Hi,

Can we plan to visit Nara from Kyoto as a day trip, i.e. no night stay in Nara. Will we be able to see the sights in Nara without feeling rushed?

Thanks

Possible, yes. Will you feel rushed? Depends what you want to see and do. In the past year we have spent 10 days over 3 stays in Nara and not gotten bored yet. A day trip we would find frustrating. But everyone is different in what they want to see and do.

Highlights for us have included Kasuga Taisha, Todaiji, making a roof tile at Gado (a famous roof tile producer where you can make and personalize your own tile to keep as a decoration), the Vietnamese restaurant on the covered shopping street, Naramachi, going inside a machiya in Naramachi, deer (watch out, they can be very aggressive)...but we've done lots more there.

Nearby Uji we liked very much as well for Byoudoin (the temple on the ¥10 coin), river (boats and in season cormorant fishing) and a Tales of Genji museum...very cute town.

Nara also has some very nice places to stay if you wanted a ryokan experience.

Hi,

It sounds like we should plan for a day or 2 in Nara. Can you recommend a good ryokan?

Thanks

Price range? Modern or traditional? Meals included or not?

Hi,

Looking for a traditional ryokan, mid range or higher end is ok, meal not included is preferred as we are vegetarians and we may not find sufficient choices in the standard meal offering.

The thing about mid to high range ryokan is that the meals are the highlight. Most will accommodate your diet with notice when you reserve. If you do not eat fish, be sure to say so as most Japanese food is prepared with a broth made from fish. It can be replaced with a shitake broth, but will not automatically be so unless you specify no fish. If you do not eat fish, then I'm afraid that you will find most food in restaurants unacceptable unless you eat Indian or Italian.

Mid range is about ¥20,000 per person per night with dinner and breakfast. High is over ¥30,000 per person. At this price level, many places do not want to have guests that skip dinner, especially if it is a 1 night stay.

Aobajaya 0742-22-2917 is a mid range place we have stayed at and liked. Family owned and operated by a lovely family. The wife speaks good English, rooms are large and tasteful, location is excellent...right in the deer park. No homepage, no booking sites list it. Call to reserve. No dinner is fine with them. Rooms have toilet and bath attached, and there is also a small public bath.

Shikitei is a huge step up, in aesthetics and "gourmetness" of meals. English website is limited info. http://www.shikitei.co.jp/

http://www.kankaso.jp/stay_guidance/index.html is also quite nice with a great location.

The Nara hotel, if you get a deluxe room in the old building, would be a great pick, and would save you the trouble of trying to work out the meal issue if you wanted to avoid that.

From the outside, this place isn't much, but offers good value in nice rooms and although it is not evident in English, they have many room types and stay plans that can exclude meals. http://www.kasuga-hotel.co.jp/english/index.html