JUST BACK FROM: Kyoto
I T’Sofficially cherry blossom season, which means one thing — the time is now to book that trip to Kyoto. Rich in history and culture, imperial Kyoto can feel like a visit to another era — at the same time, it's modern, with stylish hotels, shops and cafes. Check out what's new. STAY The Ritz-Carlton Kyoto (from $1,026; RitzCarlton.com) is only three years old, but it’s already one of the city’s most desirable hotels. The 134-room stay sits along the Kamo
River and mixes traditional Japan — the white gravel garden is meticulously raked each week — with chichi comforts like flaky Ispahan croissants from baker Pierre Hermé. Request a traditional ryokan-inspired room (below left) with a view of the river.
Another option is Hoshinoya (from $400; HoshinoResorts.com), a modern take on the classic ryokan, where guests arrive by boat along the Ooi River. Rates include a Japanese breakfast and dinner. Or for those on a budget, try the new capsule hotel, The Prime Pod Kyo
to (from $45; +81-75-252-0341), which opened Feb. 15. Rooms go for around $45.
DO There are enough shrines and temples in Kyoto (2,000!) to fill months of tours. But our favorite is Fushimi Inari Taisha, a Shinto shrine perched high on a mountain, hidden behind the ancient vermillion gates that inspired Central Park’s “The Gates” installation from 2005. Be forewarned — the oft-called “walk” can take more than three hours and is surprisingly steep.
If you want to see geishas, the new Four Seasons hotel ( FourSeasons.com/Kyoto) hosts a maiko performance (maikos are geishas between the ages of 15 and 20) every weekend. They dance in the lobby before proceeding to the hotel teahouse to play drinking games with guests.
Kyoto also holds five annual geisha dances, most in April and May. Miyako Odori — the largest and most anticipated of them all — is put on by geishas from the famed Gion district’s Gion Kobu community.
EAT Shoraian ( Shoraian.com) is a charming woodsy enclave where customers sit on tatami mats for a prix-fixe tofu lunch. With the backdrop of bucolic Arashiyama, lunch includes a bento-like box whose main course is yudofu, a hot pot with boiling broth and unfermented tofu that you season to your liking. It’s the perfect pick-me-up before embarking on a hike through the nearby bamboo grove.
GETTING THERE Delta flies from JFK to Tokyo’s Narita with one stop (from $1,237/roundtrip; Delta.com). Kyoto is a quick journey via
Shinkansen, Japan's bullet train (from $123/oneway; English.JR-Central.co.jp). — Dana Schuster