Nara Hotel

Hotel in Nara, Japan

34°40′48.1″N 135°50′1.8″E / 34.680028°N 135.833833°E / 34.680028; 135.833833OpeningOctober 17, 1909OwnerWest Japan Railway CompanyManagementNara Hotel Co., Ltd.Technical detailsFloor count3Design and constructionArchitect(s)Yasushi Kataoka / Kingo TatsunoDeveloperCabinet Railway AuthorityOther informationNumber of rooms129Number of suites3Number of restaurants4Websitewww.narahotel.co.jp

Nara Hotel (奈良ホテル) is a five star hotel in Nara, Japan. The hotel is located on the hillside overlooking Nara Park. Opened on October 17, 1909, it is one of the most historic hotels in Japan. It was designed by Tatsuno Kingo who was also the designer of the Bank of Japan building and the Marunouchi building of Tokyo Station and is known as the teacher of Kenkichi Yabashi [ja], the designer of National Diet Building, and Kataoka Yasushi who was also the designer of Osaka City Hall [ja]. It is partially owned by the West Japan Railway Company. In 2009 the first centennial anniversary of the hotel was celebrated.

Famous guests

Various crowned and uncrowned heads of state, members of royal families, heads of government, politicians, actors, artists, and other notable persons have stayed at the hotel.^[1]

Emperor Taishō and Empress Teimei, with Crown Prince Hirohito, in 1916
Kyoshi Takahama, Japanese poet, in 1916
Sergei Prokofiev, Russian composer, on May 19–27, 1918
Count Nogi Maresuke, Japanese general, in 1911
Crown Prince Hirohito, in 1921
Bertrand Russell, British mathematician, on July 19, 1921
Edward, Prince of Wales, in 1922
Albert Einstein, Swiss physicist, on December 17–18, 1922
Emperor Shōwa and Empress Kōjun, in 1928
Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester, in 1929
Charles Lindbergh, American aviator, in 1931
Emperor Shōwa, in 1932 and 1940
Emperor Puyi, in 1935. He gave medals to all the staff of the hotel.
Charlie Chaplin, in 1936
Empress Kōjun, in 1937 and 1941, 1954
Helen Keller, American social welfare entrepreneur, in 1937
José P. Laurel, former Philippine President, in 1945 for two months
Richard Nixon, U.S. vice-president, in 1953
Joe DiMaggio, 1954, Marilyn Monroe canceled her reservation
Marlon Brando, American actor, in 1956
Glenn Ford, American actor, in 1956
Jawaharlal Nehru, Indian prime minister, and his daughter Indira Gandhi, in 1957
Princess Alexandra of Kent, in 1961
John Diefenbaker, Canadian prime minister, in 1961
Arturo Frondizi, Argentine president, in 1961
Robert F. Kennedy, U.S. Attorney General, in 1962
Princess Margrethe, The Hereditary Princess of Denmark, in 1963
Prince Takamatsu, in 1964
King Baudouin of Belgium, in 1964
Premier of France, in 1964
Prince of Laos, in 1965
Prince of Spain, in 1966
Prince Chichibu, in 1967
Prince of Nepal, in 1967
Crown Prince Naruhito, in 1968
Gaston Eyskens, Belgian prime minister, in 1969
Emperor Showa and Empress Kojun, in 1970
Prince Takamatsu and Princess Takamatsu, in 1970
Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands, in 1970
Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon, in 1970
Pope Paul VI, in 1970
Prince Fumihito, in 1970
Emperor Showa and Empress Kojun, in 1979 and 1981
Yul Brynner, in 1980
Audrey Hepburn, British actress, March 31-April 2, 1983
Crown Prince Akihito and Crown Princess Michiko, with daughter Princess Sayako, in 1987
Prince Akishino and Princess Akishino, in 1990
Václav Havel, Czechoslovak president, in 1992
Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, in 1992
Emperor Heisei and Empress Michiko, in 2002 and 2008
14th Dalai Lama, Tibetan spiritual head, in 2003
Hu Jintao, Chinese president, in 2008