yoinn nara

Most people visit Nara for the deer. This is the other part.

South of Gojo, the landscape changes — sacred mountains, river gorges, and, just north, the ancient capital of Asuka, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In September the rivers and gorges are still clear and warm — the Mitarai gorge, the Tanize suspension bridge, the Yoshino river at your doorstep — and Asuka's rice terraces turn red with spider lilies. From late October the mountains turn colour: Koyasan, then Yoshino and Mitarai through November. Small towns that still feel like another century.

This autumn, for stays of three nights or more, the drive is on us — for the first 10 groups. Tell us what you're drawn to on a short form beforehand, and we'll build a route around it — three or four places, at a pace that lets you actually be somewhere, not just pass through. Out by day; and by night, back to a house and a town that are completely quiet — the stillness the rest of Nara doesn't have.

The Other Nara tour (usually ¥20,000) is complimentary for 3-night+ stays, September–November 2026. First 10 groups only. Up to 4 people. Depart 10:00, return ~17:00. Lunch and entry fees not included.

A one-minute walk from yoinn, through the door of GOJO GIROCCO — a bar set inside a sake brewery built over 300 years ago.

The evening begins with kakinoha-zushi, a specialty of Gojo, made by hand in-house. The course unfolds over eight dishes: seasonal vegetables, Yamato beef, and a final bowl of seasonal rice cooked in a clay pot.

To drink — a fresh fruit cocktail, or a local sake from Gojo.

Let the evening linger.

Advance reservation required.

Meals are not provided (room only).

After check-in, put on a record in the main room. Light the charcoal in the garden, or set a pot on the stove in the kitchen. In the evening, walk down Shimmachi-dori to a local restaurant. The next morning, pick up ingredients from a nearby supermarket, and the day begins with fresh coffee.

**Kitchen**
- Cookware, pots and pans / tableware and cutlery / basic condiments (oil, soy sauce, salt, pepper)
- Single IH hob, portable gas stove, refrigerator, microwave/oven, rice cooker, coffee maker
- Freshly roasted coffee, tea, and water (complimentary)
- Please bring your own ingredients

Gojo and Yoshino are dotted with local ingredients and restaurants with character. For where to eat, or where to find good local produce, just ask us.

**Who can stay: up to 8**

Shimmachi-dori runs through a row of merchant houses that has stood for some four hundred years. Inside: a main room, a kitchen, and two tatami rooms. The garden is roofed, so the charcoal lights even in the rain. A 100-year-old machiya, about 124 square meters.

In the evening, someone lights the charcoal in the garden. In the kitchen a pot goes on the heat; in the main room, one record plays. Even with eight of you, one stays by the fire, one sinks into the low sofa, one lies down in a tatami room — and without anyone deciding it, the house divides into places to be. As the night grows later the talk drops lower, and in the morning you come to the kitchen in the order you wake.

**Who can stay**
- Bedroom A: two queen beds (add one futon set for up to 5)
- Bedroom B: two single beds (add one futon set for up to 3)

**What the house holds**
- Kitchen: cookware, tableware, and cutlery for your full party / basic condiments (oil, soy sauce, salt, pepper) / single IH hob, portable gas stove, refrigerator, microwave, oven, rice cooker, coffee maker
- Garden: a full set of BBQ and fire-pit gear (roofed, so it works in the rain too)
- Freshly roasted coffee, tea, and water / a low sofa and a record player in the main room (there is no television)
- Towels, toothbrushes and other amenities, hairdryer / air conditioning, Wi-Fi / parking for two cars

**What to bring**
- Firewood, charcoal, and food for the BBQ and fire pit
- Sleepwear (none is provided)

Most people visit Nara for the deer. This is the other part.

South of Gojo, the landscape changes. Sacred mountains, ancient ruins, river gorges, small towns that still feel like they belong to another century. These places exist — they're just not on the usual itinerary.

On one day of your stay, I'll drive you into the mountains. Tell me what draws you — ancient history, sacred peaks, forest rivers, quiet old towns — and I'll build a route around that. We'll visit three or four places at a pace that leaves room to actually be somewhere.

▶︎ What's included
- Private car (up to 4 guests)
- Local guidance for the day
- A route built around your interests

▶︎ What's not included
- Entrance fees
- Lunch (options suggested based on where we go)

Departure: 10:00 from yoinn / Return: around 17:00