Keihan opens reservations for 33-room wellness retreat on Mount Hiei ahead of 2027 debut

Keihan Hotels & Resorts has opened bookings for THE THOUSAND HIEI :Mui no Okuyama, a 33-room wellness retreat set to open March 31, 2027 on Mount Hiei in Kyoto Prefecture. The property leans on Buddhist philosophy, herbal therapies and locally rooted design as it targets guests seeking quiet, restorative travel.

Why it matters: - THE THOUSAND HIEI adds a new wellness-focused hospitality option to Mount Hiei, a site tied to centuries of healing traditions and the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Enryaku-ji Temple. - The project blends accommodation, meditation, herbal therapies and food culture into one retreat, signaling continued demand for experience-led luxury travel in Japan. - The property will accept guests aged 13 and older, setting a quieter, more contemplative tone than a typical resort.

What happened: - Keihan Hotels & Resorts Co., Ltd. announced that reservations are now open for THE THOUSAND HIEI :Mui no Okuyama. - The 33-room retreat is scheduled to open on March 31, 2027, on Mount Hiei in Kyoto, Japan. - The official website is available here.

The details: - The retreat is built around shikan, the Buddhist meditation principle of calming the mind and observing things as they are. - Suisei Inc. contributed to the property’s core concept. - Guest rooms will not include televisions or multimedia screens. - The room mix includes Superior and Deluxe rooms, Premier rooms and suites. - All rooms feature Shigaraki-ware ceramic bathtubs. - All suites include private tea rooms. - The property draws on Mount Hiei’s history of healing practices linked to Buddhist monk Saicho and Yakushi Nyorai, the Medicine Buddha. - Rohto Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. is collaborating on the on-site Chigusa Laboratory. - Guests will be able to create botanical bath blends, or yōjō-yu, from traditional medicinal herbs for use in their rooms. - At Chaseki, the adjacent tea space, guests can drink original herbal teas made with herbs and traditional Japanese and Asian botanicals. - The experience is designed to engage sight, smell, taste, touch and sound through herbs, water, food and ritual.

Between the lines: - The project is not positioning itself as a standard hotel stay; it is framing the entire property as a wellness practice rooted in spiritual and regional heritage. - The emphasis on silence, screen-free rooms and age restrictions suggests Keihan is targeting travelers who value reflection and sensory reset over entertainment. - Partnering with a pharmaceutical company on herbal bathing and tea underscores a stronger wellness-science angle than a purely aesthetic retreat.

What's next: - The property is set to open on March 31, 2027. - Guests can book now through the official website. - Keihan Hotels & Resorts will add THE THOUSAND HIEI to a portfolio that includes THE THOUSAND KYOTO, Biwako Hotel and Nidec Kyoto Tower.

The bottom line: - Keihan is betting that Mount Hiei’s spiritual legacy and a tightly designed wellness concept can make THE THOUSAND HIEI a destination for restorative travel when it opens in 2027.