Homestays w: Nara Prefecture, Japan

„Hotel was about 2 mins walk from the entrance of Nara park n the shopping district. Very good location. You could either walk 1.3km to the hotel from the JR station, or take a taxi which would cost around 1200yen. About 10 mins walk from the metro station. I stayed for 2 nights with breakfast and dinner inclusive. The Ryokan did take note n served us a different menu each day. There was also a small indoor n outdoor onsen in the Ryokan. The food was superb.”

„We had a good time at this place. Everything was very clean, the check-in was very easy and despite the thin walls (occasionally you could hear other guests use their door lock or the hotels neighbors coming home to their house) we had a good nights sleep. Would come again. Very spacious rooms compared to other Japanese hotel rooms. Bonus: there was a super clean and almost unused community kitchen with washingmachines and dryers.”

„It’s very near toudaiji & Nara park. However it’s little bit far from the Nara Kintetsu station, it would take about 15-20 minutes by walking. The room & building are extremely clean. I recommend the top level of the hotel, you can see the beautiful view and there would be an exotic atmosphere at night.”

„Отель очень понравился, находится в историческом центре и прямо на входе в парк Нара с оленями. К слову, сами олени так же бродят рядом с территорией отеля. Сервис в отеле не подвел, работники очень приветственные. Очень удивили завтраки (для каждого гостя своя кухня). Уверен, что вернемся еще раз”

„小さい子連れで宿泊しました。浴衣もスリッパもぴったりのサイズ、好みの柄を選ぶことができ、また、ドリンクサーバーも滞在中はフリーに使わせてもらえて、子どもたちも終始楽しそうでした。また、建物は、古いけれどリフォームで美しく保たれており、館内は高齢の両親にも優しい作りでした。 また、食事は朝夕ともホテルのレストランでしましたが、二家族揃ってゆっくり食べさせてもらえて、とても楽しい思い出になりました。 元々は、父が長い距離を移動できないという理由で、駅近のホテルを選んだのですが、サービスも大変よく、結果的に最高の選択となりました。”

„Conveniently located near Kintetsu-Nara station. The place looks a tad old with some wear-and-tear, and the wooden tiles in my room made a creaking sound whenever being stepped on. Soundproofing was pretty bad – I could hear people walking along the corridor, and voices and sounds coming from neighbours above and below. Staff did not provide clear instructions on how to self-checkout, i.e. where to place the key as there was no indication around the front desk which was unmanned in the early hours of the morning.”

„房間是自助check in和check out的，不用擔心太遲入住。我是自駕遊的，這所酒店提供了免費車位，十分方便！美中不足是酒店沒有升降機，而我被安排在一樓的房間，所以要抬行李上一層。 房間的空間感比想像中大，廁所和浴室是乾濕分離的，浴室內有浴缸。 房間的設備頗充足，酒店更提供了ReFa吹風機和晾衫架。房間內更有一個小型的開放式廚房，有微波爐和電磁爐，但入住當天，電磁爐暫時未能使用。”

„We stayed at Mikasa Ryokan (万葉若草の宿 三笠旅館) in Nara, and overall it was a great experience — but there are definitely some things you should know and plan for in advance. 🏞 1. Location & Transportation The ryokan is located halfway up Mount Wakakusa, with beautiful views over Nara city — the scenery is stunning, especially at night. But getting up and down the mountain isn’t very convenient. At first, I thought the location was right near Todai-ji Temple and would be easy to access. Turns out: The mountain road is very narrow and winding, and it actually takes longer than expected. According to the staff, walking up the mountain is not allowed. There's a gate, and the staff inside don’t permit people to walk up. Luckily, the hotel offers a shuttle bus up the mountain, but you should arrange it with the hotel in advance. Once you’re at the ryokan, getting out isn’t very easy either. Even if you want to take a taxi, you need to book it in advance — it’s not like calling a cab from the street. So I’d recommend planning your itinerary carefully before you arrive. While Todai-ji Temple, Nara Park, and Kasuga Taisha are technically just at the bottom of the mountain, they’re not within walking distance from the hotel, so you’ll still need transport. 🛌 2. Room Experience We booked the Japanese-style room with a private open-air bath. I did quite a bit of research before booking: Sites like *********** say the room is about 28 sqm (307 sq ft) But Ctrip listed it as 56 sqm, which was confusing After checking in, I think 28 sqm is probably just the indoor area, and 56 sqm includes the balcony, private onsen, and garden area. The room is traditional Japanese-style with tatami floors and a low table in the center. In the evening, while we were out having dinner, staff came in and set up our futon beds for the night — a really nice touch. This was our first time sleeping on Japanese futons. It was surprisingly comfortable, and the room temperature was perfect. If you're traveling with kids, this type of setup could be extra fun. 3. Onsen Experience We tried both the public onsen and the private one in our room: The public bath areas are located on the first and second floors, with men’s and women’s baths alternating daily. They include both indoor and outdoor hot spring pools. The water is hot — after about 10 minutes, we felt totally warm and relaxed. The private bath in the room was also very enjoyable. The garden had high fences and trees for privacy, and the tub was perfectly sized for two people. 🍱 4. Meals We booked a plan that included both dinner and breakfast. One important thing to note — you need to confirm your dinner time with the hotel before arrival, because if you arrive after 7 PM, you might miss dinner. Dinner is served in private dining rooms, which gave us a cozy and quiet atmosphere. The food was beautifully presented and very Japanese — including Wagyu beef and sukiyaki. Breakfast was also very traditional — grilled fish, rice, and various small dishes. Personally, I prefer something lighter for breakfast, and there was no coffee, bread, or buns included. If you want coffee, you can get it later in the lounge near the lobby.”

„The location is very close to JR Nara Station and is convenient for travel. The building is a small modern design building with space and facilities to meet the needs of convenience and quietness.”