Converted from an early Showa period home, this large coffee house offers a quiet space to relax within Kyoto’s bustling tourist hub of Arashiyama. Upon entering the Japanese style gates, guests will encounter Ki-Yan’s elegant ‘Black Peony’ painted on the building’s black façade. The artist himself was surprised to find that the original wine red colour of the peony’ s leaves transformed to vivid blue only a few years after the work’s completion. Offering both Western and tatami style rooms as well as Japanese garden views, the ex cafe Arashiyama is favoured not only by tourists, but celebrities as well. Sit crossed-legged on a tatami mat while enjoying your dessert and viewing Ki-Yan s red and white lions in the cafe s Japanese style room.
Located in Kyoto’s picturesque Okazaki district- renowned for the Heian-jingū Shrine, museums, libraries and other cultural institutions-and facing the historical Lake Biwa Canal, Travelers Inn offers reasonably priced accommodation. The hotel reopened in 2014 following renovation, offering wheelchair access and attracting visitors with Ki-Yan’s impressive murals on the walls and ceiling of the reception and Cafe Green Box. The flowers used in this work were inspired by the garden of the neighbouring Heian-jingū, and symbolize the four seasons: peony for spring, cotton rose for summer, itogiku chrysanthemum for autumn, and camellia for winter.
Based on a special request made by Taisushi’s owner, the restaurant has decided not to provide an introduction in English, as it is not able to accommodate non-Japanese speaking customers. ‘As we are not able to provide any service or explanation in English, we ask those requiring English assistance to choose a different sushi bar. Thank you for your understanding.’ <taisushi’s owner>
Located in the Kyoto Karasuma Hotel, the Chinese restaurant Toh-Lee serves elegant Kyoto style dishes based on Cantonese cuisine. Both lunch and dinner have maintained a long-standing popularity with a wide range of customers. Restaurant guests are welcomed by Ki-Yan’s set of two A-Un Tigers hanging near the windows facing Karasuma Street. These tigers are the artist’s playful interpretation of komainu (guardian lion-dogs)-the paired animal statues usually found at the entrance of Japanese shrines and temples. However, Toh-Lee’s private room holds the artist’ s main work: the cute but dangerous-looking silver tigers-painted on an ice-green wall behind real bamboo-who will be watching r as you dine at the round table.