The location was great, very accessible via public transit as we took a train from Kyoto. The shuttle service provided by the hotel was efficient and the staff were friendly and accommodating. The meals provided (kaiseki dinner and breakfast) were also excellent! We booked a room with a private bath and it was spacious and comfortable. I also liked that the hotel provided a quick evening tour (free shuttle) to Wakakusayama Hill, which overlooks the city of Nara. While it was quite cloudy (we couldn't appreciate the stars in the sky) the view of the cityscape from the hill was breathtaking.

The layout of the hotel was quite large so it took some walking to get to and from our room and the dining area. It was cold at night (we visited in November / autumn) and some areas were open. I did wish the short trip to Wakakusayama was offered during the day as well to appreciate the view, or have an English guide. But otherwise it was still a very authentic feeling experience.

Where to start? This ryokan is located in between the mountains inside Nara Park. This makes for a beautiful scenery although only accesible by taxi or the provided free shuttle bus. The room itself was spacious and traditional japanese style, which included a balcony. All included meals were absolutely fantastic; truly a worthy experience. We went to the onsen at night and we had it all for ourselves, which added a touch more of relaxation to the bath. Lastly, all the staff, from the front desk to the restaurant, were quite friendly and spoke english. They even provided us with some free tours and activities. We are so glad that we decided to go for a stay like this one here in Nara instead of in Kyoto.

Mikasa was a wonderful place to stay for a visit in Nara. Perfect place to unplug and treat yourself, thanks to the atmosphere of the hotel and the a tentative staff, that went above and beyond to make our stay memorable. The rooms and onsen are complete with all amenities needed. The onsens in particular are beautiful and relaxing, and are available late in the evening, so can be used after dinner as well. The traditional dinner and breakfast in a personal dining room are an experience in itself. Especially recommend the room with the personal hot bathtub. The room is very spacious and the futons the staff lay for the evening are surprisingly comfortable after a trip to the onsen. If we ever get the chance to visit Japan and Nara, we will definatelly book another stay.

The room was very pretty, with an extra sitting area right in front of the window. The floor was fully tatami and even with the futons unfolded there was ample space to move around. The food was served in a private room, delicious and plenty. The Onsen was very clean, with two baths, one outside and one onside.

Even though the staff was incredibly friendly, only few of them spoke english. Since my partner diesn't speak japanese, I had to help translate almost every single conversation, Also there was no closet space in the room.

The experience and treatment were exceptional. We felt like royalty in their presence because of how we got treated. Some of the staff can communicate in english but not all but they try their best. We had an tatami room and slept on the futon which was very comfortable. Also the onsen is really nice and they so allow small tattoos but if you are more aware of the culture for the elders you can still bathe later at night or after breakfast. They have a shuttle bus that provides a ride to the center of Nara once to go and then you have a choice of different times to go back. Also the luggage storage in front of the station really helped to explore nara without having to walk around with all of that. The food was really extravagant and very Japanese overall delicious.

The dishes were a little bit intimidating for us who aren’t used to eating raw dishes and lots of fish.

This was the best hotel I've ever stayed in, the experience was amazing and the staff were incredibly attentive. If you want a Ryokan experience with a delicious traditional Japanese breakfast and dinner, plus onsen. Then do yourself a favour and treat yourself to Mikasa, it was truly the best part of our trip in Japan. I highly recommend paying the extra bit to get a room with the private onsen bath it was heavenly.

Nothing, the stay was amazing and the staff treated us like royalty. Best service I've ever had, highly recommend this Ryokan.

Amazing place on a mountain in the deer park of Nara. Staff could not be friendlier or more helpful. You felt like a real guest there and they went out of their way to make you feel comfortable. The meals were exquisite and very nicely presented. The next day they drove us to the temples and dropped our luggage off near the station. Was nice to use the Onsen as well. Special experience.

Not the fault of the hotel but sleeping on the floor with very thin mattrasses is traditional Japanese but not my idea of comfort, so did not sleep well. Compensated by all the other aspects of the traditional experience.

The room was beautiful and the view spectacular! However, the cherry on top has to be the breakfast and dinner they gave us. Extremely fulfilling and delicious! One of my favorite hotels in Nara so far.

It's quite far from the city, so you'll have to take a car/bus to get to the hotel and it's a 10 minute commute. However, I did not mind, since I wanted to be away from the city and closer to nature. They also had a bus close to the station that can keep your baggage and can also take you to the hotel, so it's convenient.

I loved how easy it was to get to from the JR Nara station! You could request a car from the property and you'll need to meet them at the designated spot. Upon entering the property, you'll see your name on a board and it feels so special! Ladies will get to choose their own yukata to wear for the duration of the stay, which was super fun. If you're taller than 5'7", you'll need to request a longer size (I'm short so this didn't matter). If you're a man and you're taller than 5'10" or something, you'll need to let them know so they can get you a larger yukata as well. I also loved the property itself. The baths were so relaxing, and the outdoor one was my favorite. The beauty of a place like this is that it's small, so you know it won't be overly crowded. This makes the onsen experience as tranquil as one would expect it to be. The breakfast was by far my favorite part. The kaiseki dinner was wonderful, but it's one of those things where you have to really be sure your stomach can handle everything. They also accommodated my allergies.

The main downside for me was more my own bad luck. My friends had taken the spots for sleeping that were in line with the air conditioning, and I was unlucky and got the one under the air conditioning. For four people in the room, there's likely a fourth person (like myself) who will be unlucky and won't get the air. It got very dry in the room so it was difficult to sleep.

It offers a beautiful view of Nara and an experience of Japanese traditional food and lifestyle. There were so many different dishes served for dinner, and it was very beautifully served.

It was very difficult to communicate with the staff and the waitresses since they didn't understand English very well. We would have appreciated some more explanation of all the dishes served at dinner.