Scattered around the ancient capital of Nara are well-known historical monuments. These include Todaiji Temple, famous for its large Buddha statue; Kasuga Taisha Shrine; and Kofuku-ji Temple.

An eight-minute walk from the centrally located Kintetsu-Nara Station is Nipponia Hotel Nara Naramachi.

“Naramachi” refers to an area that was once on the grounds of the World Cultural Heritage Site, Gankoji Temple.

Starting with traditional Japanese merchant houses with lattice doors called machiya, here you’ll be greeted with townscapes that showcase architecture from the Edo period (1603-1867) to the Taisho period (1912-1926).

As rows of wooden homes tell tales of handed-down tradition, Nipponia Hotel stands quietly on one of the neighborhood’s street corners.

This facility is centered around a sake hotel theme. In fact, with a water vein from Kasuga Taisha Shrine flowing underground, it was once known for being home to many sake breweries.

Nipponia Hotel Nara Naramachi has renovated one such brewery, known as the Nara Toyosawa Sake Brewery, into an alluring accommodation facility.

Nara Toyosawa Sake Brewery is said to be the first in Japan to use rice during the sake-making process! A stay here will guarantee an opportunity to experience the charm of Nara’s long history.

Nipponia Hotel Nara Naramachi offers a total of eight guest rooms! While keeping the charms of a traditional Japanese home, rooms also take comfort into consideration by providing sofas, beds, and modern bathrooms.

What’s more, designs for each room are inspired by what it previously functioned as. Whether it used to be a brewery, tearoom, or a hanare (detached building), these spaces are sure to charm you with their undeniable uniqueness!

Additionally, a stay here comes with some extraordinary experiences! This includes a sake lee bath using Nara Toyosawa Sake Brewery’s sake lees, as well as an aromatic Japanese cypress bath that’s said to promote blood circulation.

It’s hard to believe that this spacious, high-ceilinged restaurant used to be a doma, earthen floor found in Japanese homes! Here you are served dishes that incorporate the gentle flavors of Nara’s local ingredients.

The restaurant’s biggest attraction is its pairing of Nara Toyosawa Sake Brewery’s sake with delicacies of the season.

In addition to enhancing the meal's flavors, the sake pairing enables you to discover the unique tastes and true charms of Japanese rice wine. One Japanese guest commented, “I’m slightly a lightweight, so I was moved at the lengths the staff went to ensure that this experience was enjoyable for me.”

At the hotel, staff caters to each guest, ensuring that they can get the most out of their experience! Comments from foreign guests include, “The biggest surprise was the restaurant. On top of service being excellent, it was the best meal I’ve had in Japan by far!”

Many guests are satisfied and moved by superb Japanese hospitality. Moreover, guests have the option to have breakfast served in their room.

Accommodation Package Details
・Accommodation
・Breakfast/Dinner
・Usage of bathing facilities
・Free drinks at the beverage space throughout your stay (open from 3:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.)
・Unlimited free drinks of any kind from the room’s minibar.
・Original appetizers prepared by the hotel chef (Includes an arrangement of Nara’s specialties such as narazuke (vegetables pickled in sake lees) with cream cheese, nuts roasted on a cedar board, etc.)

Multilingual Support
English

Health & Safety Measures
・Indoor disinfection measures taken
・Sanitizer installed
・Thorough ventilation
・Staff wear masks, gargle, wash hands regularly, and monitor body temperature
・Disposable gloves used upon preparing each guest room
・Masks required/temperature check enforced

Marufukuro is a new hotel that opened in April of 2022. Situated a 15-minute walk from Kyoto Station, it’s also a mere five-minute walk from the Keihan Electric Railway’s Shichijo Station! With its superb location-this hotel is the perfect place to stay when sightseeing in Kyoto.

This stone structure was built in 1930 as the headquarters for Nintendo - the famous computer game developing, manufacturing, and selling company.

After its restoration, which included adding new facilities, it was reintroduced to the public as a hotel! Overseeing and planning the restoration process was none other than the world-renowned architect, Tadao Ando. We recommend this hotel not only for those who want to visit Kyoto but also for guests interested in architecture!

This all-inclusive stay offers breakfasts and dinners at the restaurant, snacks and drinks at the hotel lounge, and free drinks from the guest room minibar.

In total, there are 18 guest rooms, of which seven are suites. Some notable options include the Marufukuro suite, which is connected to the rooftop terrace, and the Japanese suite, a traditional Japanese-style room connected to an open-air bath. Each room has its own unique interior design and furnishings.

What’s more, at the pre-existing Nintendo building, you are greeted by architectural styles and interior that enable you to feel its 100-year-old history. While keeping its air of nostalgia, the space has been transformed by implementing modern tastes.

On the other hand, the newly built facility showcases the unique characteristics of a Tadano Ando building. Simple but stylish, it offers rooms that ensure a comfortable stay. At Marufukuro, you can fully enjoy the individuality of each room!

The hotel’s restaurant, carta, incorporates ancient Japanese fermented foods, condiments, and spices as their secret ingredient. Here you can enjoy innovative takes on Western-style cuisine! Dinner offers an array of carta’s signature dishes, while breakfast serves both Western-style and Japanese cuisine.

Ms. Ai Hosokawa is the cook behind the restaurant’s interior design and menu. The space is colored by her appreciation of the four seasons, while dishes focus on allowing the umami flavors of each ingredient to shine.

The hotel’s two lounges offer a relaxing space that’s almost like an extension of your guest room! Here you can delight in light meals and drinks until late into the night.

Meals and snacks offered include a seafood gratin, a Japanese beef curry, pancakes, Iberian ham, and cheese. It’s the perfect spot to enjoy quality time and conversations with close friends and family.

The hotel’s library, dNa, is a unique space that showcases the founding philosophy of Nintendo while introducing the history of its founders - the Yamauchi family*. This facility can be used as both a library and a lounge. In general, only guests staying at the hotel or those invited to certain events are allowed entry. (*Yamauchi Family: Yamauchi-No.10 Family Office)

The hotel’s name, “Marufukuro,” draws inspiration from Nintendo’s prior company name - Marufuku Co., Ltd.,.

Marufuku Co., Ltd. got its start in Kyoto by manufacturing and selling games such as karuta, a deck of cards used for a card matching game, and hanafuda (flower cards), Japanese playing cards.

A stay at this remarkable hotel enables you to fully experience the place where Nintendo’s long history all started. Please take your time to enjoy this incredibly rare opportunity!

Accommodation Package Details
・Accommodation
・Breakfast/Dinner
・Light Meals
・Use of the lounge (light meals and beverages, including alcohol, are served.)
・Free drinks from the guest room mini bar


Multilingual Support
English, Chinese

Health & Safety Measures
・Indoor disinfection measures taken
・Sanitizer installed
・Thorough ventilation
・Staff wear masks, gargle, wash hands regularly, and monitor body temperature
・Disposable gloves used upon preparing each guest room
・Masks required/temperature check enforced

To get to Osaka’s Tennoji ward, you should first take a bullet train from Tokyo to Shin-Osaka Station. From here, it’s just one subway ride away! This area is a must-visit when stopping by the prefecture!

Tennoji is within walking distance of Abeno Harukas, Japan’s tallest building, and the well-known Osaka landmark, Tsutenkaku Tower.

What’s more, it’s scattered with family-friendly facilities such as Tennoji Zoo, Tennoji Park, a park beloved and frequented by locals, and Shitennoji Temple, a Buddhist temple said to be founded by Prince Shotoku Taishi.

Hotel & Resort Bali Tower is a three-minute walk from JR Tennoji Station’s North Exit. It’s an entertainment facility themed on a tropical resort in Bali! Here you can enjoy resort-like stays in the middle of a city.

All guest rooms have a Bali-esque design. With some rooms offering canopy beds, you can enjoy an unforgettable stay different from the norm.

Whether it’s for a girl’s trip, a couple, or a family - there's a room to fit the needs of every guest! The hotel even has free massage chairs to ease the wear and tear of your travels!

What’s more, the facility has a stock of 100 different amenities available in addition to the ones provided in the guest rooms.

An especially raved about service is getting to choose from a selection of various shampoos and body washes. The hotel will even lend you beauty products and gadgets for free-making bath time even more relaxing!

In the Bali Tower, found on the hotel’s first basement floor to the 13th floor, you’ll find entertainment facilities for all ages!

This includes karaoke (free for an hour) that has a selection of songs from foreign singers, as well as the restaurant/darts and sports bar, Three Monkeys Cafe.

In addition to this, Bali Tower has the biggest indoor dog park in Osaka called Aiken Village! Having fun while running around with friends and family is sure to make for some unforgettable memories!

At the hotel’s lounge cafe, you can enjoy adorable and delicious afternoon tea and mini desserts. These are so eye-catching-they’re sure to get conversations flowing!

Moreover, an especially great perk is that this cafe has a kid’s play area. Here, children can play to their heart’s content without worrying about their surroundings.

Many guests expressed that they used the cafe often because it offers drinks, desserts, karaoke, dartboards, and a myriad of other free and fun experiences!

Another characteristic of this hotel is that one stay has guests coming back for more! This is due to offering excellent services such as free-flowing alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, a wide variety of cuisine, and many amenities.

Foreign guests also commented on how clean it was as well as how it’s a facility where you can experience the best of Japan’s hospitality. Furthermore, since the hotel provides a laundry room, it’s the perfect option for those who want to book extended stays.

(Accommodation Package Details
・Karaoke (for one hour)
・Free-flowing alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks
・Free use of dartboards and table tennis area (for one hour)
・Free use of the arcade
・All-you-can-read manga service
・Free use of the massage chairs
・Lending out the latest beauty products and gadgets
・A buffet of mini desserts
・An after-meal ramen bowl (limited to one bowl)
・Afternoon tea (for the number of people in your party)

Multilingual Support
English, Chinese, Korean

Health & Safety Measures
・Disinfection and sanitation of the facility and equipment
・Disinfectant and alcohol spray installed in bathrooms as well as throughout the facility
・Thorough ventilation of the facility
・Air purifies installed in every guest room
・Setting up partitions
・Staff wear masks, gargle, wash hands regularly, and monitor body temperature

Although Hyogo Prefecture’s northern region of Toyooka City is famous for its Kinosaki Hot Springs, it’s also known for its abundance of food. An auberge is a French term that describes an inn with a restaurant attached.

At Auberge Toyooka 1925’s restaurant, you can enjoy ingredients from the northern region of Tajima. This part of Hyogo is an ingredient treasure trove, offering unbelievable fresh Tajima vegetables, seafood caught from the nearby ocean, and a top-tier beef brand known as Tajima beef.

This accommodation facility enables you to fully delight in local meals that are mouth-wateringly delicious!

To get here, we recommend taking an approximately two-and-a-half-hour train ride from JR’s Osaka Station to Toyooka Station. It’s an eight-minute walk from the station to Auberge Toyooka 1925.

Meals served are produced by Chef Shu Ishii, a highly-regarded master of French cuisine in the Kansai region.

Dishes incorporate seasonal ingredients sourced from local farms such as Tajima beef, Kasumi crab, red snow crabs only caught at Kasumi port, and Stork Natural Rice.

These Japanese brand names are prepared using French culinary techniques, enabling guests to enjoy locally grown and prepared Tajima cuisine.

The region is abundant with oceans, mountains, and rivers, meaning ingredients are meticulously selected! In addition to Tajima beef, you may be served Yoka pork, sweet and tender pork that’s one of the high-grade “maboroshi no buta” brands - or tomatoes from a specific farm said to change the minds of even the most stubborn tomato-haters! You won’t be able to help but smack your lips at these unique dishes!

To provide a delicious dining experience for all of its guests, the restaurant is open to arranging meals. This might include using different seasonings for those with health conditions or changing meal portions for guests of a certain age.

This hotel reconstructed the Toyooka Branch of Hyogo Prefectural Agricultural and Industrial Bank, which was built in 1934. With its long history, the classic structure has even been designated as an Intangible Cultural Property!

What’s more, you can experience a warm and inviting space that incorporates architecture that was modern in the 1930s (early Showa era). We recommend stopping by the dining facility, the free drink lounge, and the gallery-where guests can enjoy the slow passage of time.

There are six guest rooms in total. These rooms don’t have a television or clock, allowing you a quiet escape from daily life. And because there are a limited number of rooms, staff can cater to each guest’s needs!

In addition to this, Toyooka City offers many festivals and food events throughout the year! Once getting to know the purpose of your visit, the staff will not only assist you in sightseeing around the city, but they will also introduce experience-based events held in collaboration with the community!

A mere 30-minute drive away are attractions such as the Kinosaki Hot Springs and the experience-based aquarium, Kinosaki Marine World!

Other sightseeing spots nearby include Izushi, a town famous for its soba noodles, as well as the Takeda Castle Ruins, known for being a castle that floats in the sky. As Toyooka City is surrounded by nature - it’s also the perfect place for adventurers to go sky diving and paragliding!

Foreign guests have mentioned that it was terrific to spend time in a building with so much history, that they were comfortable in their stay due to how quiet it was, and that the service was amiable and inviting!

Accommodation Details
・Accommodation
・Breakfast/Dinner
・Free drinks (alcoholic and non-alcoholic) during dinner
・Free use of lounge throughout guest’s stays
・Appetizers and snacks

Multilingual Support
English, Chinese

Health & Safety Measures
・Indoor disinfection measures taken
・Sanitizer installed
・Thorough ventilation
・Staff wear masks, gargle, wash hands regularly, and monitor body temperature
・Disposable gloves used upon preparing each guest room
・Masks required/temperature check enforced

All-inclusive accommodation packages offer everything you need in one deal! It’s an excellent option for those who want to unwind by enjoying a slightly luxurious stay or for families who want to go all out on the fun without worrying about anything else!

Text by: Tamami Kunimatsu
*The information in this article is from April 2022. For updated information, please refer to each official website.