NARA Visitor Center & Inn — Local services in Nara

Great accommodation and affordable pricing- the room we had was a Japanese style room, similar to the traditional ryokan style where we set up our own futons and we had a view of the pagoda. The hotel was also situated strategically in between all the key sites and you can easily walk to them.

The highlight of this place though is in its hospitality and service of the team both in the inn and the visitor center itself. We had Takayo Ueda san as our primary host, and she showed us what it means to go above and beyond for your customers. It started off from a crisis we faced where put luggage wheels were ruined and we could no longer lug them on the trip with us. She firstly helped to research on where we could buy suitcases, but when we decided that we would use Yamato transport to take our suitcases to our next destination- she went all the way from filling the forms and coming with us to give instructions for delivery with the convenience store. She then helped us to also call our next hotel just to ensure that they are aware of the arrangements. All these initiatives were done proactively without us even asking her in the first place. We really felt cared for and just her hospitality alone made us feel that we would’ve wanted to stay a couple more days in Nara.

Secondly, we had also experienced excellent hospitality with the visitor center itself where we met Ayane san who really guided us on the top local sights to visit and it was after hours. She was extremely helpful and didn’t just give us standard recommendations but catered to what our preferences were!

Thank you so much for the wonderful memories you gave us of Nara, we would come back because of what you’ve helped us...

よかった！Great value!

The fact that you can stay at a hotel in such a great location with a beautiful view of a pond and historic pagoda for less than 8000 yen/night is pretty amazing.

Obviously, you're not going to be staying in a high-end exclusive joint, but if you don't need that, this is a great hotel.

It's a 10 minute walk from Kintetsu Nara Station and 15 minutes from JR Nara Station. It's right on a pond and there are deer that come right up to the hotel. It's right by the steps that go up to a nice shrine, an old pagoda, and two museums. It's also right by the main shopping arcade. It's basically the perfect location for a vacation in Nara.

The staff are friendly and go out of their way to make sure your stay is comfortable. There is a free sento (public bath) in the basement for guests. There is also a Daily convenience store right in the hotel. The first floor also houses a tourist information centre.

There are western and Japanese-style rooms, and both have amazing views. I've stayed in both, and they were both comfortable, with the basics, including shower, toilet, closet, mini fridge, air conditioning (great in summer!), TV, and more. You can also use the kitchens and borrow various kitchen equipment if you want to cook your own food.

The only problem, which is the same in just about any hotel, is sometimes the other guests might be a little noisey, but it wasn't too bad. I'm an early-to-bed type, but everyone was quiet by a decent time. There were a bunch of kids talking one evening, and another evening the nextdoor couple were doing something which sounded related to the birds and the bees. ...

We entered as a group of 4 and immediately felt a comfortable environment, so we sat down to fold origami. We were asked if we needed anything and I requested to do calligraphy. The staff member helping us said she would prepare materials for us to write our names in calligraphy. Soon after, she said we should come back and the materials would be ready for us to use after they were to close, and we would be free to enter and enjoy the activities. She suggested, with the time in mind, that the best way to enjoy Nara as tourists would be to visit the sights before they close. She gave us a map and very clearly explained the route and other tips in perfect English. We followed the map almost exactly and had a better day than I could've planned. The only thing was that we were too tired to come back to the visitor center at the end of the night, so we went home soon after. Feeling bad about requesting the materials for calligraphy, I emailed the center to confirm that they can discard them, as well as our half-done origami. I got a response very quickly and, once again, they were very friendly. This whole experience was way more than what I expected from a visitor center and inn. I recommend anyone visiting Nara to...