Guesthouse in Nara – “Naramachi”

May 26, 2024 96 Views

The place I chose to stay during this Nara trip was “Haruya Naramachi.” However, whether due to a mistake in the Google Maps search or other reasons, I had “Guesthouse Naramachi” saved. As a result, unknowingly, I followed Google Maps to “Guesthouse Naramachi.”

“Guesthouse Naramachi” was located about a 20-minute walk from Kintetsu Nara Station. I arrived at Nara Station around 8 PM, and upon leaving the vicinity of the station and entering the neighborhood, it had a quiet atmosphere. It felt like I had entered a rural village. While dragging my suitcase and making a bit of noise, I couldn’t help but feel a bit apologetic in the extremely quiet neighborhood. My only thought was to quickly arrive at the guesthouse and eliminate this noise.

“The Mistakenly Visited Guesthouse Naramachi”

So, I continued to drag my suitcase for about 20 minutes from the station. Eventually, I reached the guesthouse. Even from the outside, the guesthouse exuded a quite elegant atmosphere, and staying in a traditional Japanese house in Nara seemed like it would create some wonderful memories.

Upon opening the door and entering, there was no one in sight. As it was a guesthouse, I thought this might be a casual way of welcoming guests. Taking a few pictures, thinking that there must be someone somewhere, I explored and found an elderly man in what seemed to be a dining area.

I approached the elderly man and explained that I had made an online reservation and would like to check in. He seemed a bit flustered as he checked the guesthouse information. It seemed like he might not have received my guest information. Asking him to check the reservation information again, it turned out that I had mistakenly come to the wrong guesthouse.

“Kind Reception by the Guesthouse’s Elderly Gentleman”

Fortunately, the elderly man from the guesthouse kindly responded. He explained that there were many guesthouses named “Naramachi” in the Nara area, and it was okay. He then provided directions on how to get to the “Haruya Naramachi” where I had made the reservation, marking the route on a map.

Thanks to him, although the route turned out to be more convoluted than expected, I was able to add an episode to my Nara visit. Apologizing for the mistake, I mentioned that if I ever visit Nara again, I would like to stay at this place, and then I left to find my originally booked accommodation.

Even though it was the wrong guesthouse, the elderly man’s reception was friendly, and the atmosphere of the guesthouse was not bad. If I ever return to the Nara area and plan to stay, I might consider staying at this place, thanks to the kind encounter.

“Nara Guesthouse – Naramachi”