Hit the Town and Discover Calligraphy

“Calligraphy” is the core concept behind the Hotel Tenpyo Naramachi. Nara is said to be where the brush and ink were first introduced to Japan, with a history dating back to the Tenpyo Era (729-749). During your visit to Naramachi, we invite you to experience calligraphy for yourself.

Each room in this hotel features a unique piece of calligraphic art. In this guide, we introduce the story behind some of the words scribed by their artists, along with their intentions for each piece. Naramachi itself also boasts an impressive amount of secret scripts hidden throughout it, so let’s hit the town and discover calligraphy.