The Ryokan Collection is delighted to welcome a new member to its group of fine ryokan - FUFU Nara. With a prime location on the grounds of Nara Park, this elegant new property is ideal for exploring Japan's former capital city. With a stunning contemporary design from Kengo Kuma and decor that stretches deep into local history, this small luxury hotel strikes a pleasing balance between tradition and modernity for an only-in-Nara experience.

Experiences
World-class Architecture

Kengo Kuma's design draws on an architectural style called azekura-zukuri, distinguished by the uncomplicated wooden structures and hipped roofs used in traditional storehouses. An excellent example can be seen at the treasure house of nearby Todaiji Temple. He brings this basic concept more in tune with the surrounding environment with airy walkways, open verandas, and a central garden that blend the lived experience inside with the rhythms of nature outside. Leading landscape architect Shunsaku Miyagi adds to this harmony with a design that utilizes existing trees, preserving groves that have stood for centuries.

Before Tokyo, before Kyoto, Nara was the center of power and culture in Japan. It was the gateway to the world as the final stop on the Silk Road, teeming with cosmopolitan ideas and eclectic treasures, and it birthed many of the iconic facets of Japanese culture still celebrated today. The decor is deeply rooted in this history. Antiques like a priceless Kamakura Era (1185–1333) lamp and an ancient wood panel from one of Kasuga Shrine's previous incarnations tell a story about the Nara that was. Meanwhile, contemporary handicrafts like ikebana pottery vases and delicate hemp screens birthed from the soil and crafted by local masters show what Nara has become.

Nara has been a center for traditional Chinese medicine since the 7th century. The two onsite dining options — Japanese restaurant Tekisui and teppanyaki Kuri — riff on this heritage, combining local produce with medicinal herbs for delightfully surprising meals that foster health and beauty. Best enjoyed with a flight of Nara sakes, the menu features innovative dishes like Yamatoshi wagyu steaks wrapped in cork tree bark, smoked with persimmon and dong dang gui leaves, and topped with a miso lotus seed sauce or broiled Spanish mackerel topped with sansho butter and served on a bed of 13 different grilled vegetables chosen to provide a new flavor and texture with each bite.

The Ryokan Collection is delighted to announce a new member to its group of fine ryokan - FUFU Nikko, opening in October 2, 2020.
FUFU Nikko is the latest luxury ryokan of “FUFU” series.

Only 2.5 hours from Tokyo by car, FUFU Nikko is surrounded by magnificent mountains where you can hear the stream of the river. Adjacent to Nikko Tamozawa Imperial Villa Memorial Park, you can relax and enjoy the scenery of the four seasons.