Following our time in Hida Furukawa, we spent a couple of days in Nara before returning to Tokyo. We stayed at the Shisui Hotel, a renovation of the former Nara governor’s residence designed by Kengo Kuma.

It belongs to the Mori Trust portfolio, and looking back, we’ve enjoyed many of their hotels (including Suiran in Kyoto, the Mampei in Karuizawa, and Conrad Tokyo). It was a quiet interlude before returning to the Tokyo rush.