The Tawaraya, Kyoto
One of Kyoto’s most exclusive ryokans, Tawaraya embodies understatement and perfection. A reflection on its centuries-old kaiseki tradition — and one of the most extraordinary dining experiences I have ever had.
Written by a European traveller who has visited nearly fifty three-star restaurants around the world, documenting each experience with quiet precision and deep respect for tradition.
I am sometimes asked what the best restaurant I have ever been to is.
My spontaneous answer is always the same: Tawaraya in Kyoto.
A ryokan in the heart of Kyoto, founded in 1709, now run by the 12th generation of the same family. The Tawaraya has no website, cannot be booked through any online platform, and is not listed in the Michelin Guide.
Until a few years ago, the only way to make a reservation was by fax. Today, it is also possible to send an email, though it is still advisable to call first, as Tawaraya is almost always fully booked.
As closed and unapproachable as it may appear before arrival, once you are inside, the experience is unique and magnificent in every sense.
The finest Japanese ryokans are often defined by the excellence of their cuisine, and at Tawaraya, food is at the very heart of the stay. Dinner is served privately in your room — and it is not only one of the best restaurants I have ever eaten at, it is also one of the finest hotels I have ever stayed in.
The essence of the experience can be described in two words: Tradition and Perfection.
It is also one of the most exclusive hotels in the world. Over the years, guests have included Steve Jobs, Alfred Hitchcock and Leonard Bernstein — names that fit naturally to a place that values silence and substance over display. The Tawaraya is understatement in its purest form. You rarely see other guests. Although there are a few small communal areas, most people choose to spend their time in their rooms, surrounded by the quiet beauty of the garden and the rhythm of Kyoto itself.
On our visit we were four — my wife and our two teenage children — and we stayed in one of the largest suites, the Taka Suite (No. 25). It is located on the upper floor, spacious, serene, and with a wonderful view over the private Japanese garden. A place to pause, with a deeply meditative atmosphere.
Dinner — the highlight of the stay — is a classic Kyoto kaiseki menu, served in eight courses, each composed of several small dishes.
The ingredients are fascinating and deeply seasonal. In Japanese cuisine, the year is divided into 24 micro-seasons, and during our October stay, we were served the rare and precious matsutake mushrooms and fugu (pufferfish).
Another culinary highlight was the Japanese breakfast, featuring a remarkable freshly made tofu.
The tofu comes from a small artisanal producer in Kyoto. It is made early in the morning, using pure spring water from the surrounding mountains. The result is a tofu of exceptional delicacy — almost creamy at the center, with a fine, slightly sweet note of soybeans. As simple as the dish may appear, the taste is extraordinary.
We stayed for two nights, and on the second evening, a completely different menu was served. The main course featured excellent Wagyu beef, presented to our surprise for tableside grilling on a small shichirin charcoal grill set up in the room. The experience was quietly theatrical — supervised by the room attendant, who, with perfect composure, had also brought a small handheld fire extinguisher, just in case.
I have visited almost fifty different three-star restaurants, yet I would place the dining experience at Tawaraya among them — perhaps even a step above. To me, it ranks as one of the best meals of my life. Taken as a whole — the dinners, the breakfast, the flow of the stay — it surpasses most top-end ryokans we have experienced, a rare balance of culinary precision and quiet grace.
I should note, however, that I write this from a European perspective, having spent in total perhaps two months in Japan across five trips. Some Western gourmets who visit Japan find Michelin’s ratings difficult to understand. One reason might be that one must first experience the classical high cuisine of a country before fully grasping its modern, innovative expressions — the ones Michelin tends to favor.
Tawaraya is certainly among the very best places in Japan to experience Kaiseki cuisine, with its over four hundred years of tradition.
In conclusion, Tawaraya is both an exceptional restaurant and a unique place to stay — absolutely worth a journey on its own, even from Europe. By every measure, it would meet the definition of a Michelin three-star experience.
