Homestays in Nara Prefecture, Japan

I chose to stay in the Japanese room of Kasuga Hotel again, which says it all. Convenient transportation, complete facilities, hot spring bath, coffee shop in the lobby on the first floor, 24-hour free coffee, drinks, small refreshments, etc., Japanese breakfast and dinner are very rich, 10 minutes walk from Todaiji Kasuga Taisha, 3 minutes walk from Kintetsu Nara Station, and there are restaurants, snack bars, sushi restaurants, supermarkets, etc. on the commercial street next to it. Highly recommended.

The guest house is so nice, it's basically a typical house in Japan, so you can experience living in japanese house. The owner is very friendly and the bathroom is very clean. But you can easily hear a noise from outside.

The Japanese-style room of the hotel is just a tatami, which can accommodate up to four people. It comes with a small bathroom with old equipment, but the hygiene is acceptable. This is the only time I didn't flush the toilet seat during my 12-day trip to Japan. Fortunately, I only stayed for one night. And it is right in the scenic area, the location is very convenient, down the slope behind the famous restaurant Kikusui-ro, and adjacent to Sarusawa. Kintetsu Station and Kintetsu Station Commercial Street are only a few steps away. The first time I went to Nara, I stayed at JR Nara Station, which is a little far from Nara Park. This time I chose Kintetsu Nara Station on purpose. Next time I come to Nara, I guess I won't choose to stay there, I will stay in Osaka or Kyoto.

To experience a Japanese tatami room, I chose Asuka-so. The hotel is small, very much like the guesthouses on Mount Putuo, surrounded by similar small but exquisite inns. Check-in was at 3 PM, and we arrived early. We couldn't get into our room, but the front desk kindly stored our luggage. After feeding the deer, we returned to find that the staff had already taken our luggage to our room. Another pleasant surprise was that while we were wondering how to lay out the futons, we returned from dinner to find the tatami already made up! 😊 We slept very comfortably. There's also a public bath at the inn, and our room had a Japanese-style bathroom. We were given Japanese yukata upon check-in. Even though we only stayed one night, it was a deep and interesting experience of a Japanese ryokan. There's a free bar at the hotel front desk offering coffee, tea, and complimentary ice cream, open until 9 PM. Right across from the inn is a convenience store where you can buy deer crackers. There are deer everywhere nearby, so there's no need to go specifically to Nara Park if you just want to feed them; you can do so right around the inn.

A typical Japanese small hotel. Experience the awesome tatami accommodation in Japan. The service is in place. At the end of October, although the weather was cold, there was air conditioning for heating. The hotel is a four-minute walk from Nara Kintetsu Station. You can walk to Kasuga Taisha Shrine, Nara Park, and Todaiji Temple. Good location.

翌朝一番の電車で吉野駅まで行って吉野山の桜を見ようと素泊まりで止まりました。和室の部屋を予約しましたが、部屋の中は一通り必要な物は全部そろっていて、トイレとお風呂は共同ですが、新しい設備でとても綺麗でした。チェックアウトは早朝は鍵を置いて出ていけばよいとのことで朝6時には宿をたち、予定通り朝一番の電車で吉野まで行けました。まだ人の少ない吉野山を朝靄の中登り始められ、午前中には吉野山の桜を満喫できました。１つだけ、朝コーヒーを飲もうと部屋のポットで作りましたが、すでにぬるくなっていて、共有スペースにあるポットは電源が入っておらず水でした。しょうがないので、ぬるく作ったコーヒーを共有スペースにある電子レンジで温めて飲みました。共有スペースのポットでお湯が飲めたらよかったなあと思いました。

It’s a really lovely old Japanese house, but it’s really not been made over into a guest house at all. 1. There are pictures of a bath. It is not in the hotel it is just a separate public bath you have to pay for… 2. They charge for everything including “renting” towels and yukata 3. No noise blocking at all and kids are allowed. It sounds like they are in your room 4. Contactless check in doesn’t feel very safe

Although the scenery near the hotel seems to be remote, the hotel is actually in a good location. Next door is the ruins of Heijo Palace, and it is about a ten-minute walk from Kintetsu Yamato-Saidaiji Railway Station. Popular attractions such as Nara Park are only two stations away. The hotel can reserve a shuttle bus to the railway station. I saw some guests using it, but I didn't use it. The room is bigger than I expected. There is no extra charge for the hotel's hot spring facilities. There are both indoor and outdoor pools. The service of the hotel staff is very good. Overall, it is highly recommended.

The service is in place and the open-air hot springs are also great. The disadvantage is that the sound insulation of the room is not good. Fortunately, the quality of the guests staying in is very high and basically does not affect it. The only thing that cannot accept is that there is no bathroom in the room. In addition to this, other full marks!