Family-Friendly Hotels in Kashihara, Tenri & Ikoma: Old Nara at Ease

When you start looking for a family hotel in Kashihara, Tenri, or Ikoma, it is hard to know what to judge it by. Say Nara and most people picture the city center, home to Todaiji temple and Nara Park, but with a small child in tow those central hotels fill up quickly and it is not always easy to secure a room where everyone can actually rest. That is where this area, spreading across the central and northwestern parts of the prefecture, comes into its own.

What characterizes this stretch of countryside is the gentle way history and nature run into each other: the Yamanobe no Michi, said to be the oldest road in Japan; Kashihara, ringed by the three hills of Yamato; Ikaruga, where Horyuji temple stands, associated with Prince Shotoku; and Mount Ikoma, rising right on the border with Osaka. The sights sit close together, which makes it easy to build the kind of day that works with children, one stop in the morning and a nap back at the hotel in the afternoon. Not having to strap your child in for a long ride every time you move makes a bigger difference than you would expect.

The kinds of rooms on offer are clear cut, too. Of the 10 properties we list, 9 have Japanese-style or Japanese-Western rooms. A tatami room means you can lay futons side by side without needing a crib, and there is real peace of mind in putting a crawling baby down on the floor. The fact that you never have to worry about a fall from the bed is reason enough for many families to choose tatami. Some properties, such as Shigisan Kanko Hotel, also offer low beds or tatami beds and loan out baby futons, so you can match the room to however your child falls asleep.

On the food side, 5 properties serve meals in your room. Being able to feed your child without worrying about the people at the next table is a genuine relief during the weaning months and the years of dropped food. Ryotei Jyuuniya and Taishoro let you eat in the room, while whole-house rentals such as Horyuji Kuretakeso Sui-en, a private house with a semi-open-air hot spring bath, or the old farmhouse cottage Kominka Cottage Kanon let you keep to your own pace without a thought for anyone else. Bathing works the same way: choose the private reservable bath at Business Hotel Kirakuso, or a room with its own indoor or open-air bath, and even a baby who has not yet made a public bath debut can soak comfortably.

What you need changes with the size of your family and the age of your children. Do you want space to spread out in a big tatami room, to keep meals entirely in the room, or to settle in all day at a hotel with somewhere to play? Deciding on just one of these priorities narrows the list down dramatically.