NARAigoto EENA HOUSE

Staying at NARAigoto EENA HOUSE was a truly unique and enjoyable experience for us. The host was excellent — always responsive and helpful, and kindly allowed us to check in a couple of hours early. The house exceeded our expectations: it beautifully combines a traditional Japanese atmosphere with modern comfort. It was our first time sleeping on futons, and we genuinely enjoyed it. The shower room felt like a personal sauna — warm, steamy, and relaxing, with adjustable water pressure that made the experience even more refreshing. The small private garden was also a lovely touch that added to the overall charm of the stay. The surrounding area is quiet, cozy, and very pleasant to walk around — a perfect setting for a peaceful stay. We truly recommend this house to anyone visiting Nara!

+ hospitality + futons + cleanliness + modern appliances Let me start with the check-in experience, because it was really a pleasant surprise, and not just a "keys handover". When we got to the reception, we were greeted by a lovely elderly lady, who impressed us with her English (and we know that's not a given in Japan) and straight away offered us a cup of hot green tea. After passport and payment formalities, we chatted a little, she was curious where we come from and how long we stay in Japan/Nara. She also gave us local maps with food and sightseeing recommendations in the closest area. If we weren't in such a rush for our wedding dinner we'd love to stay and chat more! Thank you for the greatest and warmest welcome in a hotel of them all! 🙌 Communication with the personnel is also of the highest standard, as initially we had a problem with pre-payment on the property, but after reaching out via private message everything was booked for us. About the house - this is a traditional Japanese house with a modern equipment, which is a unique experience. The overall feel of the house was great. Tatami mats looked like new. I loved the warming floor mat. Modern toilet and bathroom. AC in the main room (but only there). Quite comfortable futons (first timer here). Location is also quite good, as it's about 13-15 min walk to reach the first part of the park.

- heating - low ceiling/doors The tradition however comes with some drawbacks. If you're tall you might struggle with ceiling/low doors and have to watch your head at all times. The plan of the house only allows for the AC to heat up the main room, which might not be great in colder months. Especially, that the shower room is the farthest room from the main room. In winter I can imagine this corridor might get really cold. There's a portable heater in the bathroom to pre-heat the shower room, but I'm not sure it would be able to handle the whole corridor if let's say you were to stroll from the hot shower to the main room walking down the cold corridor. It's just a nitpick, but might be relevant for winter stays. We chose this place for our wedding night and cherished every little moment of it! This is a lovely place and definitely worth booking if staying in Nara for a couple of nights. 💚

We enjoyed experiencing a traditional house. The location was walking distance to the deer park and Todaji Temple. The calligraphy lesson was informative and fun. It made a great souvenir.

There wasn’t space to put our suitcases, but this did not impact our experience.

It was beautifully presented and well designed - a great mix of traditional space and modern comfort. The host was so friendly, welcoming and helpful before our stay and on arrival. We had a very peaceful and comfortable stay here and the location is very good for exploring the city. We enjoyed walking around the local area and just relaxing in the Japanese room. Hismae helped with recommendations for where to eat and what to go and see in Nara. We loved staying here and wished we could have been here longer!

Not a dislike - the address on booking.com seems to take you to a different location 5 minutes away from the property. Best to put the name of the guest house into google maps instead.

Lovely little Japanese traditional house with a small private garden. The bathroom was very comfortable, traditional Japanese bath space. Very comfortable futon beds.

Nothing, everything was perfect.

Hisae is an extremely warm, attentive and welcoming host. When we arrived, she welcomed us with a cup of tea, explained how the house worked and gave us several recommendations (restaurants, sake tasting, etc.). She was there for us at all times, with any questions, and made us feel very welcome. The house is a renovated machiya in the heart of Nara's old town. It really did feel like home. There's a bus stop just a 1-minute walk away, serving all the main points in town. Very useful for visiting Nara. We also took part in a Japanese calligraphy course with an instructor and Hisae, who guided us through each stage of the learning process. We had a magical time, which will remain engraved in our memory. We would definitely recommend staying at the NARAigoto EENA HOUSE and the activities on offer. Many thanks, Hisae!

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