With record-breaking tourist numbers and the 2020 Olympics on the horizon, new hotels have been popping up in Kyoto faster than joss sticks at a temple.
The prevailing design philosophy of these establishments is overwhelmingly based on some flavor of Zen minimalism, resulting in an elegant if monotonous buffet of subdued washi paper lighting, sparsely furnished tatami and plain white linens.
However, a few new digs stand out from the pack with looks that are more in your face than inner peace. From steely new hotels that feel more like modernist galleries than lodgings, to accommodations in repurposed buildings that preserve Japan's postwar heritage along the way, these hotels are storming the hospitality scene with iconoclastic flair.
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