Six Senses Kyoto Unveils Honey & Botanical Afternoon Tea

Six Senses Kyoto has announced a new Honey & Botanical promotion, running from June 21 to August 22, 2026. Rooted in the property’s “Eat With Six Senses” philosophy, the menu utilizes ingredients sourced directly from the hotel’s grounds, including honey harvested from its rooftop apiary and fresh herbs from its organic garden. Since the apiary’s establishment in June 2025, the hotel has collected over 110kg of “Higashiyama/Kyoto Raw Honey,” a project designed to support local biodiversity while offering guests seasonal, unpasteurized flavors.

Afternoon tea set in a lush garden setting — The Honey & Botanical Afternoon Tea served in the hotel’s garden environment.

Garden-to-Table Wellness in the Heart of Kyoto

The core of this summer offering is the integration of the hotel’s own ecosystem into the culinary experience. The rooftop apiary provides a distinct local honey that serves as a natural sweetener throughout the menu, while the organic garden supplies the aromatic herbs that define the botanical infusions. This approach aligns with the brand’s global focus on sustainability and wellness, ensuring that the ingredients travel only a few floors from source to plate.

Chef holding a honeycomb tray — Honey harvested directly from the hotel’s rooftop apiary is a central ingredient.

Seasonal Honey & Botanical Afternoon Tea

Served in the Sekki dining room, the “Koyomi Afternoon Tea” features a selection of gluten-free sweets and savories tailored for the summer heat. The menu includes a honey and lemon thyme mousse, apricot shiso (perilla) mochi (pounded rice cake), and fermented zucchini bagel sandwiches. Traditional scones are reimagined as white miso and fermented lemon rosemary varieties, accompanied by honey amazake (sweet fermented rice drink) cream and summer mandarin marmalade. Guests are offered free-flow coffee, tea, and original herbal infusions crafted from garden-fresh botanicals.

Close-up of afternoon tea stand with macarons and mousse — A selection of gluten-free sweets featuring house-harvested honey and garden herbs.

Artisanal Kakigori and Botanical Beverages

The promotion also introduces sophisticated kakigori (shaved ice) desserts designed to evolve in flavor as they are consumed. The “Sui-Kei” features matcha, red wine-poached figs, and a dusting of lemon-coriander powder, while the “Ka-Kou” focuses on tropical notes with mango bavarois and passion fruit paired with honey. At Café Sekki, the beverage menu includes Yuzu Herbal Soda and a Green Tea Herbal Cold Brew, the latter steeped for 12 hours with honeycomb to provide a naturally sweet, cooling alternative to standard summer drinks.

Botanical drinks with honeycomb on a wooden tray — Refreshing botanical beverages including herbal soda and honeycomb-steeped cold brew.

For those wishing to take the experience home, Café Sekki offers a range of takeout items. These include jars of the “Higashiyama/Kyoto Raw Honey,” gluten-free honey bagels, and various botanical-themed pastries, allowing the flavors of the Six Senses garden to be enjoyed beyond the hotel walls.

Assorted honey and botanical pastries — Takeout options include gluten-free bagels and honey-infused baked goods.

Property details

Property: Six Senses Kyoto
Address: 431 Myohoin Maegawa-cho, Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture
Access: Approx. 7 minutes by taxi from Kyoto Station; approx. 10 minutes walk from Keihan Shichijo Station
Official site: https://www.sixsenses.com/en/hotels-resorts/asia-the-pacific/japan/kyoto/
Rooms: 81
Pricing: Afternoon Tea: 6,900 JPY; Kakigori: 3,500 JPY
Opened: 2024