A Quaint, Warm and Welcoming Guesthouse Tamura in Nara

I arrived into a Nara that was slightly overcast and notably colder than Kyoto. Soon enough, I found my way from the train station to the Japanese homestay called Guesthouse Tamura. I had only one evening in Nara and I chose a Japanese homestay as my accommodation. I had never slept on a tatami before, and it was certainly a novelty that I welcomed. As it turned out, I slept the best in this homey environment as well, out of my week-long stay in Japan.


The Tamura Guesthosuse is located in a somewhat obscure back street, but the closest landmark is Hotel Nara. I chose Guesthouse Tamura because of its location. It is walkable to the Nara Park near by. The Garden of the Former Dajyo-in Temple is also right next to the guesthouse, and the scenery there is quite beautiful too.


The owners live on the premise, so if you need anything, help is certainly close by. The only thing to note is that the guesthouse is usually closed in the afternoon. Therefore, unless you are already staying indoors at the guesthouse, you would not be able to enter and drop off your belonging during the period around 2pm to 5pm. I was very fortunate that I arrived early in the morning that day and managed to greet the landlady there, and drop off my heavy baggage, before she headed out for her afternoon shopping.


The homestay is well known for its traditional Nara breakfast, but I would be rushing back to Osaka for my flight the next day. I thus declined the landlady’s kind offer to cook me breakfast.


#nara #guesthouse #narahotel #narapark #japan #kansai
#trip

Post by Helen Yu (Chestnut Journal) | Mar 28, 2025