Raise a Toast to Japanese Hospitality at the World’s First Sake Hotel
Concept
Extend your trip to Japan’s old capital with a stay at the Nipponia Hotel Nara Naramachi, a luxurious boutique hotel built around sake, the country’s national drink. Our facility consists of renovated storehouses and private residences that once belonged to the Toyosawa Sake Brewery, established more than 150 years ago.
While featuring many modern amenities, the upscale accommodations retain the timeless charm of traditional Japanese aesthetics that will take you on a journey back in time and into the essence of sake.
Enjoy a bath with sake lees, take a tour of the Toyosawa Brewery, and savor local cuisine elevated to new heights of flavor with exclusive aperitifs or digestifs carefully selected by our sommelier in the heart of Nara, the birthplace of modern sake.
Discover Nara
From 710 to 794, the city of Nara served as the seat of the imperial court and to this day exudes the majesty and grandeur of those days with the Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara, a designated UNESCO World Heritage site. In recent years, though, travelers have begun to also recognize Nara for its excellently preserved townscapes from the Edo period (1603–1867), when the art of sake was refined in the Naramachi area.
However, much like the water vein that runs from Kasuga Taisha Shrine—its water used in making Japan’s famous alcoholic drink centuries ago—the history of Nara sake remains hidden below the surface. Come uncover it at the Nipponia Hotel Nara Naramachi.
Expand Your Itinerary
It is only a fifteen-minute walk from the hotel to Kasuga Taisha, a Shinto shrine established in 768 that helped inspire the design of Japan’s iconic torii. The path to the shrine leads through Nara Park with its free-roaming deer. Once thought of as messengers of the gods, the animals today are protected as natural monuments and symbols of Nara.
Also found on the park grounds is the Todaiji Temple, the world’s largest wooden structure and home to the biggest bronze statue of the Vairocana Buddha. Furthermore, because of its proximity to Nara Station, Nipponia Hotel Nara Naramachi is the perfect base from which to explore the Kansai region, including Kyoto and Osaka.
Our Story
The Toyosawa Sake Brewery was established in 1868 just as the Edo period gave way to the Meiji period, ushering Japan into modernity. With time, the company became the official supplier of sake to the Todaiji Temple and the Kasuga Taisha Shrine. As it expanded, the brewery added storehouses and private lodgings to the site that would one day become the Nipponia Hotel Nara Naramachi.
With that connection, the hotel is today a gateway into Japanese history, preserving traces of its many distinct eras and, moreover, combining these with modern comforts to give its guests the best of both worlds.
Living History
Kanoto: A former private residence, this compact accommodation has been restored to its former glory and features a tatami (straw-mat) space once used for hosting Japanese tea ceremony. Guests staying at the Kanoto can also appreciate the cherry wood used extensively throughout the room, as well as views of the hotel’s tranquil garden.
Rooms
Just as sake is a testament to the integrated beauty of simplicity and complexity—being made with only rice, water, yeast, and koji mold combined in an intricate process—so is the Nipponia Hotel Nara Naramachi with its fine natural materials fashioned into a simple, elegant design. The facility offers only eight guest rooms, each one decorated in earthy, wooden tones that in places give way to a monochromatic color scheme.
The accommodations are classified into three categories based on their size, historic architecture, and maximum capacity: VMG Premier, VMG Grand, and VMG Comfort. They range in size from thirty-seven to fifty-four square meters, and each can accommodate one to three guests. Although equipped with modern amenities, the rooms do not have televisions, allowing guests to escape the hustle and bustle of the outside world.
Restaurants & Dining
A new world of singular gastronomic delights awaits you at Le Un, Nipponia Hotel Nara Naramachi’s cozy counter restaurant renovated from a traditional Japanese house that had an earthen floor. With casual French dishes that elevate the rich and natural flavors of locally sourced Nara ingredients, the lunch and dinner courses include sake lees and sake pairings only available at the hotel. Guests can also savor limited-edition and freshly brewed sake delivered directly from the Toyosawa Sake Brewery.
Those taking their first steps into the world of sake should put themselves into the capable hands of the sommelier, who is well versed in all the brands and vintages available at Nipponia Nara. The hotel’s drink menu, which also includes wines, champagnes, and shochu (a distilled alcoholic drink), is available throughout the day, allowing guests the chance to take a delightful break from strolling around Naramachi or to raise a glass after a full day of sightseeing.
Capacity: 4 (Table), 12 (Counter)
Lunch: 11:30 a.m.–3:00 p.m. (Last order 2:00 p.m. )
Dinner: 5:30 p.m.–10:00 p.m. (Last order p.m. )
Our Difference
Sake Lees Bath: We offer baths with sake lees, which reputedly improve blood circulation, treat sensitivity to cold, and beautify the skin. Selected rooms are equipped with hinoki cypress baths known for their smooth and soft texture. The wooden baths have been a staple of high-end Japanese bathing establishments for centuries because of their natural oil content and fragrant aroma.
Welcome
Our mission is to present our guests with the gift of time. Time that seems to flow endlessly through Japanese nature and culture. Time set aside for making lifelong memories with your loved ones. Time that you will one day reflect back on with a smile.
We strive to give you those experiences through the art of Japanese hospitality, accommodations that tell rich stories from Japan’s great past, and the breaking of language barriers by our English-speaking staff. We hope to see you soon.
Number of rooms: 8
Capacity: 1–3 guests per room
Check-in: 3:00 p.m.–8:00 p.m.
Checkout: Until noon
Languages: Japanese, English
Telephone: +81-6-4256-6887