served at a few high chairs at the small
counter, Tabi is just the kind of place the city
didn’t realise it was missing. It might also
help to rejuvenate the market and is certainly
a breath of fresh air.
As Nara is less than an hour from Kyoto,
many visitors don’t bother to spend the night.
It’s a real shame, as while the city might not
have a vibrant nightlife, a late evening stroll
along the quiet streets of the old Naramachi
area brings its own rewards. Most of the
architecture is preserved wooden family
homes, and street lighting is kept cosy with
the odd lantern in front of restaurants and
old lamp posts; near the Sarusawa pond, one
is rewarded with majestic views of the ive-
storied pagoda of Kofukuji Temple. Follow
this up with inventive cocktails at the Lamp
Bar (mixologist Michito Kaneko won the top
prize at the 2015 World Class bartending
competition) or a cold beer over simmered
oden dishes at Take no Yakata, a favourite
after-hours hangout among locals.
There are a handful of nice ryokans within
or near the stunning Nara Park, or the classic
(but, let’s be honest, rather rundown) Nara
Hotel designed by Kingo Tatsuno in 1909, but
for me the only proper place to stay is Kidera-
no-ie. Kidera, as it is often known, is a series
of ive townhouses on the outskirts of the
Naramachi district. Originally scheduled for
demolition, they were painstakingly restored
by the Fujioka family, who wanted to show
that in the right hands, these small homes
could not only live on as specimens of
architectural history but also lead the way in
combining traditional vernacular buildings
with a modern way of life. The ive homes
now sit in a little pocket of what Nara could
look like, if people such as Shunpei Fujioka
and his father Ryusuke, the architects behind
the hotel, had more of a say in city planning.
The attention to detail is astounding, from
the carefully renovated Shōwa interiors with
fresh tatami mats and spotless earthen walls,
to the thin cotton string tied around the
spare roll of toilet paper. Each residence is
diferent, but all come with a kitchenette,
bathrooms (many with hinoki cypress
bathtubs), separate sleeping and living areas,
and a small garden. Unlike a room at a regular
hotel, the Kidera homes ofer the chance to
live in Nara like a local and experience the
charms of an old townhouse. Guests are left
pretty much to themselves after being given
their keys, though staf can be reached by
phone 24/7 should the need arise. (^) »
Located next to Nara Park,
the 1909 Nara Hotel is
an example of late Meiji
architecture. It is the work
of Kingo Tatsuno, the
architect of Tokyo Station