Exterior view of The Imperial Hotel, Kyoto. Credit: Imperial Hotel Imperial Hotel, Kyoto The lounge, awash in warm-toned wood and stone, has a glass wall overlooking a Japanese garden.Ren, the counter-style fine-dining restaurant, presents a monthly rotating menu that reimagines local ingredients through a French lens.The hotel has strong ties to the movers and shakers of Gion, so the team can help arrange hard-to-book restaurant tables or tea house ceremonies.Surrounded by enormous boulders sourced from Shikoku Island, the sleek underground spa pool feels like a secluded cave. I checked into the Imperial Hotel, Kyoto two weeks ahead of its official March 5 opening. The hotel brings Kyoto’s historic Yasaka Kaikan theater, deep in the heart of Gion, back to life as a luxury stay. In 1936, construction of the performance venue was financed by local geishas and their apprentices.…