Nara Ugaya Guesthouse

Nara


This chill backpackers' inn offers a tight warren of bunk-bed dorms and Japanese-style rooms a short walk from Naramachi. Convivial common areas are a good place to meet other travellers, there are laundry machines, and guests can explore using the inn's own city map. Breakfast of chagayu (roasted-tea rice porridge) costs ¥400 extra.

Ask the owner to give you a demonstration of the biwa (traditional Japanese lute).


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Nara attractions

1. Kōfuku-ji Three-Storey Pagoda

0.32 MILES

Kōfuku-ji's oldest structure is this often-overlooked, elegant three-storey pagoda built in 1181, a rare example of Heian-era architecture.

2. Kōfuku-ji Nanen-dō

0.35 MILES

Kōfuku-ji's southern octagonal hall, first built in 813 (and most recently reconstructed in 1789), enshrines an image of the bodhisattva Kannon.

3. Kōfuku-ji Hokuen-dō

0.36 MILES

Kōfuku-ji's northern octagonal hall was first built in 721. The current reconstruction is c 1210, making it the second-oldest structure at Kōfuku-ji.

4. Kōfuku-ji

0.42 MILES

Kōfuku-ji was founded in Kyoto in 669 and relocated here in 710. The original Nara temple complex had 175 buildings, though much has been lost over the…

5. Naramachi Monogatari-kan

0.43 MILES

This traditional-style house is now a community arts centre, with exhibitions and occasional live performances.

7. Kōfuku-ji Tōkondō

0.47 MILES

Kōfuku-ji's Tōkondō is a National Treasure dating from 726 and rebuilt in 1415 (but paying homage to older structures). It houses several important…

8. Kōfuku-ji National Treasure Museum

0.5 MILES

Reopened in 2018, this compact museum houses Kōfuku-ji's most important works of art, many of which date to the 8th century (and have managed to survive…