[Nara] Enjoy a relaxing stay at a stylish hotel ♩ 11 recommended hotels and ryokan

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The charming Nara is full of attractions not only in Nara City, where Nara Park is located, but also in the entire prefecture. For example, Asuka Village, which is famous for its ancient burial mounds, and Sakurai City, which is home to the Ōkami Shrine, which is famous for being one of the most powerful spots in Japan. Let's enjoy sightseeing to the fullest in such a Nara.

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If you're going to travel in Nara, you'll want to stay at an inn with a stylish and nice atmosphere. Therefore, this time, we will introduce the recommended accommodations throughout Nara, from inns where you can feel the history unique to the ancient city of Nara to luxury hotels. Choose ♪ your favorite place from a variety of accommodations and make your trip to Nara exciting

"Miroku Nara by The Share Hotels (Miroku Nara by the Share Hotels)" is a lifestyle hotel located on the shore of Araike at the southern end of Nara Park. Contemporary art that tells the story of coexistence is arranged, and the simple interior seems to teach the importance of being yourself as you are. There are also lighting and speakers made from local materials, so you can feel the charm of Nara everywhere.

The rooms are simple and unadorned, just like the public spaces, and look like they would be comfortable to stay in. There are rooms on the basement floor that make bold use of Yoshino cedar logs, and rooms on the upper floors that offer views of the Kofuku-ji Five-Story Pagoda, Kasugayama Primeval Forest, and Mt. Wakakusa. There are plenty of attractive types of rooms to choose from, making room selection fun. Also, with sustainability in mind, it's nice that you can take as many toothbrushes and hairbrushes as you need from the first floor.

The basement floor is equipped with a lounge exclusively for guests. The space, which is made with plenty of materials from Nara such as "Yoshino cedar" and "Asuka stone", is reminiscent of a rock garden and is chic and very relaxing. You can also enjoy free tea here. It seems like you can spend a relaxing time sipping tea while looking at the stylish space.

On the first floor, there is CAFE & BAR MIROKU TERRACE, where you can enjoy a menu supervised by the popular Nara cafe "Kurumi no Ki." From morning to night, you can enjoy meal and drinks made with plenty of Nara ingredients, so please give it a try. By the way, you can also eat on the terrace next door, where deer sometimes come to play. Spending your meal playing with the cute deer is sure to lift your spirits.

Hotel Tenpyo Naramachi is located on the banks of the picturesque Sarusawa Pond, right in front of the World Heritage Site Kofuku-ji Temple. The hotel boasts an excellent location and a terrace where you can relax and enjoy the beautiful view of Nara Park.

When you enter the lobby from the entrance, you will find a teahouse. You can fully enjoy the atmosphere of the ancient city of Nara even inside the hotel. It's an extraordinary experience that you would never normally get to have, and it's full of excitement.

There are a variety of guest rooms, from twin rooms and family rooms to rooms with terraces. The calligraphy on the walls is tasteful. The room lights are also well designed. The shape of the light is based on the motif of a five-story pagoda. It's a very stylish touch that warms the heart.

The bathroom in the room is a shower booth, but there are separate large public baths for men and women so you can fully refresh yourself after your trip. Stretch out your limbs in the large, beautifully maintained baths and fully heal your mind and body.

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Right next to the hotel is a shopping street called "Nara Mochiidono Center Street," and at the entrance is Nakatanido, famous for its "high-speed mochi pounding." We recommend eating freshly pounded "mugwort mochi" here before heading out for sightseeing.

Located on a hill in Nara Park and connected to the Former Daijo-in Temple Garden, a designated cultural property, Nara Hotel is one of the prefecture's leading classic hotels. The main building was completed in 1909, and the new building in 1984, giving the hotel a sense of history. The main building retains the same elegant atmosphere as when it first opened, and the new building still evokes that atmosphere, but with furnishings in soothing, soft colors. Each building has a different concept, so choosing a room to suit your taste is part of the fun.

The red carpet, Japanese-style chandeliers, coffered ceilings, and grand staircase... Each and every element is beautiful and nostalgic, making you feel as if you've traveled back in time to the Meiji period. Why not stay at a hotel with a unique atmosphere that can only be found in the ancient city of Nara, and experience the full history of the area?

There are many types of rooms in the main building and the new building, so you can choose the room that's best for you based on your budget and the number of people in your group. If you want to feel the retro atmosphere of the hotel throughout your stay, choose the main building without hesitation. You can enjoy the tradition to your heart's content, with coffered ceilings, blinds, and carpets with the Hosohana design of the Shosoin Repository.

All rooms in the new building face the courtyard, and the view of greenery from the veranda and windows makes you feel like you're taking a walk in the forest. While retaining the retro elements of classic hotels, such as oak furniture and red carpets, the space is modern and functional, making it a comfortable place to stay.

The hotel's facilities are so luxurious that wedding ceremonies are held there. Both Japanese and Western cuisine is available at the restaurant, so you can choose according to your preference, but in the main dining room, Mikasa, you can enjoy Nara French cuisine that has been passed down by successive chefs. After your meal, we recommend visiting The Bar, where you can enjoy a drink under the lamplight. There is a wide variety of menu items, including world-famous alcoholic beverages and the hotel's original cocktails, so why not enjoy a relaxing night in Nara?

Fufu Nara is located in a corner of Nara Park, where a sacred atmosphere permeates the air. It was designed by Kengo Kuma, a world-renowned architect who has worked on numerous large-scale facilities. All 30 guest rooms are suites! The terraces are equipped with open-air baths, each with a different design, providing a private space where you can spend a luxurious time.

Each room has a different concept, so it can be difficult to choose. You can relax and unwind in your room to your heart's content. You can also pass through Yogayama Garden, a restored historical cultural property, on your way from the guest room building to the dinner and breakfast venues. You can enjoy the garden, which has a different look in the morning and evening.

The room, surrounded by bamboo forest, even has an open-air bath. Once you've warmed up enough surrounded by the scent of Japanese herbs, you can move to the sofa, feel the breeze and have a drink to refresh yourself. Since it's an in-room bath, you don't have to worry about time and can take a bath whenever you want, which is the best part. There is also a private open-air bath, so being able to enjoy both is a very luxurious experience.

One of the best parts of a hotel is the breakfast. At this hotel, you can enjoy a healthy breakfast of Nara's local dish "chagayu" (rice porridge) and white rice. Of course, the ingredients other than the chagayu are all unique to Nara. After enjoying a satisfying morning meal, why not take another dip in the open-air bath in your room? For dinner, you can enjoy Japanese cuisine and teppanyaki dishes.

The NIPPONIA HOTEL Nara Naramachi is a hotel built in a renovated sake brewery, and the exterior is the same as the sake brewery, so it doesn't look like a hotel at first glance. It's located in Naramachi, so you can easily walk around Naramachi and also get to Nara Park in no time, making it an excellent location.

There are eight rooms in total, all of which use the high ceilings and exposed beams of the sake brewery. Each room has its own unique character, so you can enjoy a Japanese atmosphere no matter which room you stay in. Some rooms even have cypress baths handcrafted by craftsmen, so you can refresh yourself with a bath while surrounded by the gentle scent of wood.

Some of the transoms in the rooms are painted with pine trees and cranes, evoking the atmosphere of the time of construction. You'll be surprised at the transoms, which are hard to find these days. It's interesting to explore every nook and cranny to find places that exude history.

Did you know that Nara is known as the birthplace of sake? Nara Toyosawa Sake Brewery, which celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2018, is a highly acclaimed long-established sake brewery in Nara that carries out most of its processes by hand. Nara Toyosawa Sake Brewery is collaborating with this hotel, so you can enjoy the combination of French cuisine and sake to your heart's content. Why not spend a luxurious time merging sake and French cuisine?

ANDO HOTEL Nara Wakakusayama, which opened in 2020 after renovating the 56-year-old "Yukeinoyado Heijo", is located halfway up the Shin-Wakakusayama Driveway. There are free shuttle buses from Kintetsu Nara Station and JR Nara Station, so it's easy to get to. Climbing to the top of the mountain is exciting, like going on an excursion.

The rooms are located on the middle slope of Mt. Wakakusa, which means the views are spectacular. Enjoy a relaxing staycation in a room enveloped in the gentle warmth of wood, made with carefully selected materials including wood, fabric, paper, fire, and earth, while gazing at the lush greenery.

This is the Penthouse Suite on the top floor of the hotel. It is an amazing 110㎡ suite. It is a luxurious room where you can enjoy the view of Nara from the entire room. Not only does it have a private open-air bath, but it also has a fire pit outside, so you can gaze at the stars while enjoying the warmth of the fire.

There is a private open-air bath on the hotel rooftop. The open-air bath changes its appearance depending on the season and time. It's wonderful to relax in the open-air bath and enjoy the view of Nara from Mount Wakakusa. At night, you can enjoy the night view of Nara, so you can enjoy a different atmosphere from the daytime.

You can choose from two types of breakfast, Japanese and Western, and dinner is at the second restaurant of the popular Japan restaurant "Terrace Wakakusayama" in Naramachi. Local Nara ingredients are used according to the four seasons, so you can taste Nara ingredients that you don't usually know. In addition, the main dining room is located with a panoramic view of the night view. It is a restaurant with a beautiful contrast of colors from dusk to night. There is no doubt that you will be involuntarily savored by a sumptuous dinner.

JW Marriott is located in an easily accessible location, just a 10-minute walk from Kintetsu Shin-Omiya Station. In fact, it is the first brand of luxury hotel chain Marriott Hotel to enter Japan. The hotel's concept is "mindfulness (a meditation method that focuses on the present moment and is widely adopted around the world)." It fits perfectly with the image of the ancient capital of Nara.

There are many guest rooms, but this one is called the "Nara Junior Suite." The fact that the room name includes "Nara" gives you a sense of the hotel's refinement. While retaining a modern atmosphere everywhere, this room also gives you the feeling of comfort of being at home, making it a great place to relax and enjoy your stay.

For meal you can choose from the Japanese restaurant "Azekura" or the multi-concept restaurant "Silk Road Dining," which serves ingredients from Nara and other countries around the world. In addition, you can enjoy afternoon tea and special sweets at the stylish bar "Flying Stag." Of course, it's also nice to relax and enjoy a drink after meal.

This hotel even has a pool and sauna exclusively for guests. You can use it 24 hours a day, so you can detoxify your tired body in the sauna, or refresh yourself after a swim in the pool, whenever you like. There is also a spa, so we recommend enjoying a luxurious experience to your heart's content.

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This Auberge de Prezansu Sakurai is a restaurant with accommodation in Sakurai in Nara. The word "auberge" means "a restaurant with accommodations", so as the name suggests, the main hotel is a slightly unusual hotel. Why don't you spend a relaxing and healing time in a quiet place that spreads out in the countryside away from the city of Nara?

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There are a total of nine guest rooms, including spacious suites and simple, calming twin rooms. There are only two luxurious suites, so make sure to make your reservation early. Each room has a terrace, and the warm interior, made with rare Nara wood, makes you feel as if you are surrounded by nature. Enjoy the idyllic scenery from the window.

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The restaurant offers a panoramic view of the countryside. With the motto of "local production for local consumption," the restaurant serves French cuisine using carefully selected ingredients, mainly from Nara, and seafood caught in Wakayama. Another feature is that the chefs communicate closely with producers to purchase the best ingredients. You'll definitely want to try it.

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This is one of the dishes that is full of the chefs' and producers' attention to detail. By using plenty of Nara ingredients, mainly Yamato vegetables, and combining them with French cuisine, you can enjoy colorful and photogenic food. In addition, the wine is imported directly from a French winery, so why not enjoy some wine to go with the delicious food?

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Asuka Yuri no Sato Shinrajuku is a renovated old house built between the Taisho and early Showa periods. It is a luxurious, fully-private inn that can accommodate only one group per day. As it is an old house, the bedding is of course futons rather than beds. Falling asleep surrounded by the scent of tatami mats and listening to the rustling breeze and the sounds of insects is sure to be a luxurious experience that you will never experience in your everyday life. Before you know it, you will be sound asleep to the lullaby of nature.

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At Asuka Yuri no Sato Shinra Juku, the main plan is one that does not include meal. It is set up so that you can sleep and wake up whenever you like, without being tied down to meal times, and enjoy eating something when you feel hungry. We recommend ordering meal for delivery, or reserving a course at Da Terra, an old-style Italian restaurant in Asuka Village. It's fun to choose your own meals♪

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The concept of the inn "Ume," located in Yamazoe Village, Okuyamato, Nara is "a slightly inconvenient hotel." It is a slightly inconvenient location and only accepts three groups per day. Located in the middle of a village, it is difficult to get to without a car, but this makes it popular as a relaxing place away from the city and the beauty of Nara's nature. Why not go on a healing trip surrounded by the air of nature, interacting with the villagers, creatures of the natural world, and the murmuring of the river?

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All three rooms are different in size and interior design, and one even comes with a private half-open-air bath. This inn does not have a television, which is almost always found in a normal hotel. In fact, there is no convenience store nearby. Still, the starry sky, the birds singing, and the scent of the plants are all that is needed here. Come refresh yourself in this place surrounded by nature, where you can forget about your daily life.

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What's more, this inn even has a sauna. What's more, the facility is outside, and they have installed an outdoor Finnish-style sauna, which is still rare in Japan. You might get the illusion that you are somewhere overseas. After gently warming your body, step outside and you will be greeted by clear air. Why not then jump into the cold bath and detox your mind and soul?

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At this inn, local grandmas and grandpas prepare meals with all their heart. At "ume," meal are served based on the idea of Shindo Fujitsu. Shindo Fujitsu means that "people and the land cannot be separated. That is why it is best to live by eating local produce." By gathering together to eat fresh vegetables picked on the land and food made by the "people" who live there, you can share a unique moment. Why not chat together while waiting for the food to arrive and enjoy a peaceful time?

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You will surely be satisfied with the food made by the villagers, which is overflowing with kindness. All guests gather at the U-shaped counter and enjoy "home cooking" made with local ingredients. The encounter may only last for a moment, but it will be deeply engraved in your heart as a wonderful memory of your trip, along with meal.

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Founded in 1689, Maruto Soy Sauce Brewery is famous as the oldest soy sauce brewery in Nara. The 130-140 year old soy sauce brewery house, built in the traditional Nara architectural style known as the Yamato-Mune, has been reborn as a new lodging facility. There's something romantic about being able to stay at an inn that's about 140 years old. Relax to your heart's content in this old-fashioned inn that was converted from a soy sauce brewery.

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The charm of this small inn is that it only has seven rooms in total. There is one suite room, and there is also a room where ancient documents were kept, and a room where brewers stayed. Each room has a different concept, and the view and exterior of the room are completely different, so you can enjoy any room you stay in. Each room is even equipped with a cypress bath. Enjoy a relaxing time in a room where the craftsmen's heart is put into every part, such as the beams on the ceiling and the tasteful wood.

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Of course, since it is a soy sauce brewery called Maruto Soy Sauce, you can experience squeezing soy sauce. ◎ Food will taste even better when poured over soy sauce that you have squeezed yourself. ♪ Through this valuable experience, it will be a good opportunity to learn more about soy sauce, which is an indispensable part of our daily lives.

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The soy sauce used in the dishes is made from local ingredients from Tawaramoto, and you can enjoy meal that combine seasonal ingredients. The course menu changes eight times a year, so you can enjoy seasonal dishes. The breakfast is hearty and comforting.

What did you think? Nara is a region with many different locations and many attractive hotels. What both hotels have in common is that they serve cuisine made with ingredients from Nara. Why not enjoy an uplifting trip to Nara in a variety of hotels with a sense of history that is unique to the ancient capital of Nara?