Keihan announced the project on 12 May 2026. The company has given spring 2027 as the opening season but no exact date yet, so nothing can be confirmed for a specific group until that date is published. What is known is the shape of the place: 33 rooms in the forest on Mount Hiei, built around a mountain spring, with a wellness programme rather than a standard Kyoto hotel service list.

The three experiences Keihan cites as central are cooking based on food-as-medicine principles, acupuncture, and bathing. Beyond that the daily schedule has not been published. What the mountain adds is concrete: Enryaku-ji is on the same mountain, Lake Biwa lies to the east and Kyoto to the west.

This is a rebrand and rebuild of an existing hotel, L'Hotel de Hiei, under a new operator and a new concept. It is not a new building on a new site. Design studio Suisei is working with Keihan on the concept and the programme for guests.

Access is mostly by coach up the mountain toll road, which is the simplest option with luggage. The funicular and cable car from the Kyoto side, and the Sakamoto funicular from the Lake Biwa side, are a good experience for clients travelling without bags, but their timetables change by season and need checking for the dates before anything is promised.

With 33 rooms the property is built for small groups: a leadership team incentive, a women's wellness trip, a yoga or meditation group, or a VIP add-on at the end of an intensive week in Kyoto. Large groups stay in Kyoto and visit Mount Hiei as a day trip instead.

What's included

- 33-room retreat on Mount Hiei, with 26 standard rooms and 7 suites and larger rooms - Food-as-medicine cooking as a core experience - Acupuncture sessions - Bathing built around the mountain spring water Hiei no Reisui - Access to the forest setting on Mount Hiei - Views east over Lake Biwa and west over Kyoto

What's not included

- Coach transport up the mountain toll road - Funicular and cable car tickets - Enryaku-ji temple visits and any entrance fees - Travel to and from Kyoto - Travel insurance - Anything not confirmed in the final published programme