, it is our wish that arriving guests feel tions, just as the rooms of traditional Japanese houses ". . . as if they are coming home. " But "home " to our do. During the daytime with a low table in the center, Japanese guests may mean something different than it serves as a sitting room or a dining room. After supper it does to our guests from other countries. in the evening, the table is put up, and thick cushioned The amenities of a Japanese inn, or ryokan, are futon bedding is laid down as the same room becomes much the same as those of a traditional home. One of a bedroom. Both breakfast and dinner are served in the the advantages of spending the night at a ryokan while privacy of your own room, where you can enjoy an you are in Japan is that it offers you an opportunity to undisturbed view of the garden. A Japanese-style bath experience the customs and lifestyle of the people. before dinner is a relaxing way to begin. In an effort to insure that all our guests truly feel at The bath is a special feature of every ryokan. At home, we would like to explain the customs and courte- Hiiragiya we have both private baths in every room, and sie observed in a traditional Japanese inn. larger central baths for families or couples. The com- Upon your arrival at Hiiragiya, you'll notice that the munal bath, once a popular custom in Japan, was a stone walkway leading from the main gate to the place for "hadaka-no-tsukiai", or "skinship", if you will doorstep has been splashed with water, a symbol of wel- ...the feeling of closeness between friends when all the come in Japan. This informs our guests that they are pretenses have been removed. At Hiiragiya, our spacious expected, and that everything has been made ready for central baths can also be reserved for private use. their arrival. In Japan, bathtubs are for soaking only. Washing is Taking off your shoes as you step up into a Japanese done before you enter, seated on small wooden stools inn is a sign that you acknowledge this welcome, and in front of individual water faucets. Splash yourself with wish to return your host's courtesy. Corridor slippers water from one of the wooden buckets, wash, rinse then are provided at the entrance, and are customarily re- enter the bath for a relaxing soak. The temperature moved as you enter your room to preserve the delicate of the water in a Japanese bath may be slightly hotter surface of the tatami mats. (You'll find an additional than most Westerners are accustomed to. This not only pair of slippers for use in the restroom only.) If you relaxes tired muscles, but was intended originally to should wish to venture out into the garden, wooden geta keep bathers warm throughout the cold winter evenings await you on the stone step outside. in an age when central heating was not available in The guest rooms at Hiiragiya are constructed entirely Japan. The baths at Hiiragiya are all hand crafted of natural materials-polished wood, sand and clay in the finest cedar, and the buckets and stools were walls, ceramic tiles, straw mats, paper doors and made by Tarugen, one of the last and finest of such windows. The use of these materials creates a totally craftsmen in Kyoto. natural environment, but at the same time necessitates Please note that room rates at a ryokan are deter- a bit of extra attention, especially since some of our mined per peason, per night, with both breakfast and rooms are over one hundred years old. dinner, as well as tax and service, included in the price. The tokonoma, or alcove, is one important feature At Hiiragiya our meals are prepared by some of of a Japanese-style room. This is the traditional place of Kyoto's finest traditional chefs. Formal kaiseki cuisine honor. In the old days, a samurai would keep his sword is our specialty, although meat dishes are also available on a special mounting in the tokonoma. Today there on request for guests who prefer it to sashimi(raw fish). might be a hanging scroll, a flower arrangement, and Thank you for your efforts in observing these cus- perhaps a porcelain incense burner or a treasured figu- toms with us. We offer them here in an attempt to add rine, Placing anything else there is considered a breach to your comfort and pleasure. Several English-speaking of etiquette. At Hiiragiya, art objects that have been members of our staff are always on hand to answer any treasured family possessions for several generations are questions or requests you might have. Please enjoy your displayed in the tokonoma of every room, and guests stay at Hiiragiya. BACK NEXT HIIRAGIYA Ryokan

Oike-kado,Fuyacho,Nakakyo-ku,KYOTO JAPAN mailto:[email protected] http://www.hiiragiya.co.jp/

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