Published date: May 18, 2025
World Heritage View & No. 1 Onsen Hotel in Nara
Room Type Stayed
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Experience of the stay
I stayed at the Kame no I Hotel Nara through HafH! It’s a popular onsen hotel next to the World Heritage site, Heijo Palace Ruins, and it has ranked No. 1 in the Nifty Onsen rankings for Nara in 2024. You can reserve it with two meals included through HafH, and I recommend their kaiseki meal featuring Nara's local specialties!
【Room】
We booked a standard twin room through HafH, and the room assigned to us was on the second floor of the main building. Upon entering the room, there was a big window making the space feel open, with two single beds and a seating area. We were lucky to have a view of the World Heritage site, Heijo Palace Ruins, and we enjoyed the fresh greenery by keeping the curtains open during our stay.
The bathroom in the room was a unit bath, but since there was a large communal onsen, we didn’t use it. The fridge was empty, but just the right size to store any items we bought. Amenities were standard; you could pick up a yukata from the shelf in front of the front desk. The choice of yukata patterns was nice as you could choose your favorite.
【Onsen】
The onsen at the Kame no I Hotel Nara is a self-sourced chloride spring that ranked No. 1 in Nifty Onsen rankings for Nara in 2024!
The indoor bath features a design inspired by Nara, while the outdoor bath is a large stone bath where you can enjoy natural hot spring water. When I got in, the gentle water felt soothing, and I slowly relaxed.
The water had a light brown color, but there was no smell. It's said it's good for nerve pain, frozen shoulder, cold sensitivity, fatigue recovery, and health improvement.
【Dinner】
Dinner is served in the restaurant on the first floor, and I liked that I could choose from times starting at 5 PM in 15-minute intervals.
The meals included in HafH's two-meal plan featured a Japanese course using seasonal ingredients. There were eight dishes from appetizer to dessert, which was plenty! It presented local ingredients like Nara's persimmon sea bream, Yamato greens, Yamato pork, and Miwa somen, showing a good impression. The Yamatoniku chicken plum wine hot pot was especially delicious.
We stayed for two nights, and every day had different menus served to us.
There are also many paid additional dishes available to order. We ordered the mountain vegetable tempura for 1,500 yen, and it included seven varieties of fresh mountain vegetables, which was very satisfying! There were also various drink options during dinner, including tasting local sake and original cocktails.
【Hell Tour Night Noodle】
A popular service at Kame no I Hotel Nara is the free night noodle served to guests! It’s available from 9 PM to 10:30 PM at the restaurant on the first floor.
Each month, they offer three varieties: red, black, and white. On this day, we had sesame white noodles. The thin Hong Kong noodle used was creamy with an appropriate level of spiciness, perfect for a nightcap!
【Breakfast】
Breakfast is a buffet in the restaurant on the first floor. Although there were fewer options, you could enjoy local specialties like "Noppe" from Nara, Nara pickles, tea porridge, Miwa somen, and miso soup made with Nara miso. Particularly, the Kansai-style chicken sukiyaki and the sea bream "Kame no I-zuke" mountain yam were delicious.
The Kame no I Hotel Nara has a calm ambiance where you can relax. With the World Heritage site, Heijo Palace Ruins right next door, the morning and evening walks are delightful. Having two meals included is rare at HafH, so consider making a reservation!
Experiences during the trip
We booked the Kame no I Hotel Nara through HafH along with our JAL flight tickets! Since there are many World Heritage sites in Nara, we stayed for two nights, but even then, there wasn't enough time.
Here are some recommended spots near the Kame no I Hotel Nara that we actually visited and enjoyed.
On the first day of our trip, we arrived at Itami Airport at 11 AM and took the airport bus to Nara city. It took about 50 minutes by airport limousine bus to the nearest bus stop, Kintetsu Yamato Saidaiji Station, and it was a 15-minute walk from the bus stop to the hotel, which was easy to find! If the timing works out, the hotel offers a shuttle from the same station, so I recommend making a reservation in advance. Also, be careful as there are few limousine buses from Itami Airport to Nara! We actually had to wait a bit and ended up having lunch at the airport.
【World Heritage site Heijo Palace Ruins】
The Nara Heijo Palace Site Historic Park next to the hotel is free to enter, making it an easily accessible World Heritage site. We left our luggage at the hotel and enjoyed our time there on the first day.
Within the park, you can see the reconstructed main gate of Heijo-kyo, the Suzaku Gate, the ancient Chinese trade ships, a VR theater, and there are shops and restaurants too, making it worth your visit. Bicycle rentals are also popular. At night, the park is beautifully lit, and you can enjoy a great view from the hotel’s top floor.
【Deer of Nara Park】
On the second day, we took a local bus from the Suzaku Gate square to Todai-ji. We were surprised to see about five deer walking right in the middle of the road near Nara station, away from Nara Park! Cars and buses were running smoothly, so it seems this is normal in Nara… We interacted with deer in Nara Park and Todai-ji, but as long as you don't have deer crackers, you won’t be attacked, and it’s quite enjoyable!
【World Heritage site Todai-ji】
Now famous for the Nara Buddha, Todai-ji was built during the Nara period, and both the Great Buddha and the building itself were astonishingly large! The Great Buddha Hall is said to be one of the largest wooden structures in the world. The big Buddha's face has a gentle expression that brings peace to your heart. While the Great Buddha Hall has an entrance fee, it's definitely worth seeing! Another recommended spot is "Nigatsu-do", which stands on a high platform offering a fantastic view of Nara city.
【Omelette Rice Specialty Store Sunbird】
Sunbird is a popular restaurant near Kintetsu Nara Station that specializes in creative omelette rice. We started lining up after 1 PM and ended up waiting for about an hour with eight groups before us... We ordered lemon butter soy sauce omelette rice and tuna tomato omelette rice, and each had a different flavor, so we enjoyed this till the end without getting bored. The most popular lemon butter soy sauce dish has a perfect balance of special teriyaki sauce and lemon that is quite addictive! The mixed juice on the side is also superb, so be sure to try it.
【Daibutsu Strawberry】
After enjoying the omelette rice, it was dessert time! We went to Daibutsu Strawberry, near Kintetsu Nara Station, to have daifuku made with the Nara brand strawberry, "Kotoka" and juice made from 100% strawberries. Trying "Kotoka" for the first time, I was touched by its large size, juiciness, and rich sweetness… It also comes with deer cookies for a visual treat. The strawberry juice was also refreshing with a wonderful scent and delicious.
【Tengokudo Warabi Mochi】
Tengokudo at JR Nara Station is a sweet shop where you can enjoy Nara's specialty, "Yoshino Honkuzu". I really wanted to go because of the good reviews, so I walked to JR Nara Station from Daibutsu Strawberry to work up an appetite.
We had the matcha set with kuzukiri and warabi mochi. The freshly made warabi mochi was so soft that I couldn't pick it up with chopsticks! This was a first for me! The kuzukiri had a chewy texture, and the black syrup had a nice sweetness that matched perfectly! JR Nara Station has a bus rotary, making it a convenient place, so definitely check it out.
Nara is full of World Heritage sites, deer, and gourmet food – it was fantastic! I hope this story serves as a reference for your travels. If you liked it, please support us with a good button!