Japan
Nara
Nara was Japan's first permanent capital, and its great temples, Kasuga Taisha and the deer of Nara Park lie within walking distance of one another.
Most visitors come for the day from Kyoto, so a night here means the park at dawn and dusk almost to oneself: Tsukihitei has houses in the primeval forest behind Kasuga Taisha, Shisui and Fufu Nara are on the edge of the park, and Hoshinoya Nara Prison is in a Meiji red-brick prison on the northern edge of the city. We know 4 places to stay here, 2 of them ryokans. At Fufu Nara, every room has its own hot-spring bath.
How to choose
For the forest behind Kasuga Taisha
Nara Kasugaokuyama Tsukihitei: detached houses in the Kasugayama Primeval Forest, with kaiseki included
For a hot spring of your own
Fufu Nara: every suite has an open-air hot-spring bath, in Nara Park
Inside the ring of temples
Shisui, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Nara: a 1922 governor's residence on the edge of Nara Park
For something unexpected
Hoshinoya Nara Prison: suites made of joined cells in a 1908 red-brick prison
When to go
Spring and autumn are the best seasons, with the maples in the park in November; summer is hot and humid, and the park is busiest at weekends and in the cherry blossom.
How long
One night, from Kyoto, staying after the day visitors have left, or two for an unhurried look at the temples.
Getting there
Kintetsu Nara station is about 35 minutes from Kyoto and about 40 minutes from Osaka-Namba by Kintetsu limited express; from Kansai airport, the airport bus to Nara takes about 1 hour 30 minutes.
Ready to stay here?
Tell us where and when. Our team in Japan books the room we would choose, at the inn’s own rate, settles your requests with the inn, and stays in touch before and during your stay. Price and cancellation terms are confirmed with you first.
Already have an itinerary in mind?
Have it reviewed for USD 85Ryokans and hotels
Noboriojicho, Nara
HotelShisui, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Nara
紫翠 ラグジュアリーコレクションホテル 奈良
A 1922 governor's residence in a garden once Kofuku-ji's
Hannyaji-cho, Nara
HotelHoshinoya Nara Prison
星のや奈良監獄
Suites of joined cells in a 1908 red-brick Meiji prison
Takabatake, Nara
RyokanFufu Nara
ふふ 奈良
Kengo Kuma's storehouse style behind Ukimido in Nara Park
Kasugano, Nara
RyokanNara Kasugaokuyama Tsukihitei
奈良・春日奥山 月日亭
Five houses in the Kasugayama Primeval Forest
Also in Nara, from our guide
Hotels we have stayed in that are not on our own Japan list, most of them international brands. Each opens its page in the guide.
Sample trips through Nara
Routes we have drawn up that stay in Nara: starting points for a trip we build around your dates and pace.
13 nights · Any season
A first two weeks: Tokyo, Kanazawa, Kyoto, Nara and a ryokan in Hakone
Thirteen nights for a first visit, with six of them in ryokans: Tokyo, then GranClass on the Hokuriku Shinkansen to a four-suite inn in Kanazawa, four nights in Gion, two in Nara Park and two at the end in a ryokan in the Hakone hills, a car ride from the airports.
9 nights · Autumn leaves
Kyoto in depth, by neighbourhood, and two nights in Nara
Kyoto taken one district at a time: a ryokan in the old centre near Higashiyama, a hotel on the river at Arashiyama, then a garden hotel opposite Nijo Castle.
7 nights · Autumn and winter
Nara, Higashiyama and Ise-Shima: the Shimakaze to Amanemu
A trip from the old capitals to the coast of the Kii peninsula: an inn in the forest behind Kasuga Taisha, a hotel on the Higashiyama hillside, then Kintetsu's Shimakaze to Amanemu above Ago Bay.
Beyond the hotel
Private and out-of-hours ways into Nara, arranged by our team in Japan. Ask about any of them with your stay.
Craft · Nara
Sumi ink and sutra copying
Shape an ink stick at Kobaien, then copy the Heart Sutra at Yakushi-ji
MoreLess
A private day with a guide and car: at Kobaien, the sumi-ink maker founded in 1577, you watch ink being made and shape your own stick, which is posted to you once it has dried, months later. At Yakushi-ji you copy the Heart Sutra, which is dedicated to the temple, and a monk shows you round the precinct. Ink-making runs only from November to April. Out of season you get a calligraphy session and a tour of the workshop.
Guide · Asuka
Asuka, Japan's ancient capital
Five hours of burial mounds and rice terraces with a guide and car
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A half day, about five hours, in Asuka, Japan's seventh-century capital, with a local English-speaking guide and a chartered car. It takes in the Ishibutai burial mound, the Inabuchi rice terraces and the finds at Shijin no Yakata. It leaves from Nara city and can be paired with a half day in Nara Park.
Temple access · Tenkawa
Three days of Shugendo on Mt Omine
Mountain practice led by a sendachi, with two onsen nights; May to September
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Three days of Shugendo, the mountain practice of the Yoshino and Omine range, led by a sendachi (a senior practitioner) with an English-speaking guide. A priest prays for you at Tenkawa Daibenzaiten-sha. The next day you are purified in Ryusen-ji's spring and climb Mt. Omine for about seven hours, taking part in the practices, and the day ends with a goma fire ritual. The two nights are at a ryokan with hot springs in Tenkawa.
Tables worth the effort
The places we have been first, then the counters worth the effort. Many book only by telephone, by introduction or on set dates; we book them for you.
Kaiseki · Naramachi
Tsukumo
Masato Nishihara's two-star kaiseki of Nara ingredients
Kaiseki · Gakuenmae
Oryori Hanagaki
Two stars, and one party per sitting in a house among bamboo
Kaiseki · Imamikado
Okada
One-star kaiseki that changes monthly, a lunch between temples
Kappo · Naramachi
Kappo Matsuki
One-star kappo of Yamato heirloom vegetables in a townhouse
Italian · Asuka
Da terra
Starred Italian in a farmhouse, a hundred vegetables grown in the village
Collections for Nara
Elsewhere in Japan
Q&A
Yes, if you want the park and Kasuga Taisha without the day crowds. Tsukihitei is in the forest about ten minutes' walk from Kasuga Taisha, and Shisui and Fufu Nara are on the edge of Nara Park.
Fufu Nara has an open-air hot-spring bath in every suite. At Shisui about half the rooms have a hot-spring bath, and there are two private open-air spring baths to book.
All four take children. At Shisui 12 and under stay free sharing a bed, Tsukihitei has child rates up to primary-school age, and at Hoshinoya Nara Prison under-12s can share a bed.
None of our Nara places has a shared bath, so you bathe in your room or a private bath. Fufu Nara and Shisui have private hot-spring baths that can be booked.