Nara Hotel opened on October 17, 1909, in a Main Building designed by Tatsuno Kingo, the architect of Tokyo Station. It now has 114 rooms, 62 of them in the historic Main Building. The big news for 2026: the wing the hotel used to call the New Wing reopened on September 2, 2026 as the West Wing, after eight months of work. Before you book, know five rules: every room type is non-smoking; the cheapest Main Building rooms have no separate bath and toilet; there is no onsen, pool, gym or sauna; canceling costs 20 percent the day before and 80 percent on the day; and preschool children share a bed free.
Much of the hotel’s FAQ still describes the hotel before the renovation, so where it disagrees with the room table or the 2026 releases, we follow the newer pages and say so.
Nara Hotel at a glance
| Item | Official rule |
|---|---|
| Address | 1096 Takabatake-cho, Nara 630-8301 |
| Rooms | 114 (62 in the Main Building) |
| Check-in / out | 15:00 / 11:00; last check-in 23:00 |
| Cancellation (up to 7 guests) | 20% day before / 80% same day / 100% no-show |
| Late arrival | Booking may be canceled if you are not there by 22:00 and have not called |
| Kids sharing a bed | Preschoolers free; elementary school children pay the adult rate |
| Breakfast | 5,000 yen, tax and 15% service charge included |
| Onsen, pool, gym, sauna | None |
| Smoking | All room types non-smoking |
| Parking | Free per the FAQ; no reservations |
| Accommodation tax | None at this hotel, per the operator’s legal notice page |
From Nara Hotel’s official pages, terms of stay and FAQ, read September 30, 2026.
What changed at Nara Hotel in 2026?
What is the West Wing?
It is the building the hotel called the New Wing (Shinkan). A September 2, 2026 press release says work ran from January 4 to September 1, 2026, that the whole hotel was closed from January 4 to June 3, and that the Main Building alone reopened on June 4. The March 2026 release set the reopening at 15:00 check-in on September 2, 2026, and the hotel says it renamed the building the West Wing (Nishikan) at the renovation. The release adds new Premium and Superior room categories, and says the West Wing rooms face a green inner garden.
What else changed?
The total dropped from 127 rooms to 114, per the March release and the facilities page. The Japanese restaurant Hanagiku on the West Wing’s 5th floor reopened as a teppanyaki restaurant. On the current room comparison table, every room type in both buildings is non-smoking. If a travel site still says “New Wing,” “127 rooms” or a Japanese restaurant called Hanagiku, it is describing the hotel before the renovation. The hotel’s FAQ itself still has some of those older answers.
Is the hotel fully open now?
Yes. Both buildings have been open since September 2, 2026, and as of September 30, 2026 the official pages show no further closure. The hotel’s website also moved in July 2026 to jrwest-hotels.jp, and its operator changes its name to JR West Hotels Limited on October 1, 2026.
Nara Hotel rooms: Main Building or West Wing?
What is the Main Building like?
Built in 1909 in what the hotel calls a Momoyama palace style of cypress wood, it holds 62 rooms on its 1st and 2nd floors. Rooms face either the Park Side (Nara Park) or the Town Side, and the hotel says many still have their original mantelpieces, with high coffered ceilings and classic light fittings. It also notes that layouts and bathrooms differ from room to room.
Do all rooms have a separate bath and toilet?
No. The FAQ says every room has a bath and toilet, some separate and some as a unit bath. The room comparison table shows that in the Main Building, the Standard Twin and Standard Double (21.8 square meters), the cheapest rooms, on the Town Side, do not have a separate bath and toilet, and neither do the Superior rooms. Only four Main Building room types do. In the West Wing, every room type has a separate bath and toilet.
| Room | Building | Size | Guests | Separate bath and toilet |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Standard Twin / Double | Main | 21.8 m² | 1 to 2 | No |
| Superior Twin | Main | 25.5 or 27.3 m² | 1 to 3 | No |
| Deluxe Tradition | Main | 31.9 m² | 1 to 3 | Yes |
| Premium Panorama Corner | Main | 51.2 m² | 1 to 4 | Yes |
| Superior Twin | West Wing | 33.7 m² | 1 to 2 | Yes |
| Premium Terrace Twin | West Wing | 63.1 m² | 1 to 3 | Yes |
| Premium Japanese-Western | West Wing | 58.7 to 63.9 m² | 1 to 4 | Yes |
Selected rows from the official room comparison table, read September 30, 2026. The 25.5 m² Main Building Superior Twin is for 1 to 2 guests. Every row on the table is non-smoking.
Which rooms fit four people?
On the room comparison table, the Premium Panorama Corner, the Deluxe Comfort Wide and the West Wing’s Premium Japanese-Western rooms take up to four. For the Panorama Corner, three or four guests need one or two extra beds (105 by 185 cm). The FAQ’s older answer on four-person rooms names rooms from before the renovation, so go by the table.
What is in the room?
Wi-Fi is free in every room. The West Wing Superior Twin page lists Balmain shampoo, conditioner, body soap and body cream. There is no in-room safe: the FAQ says the front desk holds valuables, but not cash or items worth 150,000 yen or more. The hotel asks you to leave your key at the front desk when you go out, and charges 3,000 yen if you lose it. The windows open, but the FAQ warns that Nara Park’s lively wildlife may come in if you leave them open for long.
Check-in, checkout and late arrival at Nara Hotel
What time are check-in and checkout?
Check-in is from 15:00 and checkout is by 11:00, on the facilities page and in Article 9 of the terms of stay. Last check-in is 23:00. The terms say there is no curfew and the front desk, on the 1st floor of the Main Building, is staffed 24 hours. The cloakroom by the front desk holds bags before check-in and after checkout; there are no coin lockers. The FAQ says you can use the restaurants and tea lounge before check-in.
How much do early check-in and late checkout cost?
The hotel publishes no yen price, and its own pages word the charge differently:
| Extra time | Terms of stay (Article 9) | Hotel FAQ |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 3 hours | 30% of the room rate | One third of the basic room rate |
| Up to 6 hours | 50% of the room rate | One half of the basic room rate |
| More than 6 hours | The full room rate | The full basic room rate |
Official terms of stay and hotel FAQ, read September 30, 2026. Confirm the charge when you book.
For early check-in, the FAQ says you may get in before 15:00 if the room is ready, that it may be refused when the hotel is full, and that an extra charge may apply depending on the time. Day-use stays are also available through the reservations desk. Our late checkout guide compares how other hotels in Japan charge.
What if I arrive late at night?
Call ahead. Article 6 of the terms says that if you have not arrived by 10 p.m. on the day, or two hours after the arrival time you gave, and have not contacted the hotel, the booking may be treated as canceled by you. The English and Japanese terms match. The FAQ asks you to call if you will be much later than planned.
What do I need at check-in?
Guests who do not live in Japan must show a passport, and the terms say the hotel copies and keeps it, following Japanese government guidance. Minors can stay on their own, but the FAQ asks for a phone number where a parent can be reached.
Canceling or changing a Nara Hotel booking
What does it cost to cancel?
The facilities page and the operator’s legal notice page give 20 percent the day before, 80 percent on the day and 100 percent for a no-show. The terms of stay set out the full table:
| When you cancel | Up to 7 guests | Groups of 8 to 99 | Groups of 100 or more |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 days before | — | — | 10% |
| 9 days before | — | 10% | 20% |
| Day before | 20% | 20% | 80% |
| Same day | 80% | 80% | 100% |
| No-show | 100% | 100% | 100% |
Appendix 2 of the official terms of stay, read September 30, 2026.
The legal notice page adds that travel agency and group bookings follow their own terms and that conditions can change by rate plan. If you shorten a stay, the terms charge one night (the first) whatever the number of nights dropped. The FAQ asks you to cancel by two days before your stay, and says it does not charge when you cannot come because of a natural disaster or suspended or delayed public transport. Our hotel cancellation guide explains how these fees work elsewhere in Japan.
How do I change or cancel a booking?
Bookings made on the official site or through JR Hotel Members are changed on the booking site; bookings made through a travel agency or booking site go through that agency or site, per the FAQ. For bookings made the day before or on the day, the FAQ says you pay the full amount at check-in, and the house rules say a deposit is taken if you have no booking or give only a mobile number. The reservations line is 0742-24-3011 (10:00 to 18:00).
Does Nara Hotel have an onsen, pool or gym?
Is there a public bath or hot spring?
No. The FAQ says the hotel has no hot spring, large public bath, open-air bath or private bath, and that you use the bath in your room, which is not hot spring water. There is also no sauna.
Is there a pool or gym?
No. The FAQ says there is no gym, pool or spa treatment facility. With no shared bath or pool, the official pages do not set out any tattoo rule.
Can I tour the historic building?
Guided tours are suspended, but the facilities page says the hotel hands out a pamphlet with notes so you can look around yourself. The FAQ says QR codes at eight spots play a video tour, and that visitors who are not staying may look around freely. The English history page records Prince Edward of Great Britain and Albert Einstein in 1922 and Helen Keller in 1937 among its guests.
What is next door?
The Former Daijoin Garden sits on the hotel’s south side; entry is 200 yen for adults, 9:00 to 17:00, closed Mondays (the next day when Monday is a holiday). For the great temple across the park, read our Todaiji guide.
Kids and families at Nara Hotel
Do children stay free?
Preschool children do. The FAQ says preschool children stay free when they share a bed, with no meals or bedding. Elementary school children pay the same rate as adults, with meals and bedding included. The official pages do not say how many children may share one adult’s bed. Compare other hotels’ cutoffs in our kids stay free guide.
How much are an extra bed and a baby cot?
An extra bed costs 10,120 yen per bed, tax included, and some rooms cannot take one because of their layout. The FAQ does not say whether that price includes the service charge. A paid baby cot can be borrowed, but the FAQ gives two different prices in two answers, so ask for the current fee when you book.
What does the hotel provide for kids?
Free children’s pajamas (100 cm), slippers and toothbrushes. Staff will bring hot water for formula and warm baby food on request, restaurants have high chairs, and the accessible shared restroom has a diaper-changing space. The Main Dining Room Mikasa offers a kids’ plate of fried shrimp and hamburger steak for 4,000 yen, per the FAQ.
What is not available for families?
The FAQ says there is no bed guard, kids’ room, stroller rental, nursing room or microwave, no bedwetting pads, and the hotel does not arrange childcare or babysitters.
Breakfast at Nara Hotel: price, hours and menu
How much is breakfast?
5,000 yen, and the breakfast page says the price includes consumption tax and the 15 percent service charge; the English and Japanese pages match. It is served 7:00 to 10:00 (last order 9:30) in the Main Dining Room Mikasa, though the room can change. The official pages do not list a children’s breakfast price.
What is on the menu?
It is a set meal, not a buffet; the FAQ says there is no buffet. Choose the tea porridge set, which the hotel calls a Nara dish eaten for 1,200 years, the Japanese set with white Nara rice, or the Western set with a choice of four egg dishes made with Nara eggs, including an eggs Benedict with Nara-zuke pickle tartar sauce.
Do I need to book a time?
Yes, at check-in. The FAQ says you pick a start time of 7:00, 7:30, 8:30 or 9:00. On Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, hotel guests have priority; visitors can come only on weekdays with a booking made the day before. If you leave early, the FAQ says the hotel can prepare sandwiches by room service if you ask when you book. Do not come to breakfast in a yukata or slippers.
Getting to Nara Hotel from stations and airports
Which station is closest?
| From | On foot | Taxi | Nara Kotsu bus |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kintetsu Nara | About 15 min | About 5 min | About 8 min (stop 3, toward Tenri) |
| JR Nara | About 25 min | About 8 min | About 15 min (East Exit stop 1, toward Tenri) |
Official access page (English and Japanese match), read September 30, 2026. Get off at the “Nara Hotel” stop, about 1 minute from the hotel.
Is there a free shuttle bus?
Yes. The hotel runs a free shuttle bus between the hotel, JR Nara Station and Kintetsu Nara Station, on a timetable revised June 4, 2026 and running from September 2, 2026. From the hotel, the first bus leaves at 8:30 and the last at 17:50, every 40 minutes, stopping at Kintetsu Nara to let people off and ending at JR Nara. From JR Nara, buses run from 8:45 to 18:05, picking up at Kintetsu Nara from 8:50 to 18:10. It seats 23, so it can be full, and traffic can delay it. The FAQ says there is no free airport shuttle.
How long from Kyoto, Osaka and Tokyo?
From Kyoto Station, the hotel gives about 45 minutes on the JR Nara Line Miyakoji Rapid, or on the Kintetsu Kyoto Line about 50 minutes by express and about 35 by limited express. From Osaka-Namba, about 40 minutes on a Kintetsu Nara Line rapid express; from JR Namba, about 40 minutes on a JR Yamatoji Line regional rapid; from Shin-Osaka, about 60 minutes to JR Nara on an Osaka Higashi Line direct rapid. Coming from the capital, see our Tokyo to Nara guide.
How do I get there from the airport?
The hotel’s pages point to the airport limousine bus from Osaka Itami Airport to JR Nara and Kintetsu Nara stations, but they give different journey times, so check the bus operator’s timetable before you plan on it. The hotel’s pages do not cover Kansai Airport. The FAQ says the front desk can arrange a taxi.
Parking at Nara Hotel
Is parking free?
The FAQ says the lot is free: 100 spaces for guests of the hotel, its restaurants and banquets. The access and facilities pages give no price, so treat the FAQ as the only word on the fee. The lot has one space for wheelchair users, and there is no valet parking. Our hotel parking fees guide compares other hotels.
Can I reserve a space or park before check-in?
No. The access page says the hotel does not take parking reservations, and since September 1, 2020 it has not allowed cars to park before check-in or after checkout. If the lot is full, staff may direct you to a nearby paid lot. The hotel says it takes no responsibility for theft, accidents or other trouble in the lot.
Paying, tipping and house rules at Nara Hotel
Is there a service charge or accommodation tax?
The operator’s legal notice page says prices shown for Nara Hotel include tax and the 15 percent service charge. The same page says accommodation tax applies only at its hotels in the Kyoto, Osaka and Hiroshima areas, and that its hotels elsewhere charge no accommodation tax, which covers Nara Hotel as of September 30, 2026; rules can change. The official pages say nothing about tipping.
Which cards and apps are accepted?
The FAQ says most major cards work, including Visa, Mastercard, Diners, American Express and JCB, and UnionPay. The facilities page lists PayPay, LINE Pay, merpay, au PAY, Alipay and WeChat Pay. E-money works only in the hotel shop. The front desk changes US dollars, euros, Australian dollars and Canadian dollars into yen from 6:00 to 24:00. On long stays, the house rules ask you to settle every three days, or sooner if the bill passes 100,000 yen.
Is Nara Hotel non-smoking?
Inside, yes. The room comparison table lists every room type as non-smoking. An older FAQ answer still mentions smoking rooms in the New Wing, but that predates the renovation. The FAQ says the building is non-smoking with an outdoor smoking area open at any hour, and that heated tobacco and e-cigarettes count as tobacco.
Can I walk around in the hotel yukata?
No. The Japanese house rules list leaving your room in nightwear, yukata, bathrobes or slippers among the things guests must not do, and the FAQ asks you to wear room wear and slippers only inside your room. The English translation of the house rules reads the other way, so go by the Japanese version.
Can I bring a pet?
No. The FAQ says pets are not allowed. Guide dogs, service dogs and hearing dogs may come into the hotel; tell the hotel when you book.
Which house rules surprise foreign guests?
Food delivery from outside restaurants is not allowed. Only staying guests may enter the guest room floors. The hotel cannot give out medicine, but the front desk has plasters and antiseptic. Leftovers from breakfast or dinner cannot be taken away. Items left behind are kept about three months, and the hotel does not contact you about them. The terms cap the hotel’s liability at 150,000 yen for undeclared valuables. On language, the FAQ says there are English-speaking staff; note that the English FAQ answers are machine-translated.
Who Nara Hotel is for
History lovers, who can sleep in a 1909 building with mantelpieces. Families with preschool children, who share a bed free. Drivers, since the FAQ says parking is free. It is a harder fit if you want an onsen, pool or gym, or if you book the cheapest Main Building room expecting a separate bath and toilet.
Frequently asked questions
What changed at Nara Hotel in 2026?
Does Nara Hotel have an onsen, pool or gym?
What is the cancellation policy at Nara Hotel?
What if I arrive late at Nara Hotel?
Do children stay free at Nara Hotel?
How much is breakfast at Nara Hotel?
Is parking free at Nara Hotel?
How do I get to Nara Hotel from the station?
Bottom line (2026): Nara Hotel’s West Wing, formerly the New Wing, reopened on September 2, 2026, and every room type is non-smoking. It checks in from 15:00 and out by 11:00. Canceling costs 20 percent the day before and 80 percent on the day. There is no onsen, pool or gym. Preschoolers share a bed free, breakfast is 5,000 yen, and a free shuttle runs to JR Nara and Kintetsu Nara.
Sources
Every rule and figure on this page is from Nara Hotel and its operator’s own pages: the official site (Japanese) and English site, the facilities page, the room comparison table, the rooms page, the breakfast page, the access page, the renewal page, the history page, the Daijoin Garden page, the press releases of March 12, 2026 and September 2, 2026, the terms of stay and house rules in Japanese and English, the operator’s legal notice page, and the hotel’s FAQ, all read on September 30, 2026. Where the FAQ disagrees with the newer pages, we follow the newer pages or give both. Confirm on the official site before you book.
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