Nara Ryokan

Japan , Nara
Nara, 28-1 Higashi Terabayashicho
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50 reviews shown

2/10

Poor

11 Mar 2026

Catrin

We arrived late at night, and checked out the same night. Room was tired and dusty. Was promised a hot spring bath but it was cold. We had booked for 5 nights, we asked for a refund for the nights we didn't stayand they have ignored all requests and messages, from ourselves.

Friends_and_family Family

10/10

Exceptional

09 Mar 2026

Ram

Very clean and friendly

Self

10/10

Exceptional

24 Jan 2026

Phil

Room was fantastic - shower was definitely Japanese-sized, but my 18-stone 5’10” ass made it work.

Would have liked to make use of the bath there, but with the persistent cough I’ve been trying to get shot of since before I even flew out to Japan, I wasn’t going to risk passing it on to anyone else.

Leisure Friends

10/10

Exceptional

19 Dec 2025

Michael

Staff was kind

Leisure

10/10

Exceptional

30 Nov 2025

Pooja

Spotless, beautifully done room. Very comfortable mattress

Leisure Partner

2/10

Poor

10 Nov 2025

Sepideh

Terrible

Family

4/10

Poor

01 Nov 2025

PHUONG N

I am extremely disappointed in my experience here. I have been staying connected with the host to reserve private onsen for myself but the time I wanted was reserved and not available. I was offered a time that I’m not available but the staff kept saying why can’t I change my plans to meet their reserved time or do the mixed gender baths. The staff lack the ability to communicate in English. This space is small and not worthwhile. I traveled back and forth but didn’t get to dip in an onsen once. I’m extremely disappointed and frustrated about the ability to communicate with the staff while they kept saying “it’s ok, it’s ok” but nothing is okay. There are too many restrictions and limited reservation times for onsen. Might be worthwhile to go to a 24 hour onsen then book them but you risk not having much privacy.

The staff also have false information about luggage delivery and sent me to a convenience store 3 minutes away then I had to take it back to the hotel because the convenience store doesn’t deliver. This hotel doesn’t seem to have escalators or elevators available so have fun if you’re on the third floor.

Leisure Self

10/10

Exceptional

28 Oct 2025

Willem

Clean and staff!

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

21 Oct 2025

Adrienne

This is a great way to experience an “authentic” ryokan - it has bathroom facilities but otherwise it’s futon, tatami matting and green tea. But the best feature by far was the ‘ofuro’ the delightful hot bath. A booking gets a guest 50 minutes of calm relaxation. Remember that there are no meals but there are plenty of small local places for dinner and breakfast. Just delightful!

Leisure Self

6/10

Pleasant

20 Oct 2025

Margaret

The location is in a quiet area with lots of restaurants (though be aware many close by 6 pm).

Room is a good size, but there is no elevator and stairs to the second floor are quite steep - something to be aware of if you have mobility issues.

Matress on tatami floor was very firm, but comforter is warm and fluffy. There is no way to darken the windows, though, so light comes in throughout the night from a neighbouring sign, and it only gets brighter as the dawn starts.

There is also minimal/no sound priifing - we could hear every whisper in the hall, every door opening and clicking shut, and music from another room throughout the evening.

Private onsen time is nice, and the water is quite hot but comfortable (for us). The bathing area is clean. The massage chairs were nice to use after soaking in the onsen.

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

20 Oct 2025

Stephen

The room was very nicely appointed and clean. The onsen was great, especially as you could book it for private use. The area is charming and central. Would recommend.

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

14 Oct 2025

Jennifer

This was a great place to stay. Having a private bathing time in the onsen was so great. The beds were comfortable and the staff was friendly. It was the perfect location for access to historical sites. There was a lot of great shopping nearby as well.

Leisure Self

10/10

Exceptional

13 Oct 2025

About fifteen minutes walk from a Kintentsu station. Lots of shopping and food option between to two. Walkable to and from Nara Park as well. Private bath time built into the reservation. It's slots of 40 minutes. Checking in earlier rather than later gets you more options to choose from.

Leisure

10/10

Exceptional

10 Oct 2025

Maria

Beautiful traditional ryokan hotel, is small and so charming , it has an onsdn that you can use privately so its tattoo friendly ! They give you traditioanl pjs (yukata) and that makes it so special! The staff is really friendly and held our bags for a day before our train at nighy. Close to the deer park and lots of temples

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

02 Oct 2025

Ken

Get little spot to unwind from a day of walking. The hot sping baths where amazing and nice that you could book some personal time.

Leisure Friends

10/10

Exceptional

19 Sep 2025

We really loved this ryokan! Very authentic. Nice and friendly staff. Comfortable and clean. Highly recommended

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

31 Aug 2025

Shirley

The area is amazing with a pond near the area and the walk to the deer park being quite close. The receptionists were all very welcoming and their services were very good. High recommend!

Leisure Self

8/10

Excellent

27 Aug 2025

Marta

It was a lovely place. Great location. Spacious rooms. Comfy beds.

Leisure

10/10

Exceptional

18 Aug 2025

Thomas

Loved our stay here in Nara for one night. The staff are lovely, and very much look to cater for you as much as possible whilst not being intrusive. Offered to help carry luggage up to room. The private onsen was included, and was also a lovely experience. To top it off, only a 15 minute walk to Todai-Ji and Nara park.

Leisure Partner

8/10

Excellent

04 Aug 2025

JIE'ER, JERALD

Comfortable accommodation and convenient location.

Leisure Self

8/10

Excellent

03 Aug 2025

Beverly

Private onsen time was lovely. Guest house was quiet and clean. Front desk staff were not especially friendly.

Leisure Self

8/10

Excellent

21 Jul 2025

Jermaine

Traditional style Inn

Traditional style ryokan for a reasonable price. It had its own onsen for private use which was nice since I have tattoos and could not attend other onsens. However the cleanliness could’ve been slightly better. The room was quite nice but if you’re traveling with others be aware they are small as are the in room bathrooms. Overall I liked the place. Central to Nara and the parks and shopping.

Self

8/10

Excellent

13 Jul 2025

Rob

The walls seem very thin. The room below me was talking well into the night. I had to sleep with the TV on to drown out the noise. Other than that, everything was good

Self

10/10

Exceptional

11 Jul 2025

Verified traveler

Great location

Fantastic location, very authentic Ryokan with a onsen.

Self

10/10

Exceptional

10 Jun 2025

Tiiu

We loved our stay at your Ryokan. Thank you for storing my son’s luggage a few days in advance - it was so helpful. You chose an excellent architect for the room design and renovation. Thanks for your warm hospitality.

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

09 May 2025

Meagan

This ryokan is very charming and also very close to the tourist areas, but in the narrow side streets so it is quite quiet. I really enjoyed this place. I strongly recommend!

8/10

Excellent

30 Apr 2025

John

Stayed 1 night at Nara Ryokan. Generally we had a good time but there were a few issues that took away from the experience slightly (hence 4 stars instead of 5). Pros were:

- Private onsen was really lovely after a long day of walking
- Room itself was quite spacious and 'felt' like a real Ryokan (although it's more of an approximation of a Ryokan than a real one)
- Beds were large and mattresses relatively comfortable

Cons:
- Maybe this is a normal feature of a Ryokan, but there were no curtains or way of reducing the light in the morning. Did not sleep well as a consequence
- Staff could have been more helpful. Waited 10 minutes at reception for assistance before a staff member finally showed up.

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

27 Apr 2025

Sheila

A very small and charming ryokan. It’s the first spot we’ve been at providing toilet slippers. We enjoyed the private onsen.

10/10

Exceptional

24 Apr 2025

Carl L

Fairly close to sights and places to eat.

Leisure Friends

10/10

Exceptional

23 Apr 2025

Ahmed-ziane

Best place to stay in nara

Leisure

10/10

Exceptional

30 Mar 2025

Robyn

Great room, awesome private onsen experience, good location! Overall a really nice stay.

Leisure

10/10

Exceptional

25 Mar 2025

Nichole

Lovely quiet ryokan with onsen

Our stay at Nara Ryokan was perfect - very lovely quiet stay and beautiful rooms, and an amazing onsen/public bath. It wasn't listed for the hotel, but you are able to reserve a \"family time\" for the onsen use where I was able to privately share the onsen together with my husband and our friends with tattoos were also able to utilize for their own private time, which was a great experience, particularly with the provided robes and slippers. The hotel is about a 10min walk away from the main station, and just around the corner from a lovely park with a nearby Starbucks and small park where the deer freely hangout and roam around. A truly lovely place to stay, would definitely stay here again!

Friends_and_family Family

10/10

Exceptional

21 Mar 2025

Mark

It was good

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

14 Mar 2025

Laura

It was a beautiful property and the Onsen was great as well.

Leisure Partner

8/10

Excellent

13 Mar 2025

Jamie

Great Ryokan, poor staff.

Was initially going to leave a worse review after a terrible interaction with the woman on the front desk after she put use in a basic room after we paid for deluxe, then refused to move us. However the charm of the Ryokan itself, the great onsen and the free massage chairs somewhat made up for the rude service when checking in.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

09 Mar 2025

sarah

Great little Japanese style hotel. Friendly staff and a great area. Close to shops and easy walk to the deers.

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

22 Feb 2025

Bob

We had the double and the room was very nice and quite big. Great location. Nice small onsen. Looks like the rooms have been redone recently.

4/10

Poor

27 Nov 2024

Yaz

This ryokan is close to Nara Koen where deers are and 30mins walk to Daibutsu. The room was just like a joke. It remains me uni student flats in Showa, small 4 tatami rooms and futon. In Japanese, futons need to be folded down into three and stored in the cupboard called Oshiire but the futon was placed by the window just like a bed. I was quite uncomfortable with this and folded it down to lean against that just like a sofa. The wall is paper thin as I was annoyed by next door guests who were chatting till 11pm. The bath was not real onsen. Despite it got negative comments, I enjoyed the big bathtub as it was hot and I could stretch myself. But sadly, a bit yuaka was flotiong on water surface.
Overall, it was a good, rather funny experience. I guess this ryokan is for budget travelers.

Leisure Self

10/10

Exceptional

20 Oct 2024

jonathan

It was super easy to walk to from the metro. The area was quiet, peaceful, and there was a great area for shopping and eating. Nara park was not far. The ryokan was incredible and the temperature was perfect. The rooms were super clean and I love that they provided amenities.

Leisure Friends

10/10

Exceptional

10 Oct 2024

Malcolm

Nice location and we enjoyed the private onsen

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

15 Sep 2024

Iris

I had a wonderful two night stay here. The room was clean and comfortable. The private onsen was wonderful. Would stay here again in a heartbeat!

Self

10/10

Exceptional

24 Jun 2024

Jingjing

It is in the center of Nara, walking distance to the temples.

Leisure

8/10

Excellent

09 Jun 2024

Yusa

There is a big bathing area with 2 shower heads and an Onsen bath tub. Private usage will be limited within 40 min per session, then there are public hours. Nice water!

Leisure Self

10/10

Exceptional

08 Jun 2024

Jordan

We had a great stay!! It was great to be able to leave our bags before check in. The location was fantastic, and staff were so friendly! The private onsen time was a highlight of our whole trip. Would highly recommend!!

10/10

Exceptional

01 May 2024

Armine

The property is outstanding and the staff are very willing to help if you are amenable to no chairs in the room and only sitting on the floor. Also the room has no shower, so you either must use shower during your private time or if you miss you time slot you have no choice but to use it during public time. For ladies two showers, so at worse you will share with one other person.

Leisure Self

10/10

Exceptional

22 Apr 2024

Misty

Loved this stay. Traditional style room. Happy friendly staff. Very clean and clear walk to everything we needed. Would stay again.

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

05 Feb 2024

Ethan

I really liked the location and the property. Quiet and clean. The staff I spoke with were helpful and thankfully they were able to speak English really well. They even explained the etiquette of bathing in the hot spring area and walked me through that process. The only thing I wish could’ve been different was being able to store my bag earlier in the day but it’s not a big deal as there are locker rentals at the station maybe 1/4-1/2 mile away. There is a private restroom in each room

Leisure Self

8/10

Excellent

22 Nov 2023

Jennifer

A bit noisy but comfortable

Nara Ryokan was clean, comfortable, and convenient. We loved using the onsen during our private time, and we found the beds easy to sleep on. It was a little noisy since we could hear doors opening and closing in the rooms next to us all night, but aside from that it was a great place to stay! The location was great: easy waking to al the sights.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

20 Nov 2023

Ana

Conveniently located. The staff was amazing. The hotel and amenities were outstanding. Would stay here again!

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

07 Nov 2023

Megan

I wanted a traditional hotel experience in japan and i got exactly what i asked for. Will stay again next time im in nara