Mikasa Onsen Toryukan
by the TopOfHotel team
Mikasa is a hillside ryokan on Mt. Wakakusa where every room comes with its own private onsen — a Hinoki cypress or Mino ceramic bath — plus mountain views and an A5 Yamato Wagyu kaiseki.
Mikasa is a hillside ryokan on Mt. Wakakusa where every room comes with its own private onsen — a Hinoki cypress or Mino ceramic bath — plus mountain views and an A5 Yamato Wagyu kaiseki.
In-Depth Review
Rooms and decor
The Cypress Open-Air Bath room runs ¥36,000 a night (about $245) with breakfast and a kaiseki dinner included. It measures 24 sq m plus a 6 sq m onsen balcony, and the look is pure ryokan — fresh Tatami floors, wooden Shoji screens, a low Chabudai table in Hinoki wood, and a premium five-layer Tojaku futon. The piece that matters most is the cypress open-air bath out on the balcony: a Hinoki tub 60 cm deep and 1.5 by 1 metre, with a soft scent of wood and a faint mineral spring called komeiseki piped in from the headwaters at Yoshino. It runs 24 hours, so you can soak whenever you like — under the stars at night, with birdsong in the morning, and Mt. Wakakusa in front of you the whole time. No hotel down in the city can match that.
Food and amenities
At 18:30 a staff member knocks and carries in a 10-course kaiseki dinner. It opens with a soybean yuba sakizuke and a six-piece zensai in a carved wooden box, then a clear suimono soup, five kinds of sashimi (Yamato salmon, tuna belly, sea bream, sea urchin), a simmered taro-and-matsutake nimono, six pieces of tempura, and the centrepiece — 100 grams of A5 Yamato Wagyu, grade-12 marbled Nara beef grilled on a hot stone beside your table. It closes with Koshihikari rice, miso soup and three desserts (matcha pudding, yokan and seasonal fruit), all paired with local Yamato sake from the Imanishi Brewery. Beyond the in-room baths, there are two large bathhouses: Tenpyo no Yu, built in the Tempyo-period style of around 700 AD with reddish-brown stone floors, an indoor bath, an outdoor bath and a sauna, all on the komeiseki spring, and Komyo no Yu, a minimalist Zen room in Hinoki wood with a gentler mineral water.
Location and getting there
Mikasa sits on the Mt. Wakakusa hillside, about 50 metres above the city, with Nara Park, Todai-ji and Kasuga Taisha all close by and the 342-metre hill rising directly behind. It is 1.5 km from Nara Park and 3 km from JR Nara, so you ride the free shuttle in — reserve it when you book — or take a taxi for about $10. Todai-ji is 1.2 km away, a 15-minute walk downhill or 5 minutes on the shuttle. Kimono-clad staff greet you with a welcome matcha and wagashi in a Tatami lobby with a 5-metre ceiling, and the whole place is genuinely quiet because it sits well away from any traffic.
Things to know before booking
The biggest catch is the distance: at 3 km from the city you are tied to that free shuttle, and it only runs every 2 hours, so a missed slot means a $10 taxi. The meals-included rate of about $245 a night is higher than the hotels in the centre — fair given it covers dinner and breakfast, but worth budgeting for. And in winter the Wakakusa hillside has noticeably fewer deer roaming about than the crowds you find down in Nara Park. If you time it for the 4th Saturday of January, though, you can watch the Wakakusa Yamayaki — the whole mountain set ablaze with 600 fireworks — straight from your onsen balcony, and Mikasa is the closest hotel for it.
Our take
Mikasa Onsen Toryukan is the best private-onsen ryokan in Nara — up on Mt. Wakakusa, with a Cypress or Ceramic bath in every one of its 28 rooms, two large bathhouses, an A5 Yamato Wagyu kaiseki, mountain views, and a front-row seat for the Yamayaki burn. The 9.2/10 score from more than 1,800 reviews backs that up. At around $245 a night with both meals in, it is best for honeymooning couples, private-onsen devotees, kaiseki foodies, and anyone who would happily trade the city centre for the quiet of the Wakakusa hillside.
Score Breakdown
Assessed by our editorial team from data and real guest reviews
The Honest Verdict — pros & what to know
- Every one of the 28 rooms has its own private onsen — you choose between a Hinoki cypress bath or a Mino ceramic one, both the same price, and most guests go for the cypress.
- Two large bathhouses on top of the in-room baths: Tenpyo no Yu, done in the Tempyo-period style of around 700 AD, and Komyo no Yu, a minimalist Zen room in Hinoki wood. Both run on the komeiseki mineral spring.
- Genuine Mt. Wakakusa views — the 342-metre hill burned every January for the Yamayaki festival. Mikasa is the closest hotel from which to watch it.
- Dinner is a 10-course kaiseki centred on 100 grams of A5 Yamato Wagyu, the famed Nara beef, grilled on a hot stone beside your table and served with local Yamato sake from the Imanishi Brewery.
- A free shuttle runs from JR Nara — just reserve it when you book, and it doubles as your ride to Todai-ji and Nara Park.
- It sits 3 km from the city, so you depend on the free shuttle, which only runs every 2 hours, or a taxi that costs about $10.
- The meals-included rate of about $245 a night is higher than the hotels down in the city centre, though it does cover both dinner and breakfast.
- In winter the Wakakusa hillside has fewer deer wandering around than you will see down in Nara Park itself.
Who It’s For
Match Score by travel style
Amenities
Location & Nearby Spots
Things to do near Nara
Day tours, attraction tickets and experiences around Nara — book ahead on Klook with mobile e-tickets.
See activities in NaraAffiliate link — we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Insider Tips
- Ask for a Cypress Open-Air Bath room — the Hinoki wood smells better and hugs the body more comfortably than the ceramic version.
- Soak in the outdoor bath around 6 AM to watch the sun come up over Mt. Wakakusa, which is when the view is at its best.
- Book your kaiseki dinner for 18:30 — the Yamato Wagyu course of 100g alone takes about 2 hours to work through.
- Reserve the JR Nara shuttle ahead when you book, or you are looking at a $10 taxi instead.