Intended to express the new spirit of Kyoto, the highly original chapel is able to accommodate the increasingly diverse range of wedding styles sought by contemporary couples, including not only conventional church ceremonies but also Shinto and non-religious ceremonies. It utilized as much of the existing framework as possible, adding a wooden ceiling lattice interwoven with indirect lighting to evoke sunlight pouring through the branches of trees. The result is a sacred space imbued with traditional Japanese aesthetics and deep respect for its abundant natural surroundings.

KATORI archi + design associates offers a wide range of proposals such as signage, CI planning, and graphic design, in addition to architectural and interior design supervision. We aim to enrich our daily lives through architecture and design, and we are functional and comfortable. With the policy of "design that will be familiar to us for a long time", we try to carefully deal with each project.

Founded 130 years ago, the Westin Miyako Kyoto is an elegant hotel with a proud history nestled into the foothills of the city’s Higashiyama district; the present main building and Kasui-en Annex were both designed by Togo Murano and completed in 1960 and 1959 respectively. The same elegance and quality were essential in this major renovation and earthquake retrofit of the chapel, which occupies a separate building on the hotel property.