This was our first Ryokan experience and it couldn't have gone any better. The hotel was easy enough to find. It's a 3-min walk to Kintetsu Nara Station. Location is great as there are plenty of small coffee shops up and down the street. If you walk out to the main street and cross is, there are dozens of eateries and boutique souvenir shops. There's also a Cafe that's inside the hotel. Facilities were clean and bright. Staff was very friendly and helpful. We dropped off our luggage before check in time and when we came back to actually check in, everything had already beeb put neatly in our rooms. Check in/out process was very quick. The room itself was japanese style with a sitting area next to the window. There was enough room to comfortably sleep 4 people, which is a very nice contrast to all these other micro rooms in Japanese 3 star hotels. Amazing dinner served directly in our room. They also let you choose a time that you prefer to have dinner at. Staff also laid out the futons and cleaned up everything. We took a look at the onsen, but it was kind of small and everyone had to use it at a specified time in the evening, so we opted out of that. Nice to have that option though. Breakfast was served in the dining room on the ground floor. Western Style was better than Japanese style as it was more flavorful. Overall, we had a great experience and would definitely stay again. This ryokan made our Nara stay extremely enjoyable.

I liked everything about this place tbh.

Nara Hakushikasou (The White Deer Lodge) is my favourite hotel in Nara. I have used it many times now. It is within 5 minutes from the Kintetsu Nara railway station so getting there from Kyoto or Osaka is very easy. It is located in a quiet pedestrian street with lots of little shop, cafes and restaurants. I always use the Japanese Ryokan style rooms but they have Western rooms also if you do not like to sleep on a futon. I nor2mally ask to have three futons under me so as to not feel the hard tatami mats. There is an inside small hot bath (Onsen) open after 1500 which is just superb. You have the option of having dinner served in your room and the food is truly superb. As to service? This is Japan so of course it is excellent and the stadd is very, very friendly. Breakfast is either Japanese or Western. Again top quality. In the lobby there is a nice ittle cafe that also serve light meals during the day. If you visit Nara, there is no better choice.

The staff were very courteous and welcoming. We stayed in one of the traditional rooms and had the breakfast and dinner (recommend doing both!). The presentation and quality of the food were excellent. While our room had a private bath and two toilets, we also enjoyed the onsen (public bath).

For the public bathing experience in the onsen, it might be helpful to have a small pamphlet that describe the proper etiquette (besides covering tattoos) for foreigners who are not familiar with the customs. But otherwise quite enjoyable!

The best Japanese traditional hotel we have ever stayed in Japan! My girlfriend came to Nara ten years ago and stayed in this hotel. Ten years later, we checked in again, and everything was still perfect, comfortable and reassuring. We have a beautiful and large tatami room. The staff will help transport the luggage to the room and guide it very thoughtfully. The futon will be laid out by staff before going to bed, and after breakfast in the morning they will help to take it away. You can experience tatami, futons, Japanese closets, chairs and balconies, as well as beautiful Japanese yukata. There are also snacks and matcha on the table to enjoy. Breakfast is included in the room rate. Nara Hakushikaso's traditional Japanese breakfast is as gorgeous and delicious as ever. We really like all the services and details of this hotel, and they have been excellent for more than a decade. If you come in the right season, you can even see their show calling the deer to run down the mountain in the morning. It only takes about ten minutes to walk to this hotel from Nara Railway Station. I highly recommend this hotel to every friend who comes to Nara.

No, everything is perfect.

Although in a modern building, the rooms were Japanese style, very comfortable and with a lovely ambience. The location was superb, near most of the things of interest. The communal baths were a bonus and the yukatas were very comfortable. The room also came with very smart jackets to go over the yukatas. We really enjoyed the stay.

Like everywhere else we stayed in Japan, they were very strict about the 3pm curfew on getting access to the room. This is probably a cultural thing, so was not a problem, rather a minor inconvenience. As the hotel catered mostly to Japanese, the staff spoke very little English - again, not a problem.

Extremely friendly staff, the kaiseki dinner was delicious with a lot of variety, same for the breakfast (opted for Japanese style). Everything was clean, the room was amazing, clean yukatas and haoris were provided daily, the futon beds were very comfortable. This Ryokan is very well located as it's very close to the Kintetsu-Nara train station (with direct trains to both Kyoto and Osaka) and the main streets while still in a very quiet area. Definitely recommend to anyone staying in Nara, either for just one night or for a few days!

Nothing!

We are a family of four Europeans that stayed in a Japanese style family room. I wouldn’t call the room modern but it seemed genuinely authentic complete with futon beds, low furniture, and a tea set. The bathroom was small but had a nice tub and shower and very nice soap, shampoo, and conditioner - and an automatic toilet of course. Every day when we went to breakfast, the friendly staff rolled up our futons and left a 2 liter water bottle for us. We had both the Japanese and western style breakfast. The western style breakfast had a lot of little surprising dishes, everything was well-prepared. The Japanese breakfast was amazing. The friendly staff asked their guests the leave the key in the reception when we left the hotel. They recognised us from the first day and went to get our key before we could tell them our room number. There’s also a super nice onsen.

Having to leave the room key in the reception was a bit annoying.

This hotel has an excellent location, and the staff are wonderfully kind and welcoming. We had the pleasure of staying in a traditional Japanese-style room, which made for a truly memorable experience. The room was spacious, immaculately clean, and inviting. The public bath was relaxing. The food was absolutely delightful. It’s absolutely worth staying here—we recommend it!

Bathroom drain could be a clogged

The location was excellent - just a few steps away from the train station and convenient for everything we wanted to do. The room wear yukatas the hotel provided were a lovely touch. We tried and enjoyed all three breakfast options. The public baths were clean and easy to find.

Some of the ambiance felt a little low-market compared to the price point. The room was visibly worn.

The value for price here is great. The staff were friendly and the hospitality was incredible. I dropped off my baggage early for storage prior to check-in time. I had an injury on my chin with a bandage - by the time I came back to the hotel for check in and was shown to my room, the hotel staff had even gone as far as putting a new bandage and cotton swab in my room with the yukata robe for me to use. I was blown away by their attention and caring. I would happily book here again.