The Geisha Next Door (opens in new tab)

A serene suite at the Capella, where woven calligraphy panels hang above the bed. At the Capella Kyoto, a new Kengo Kuma–designed hotel in the heart of Miyagawa-chō, travelers gain a rare glimpse into the city’s elusive “flower-and-willow world” By Pico Iyer I’d hardly arrived in Kyoto’s brand-new Capella hotel when a maiko, or apprentice geisha, materialized in the intimate reception area and, in front of a small, golden screen, began presenting slow and graceful dances. Afterward, she answe...