The new Four Seasons Hotel Kyoto has been built in amongst the temple complexes on the eastern bank of the river.  It directly overlooks not only the 800 year old Ikeniwa Garden Pond but a neighbouring temple. Designed by HBA Singapore it features a number of rooms with terraces or open balconies that allow clients to enjoy the tranquility of a location that feels hidden from the bustle of the city centre.

I tried to keep my photography true to the principles of the kindly of traditional Japanese architecture which I’d studied while researching my book on wooden architecture:  simplicity, understatement and balance.