KANAU Hotel at the Former Anou Imperial Residence
Stay privately in a renovated Edo-period rowhouse beside the Hori family residence associated with the Southern Court; check the full plan price and heritage access first.
Verified site photographs are being prepared.Discover KANAU Hotel at the Former Anou Imperial Residence
KANAU is a place to spend time with Gojo's Southern Court history, but the room and the famous building are not the same thing. Gojo City identifies the Hori family residence at Anou as an Important Cultural Property associated with Emperor Go-Daigo's flight toward Yoshino in 1336 and later Southern Court stays. The hotel operator rents a renovated Edo-period rowhouse within that property's grounds as a whole-house stay; the historic main house is used for restaurant service. This distinction matters when choosing a room, reading photographs or planning to see interiors. The setting along the Nyu River and the nearby Anou history museum invite a slower visit than a stop between bus journeys, provided the one-house booking and sparse rural transport fit your dates.
Understand which building you sleep in
The operator says KANAU opened in April 2019 on the grounds of Hori-ke Jutaku, the former Anou imperial residence. Gojo City's cultural-property introduction connects the main residence to Hori Magotaro Nobumasu, who received Emperor Go-Daigo en route to Yoshino, and to later emperors Go-Murakami, Chokei and Go-Kameyama. Those are the property's historical associations, not a claim that a guest sleeps in a fourteenth-century imperial chamber. The overnight accommodation is a renovated Edo-period rowhouse on the same site, rented to one party. Ask which spaces in the Important Cultural Property are included in the room plan or open for restaurant use; a booking does not establish unrestricted museum access.
Build the whole-stay budget before reserving
The operator offers room-only and meal plans via its booking link, with the whole house rather than independent hotel rooms. Its facility page lists a maximum of eight guests; the FAQ gives standard check-in at 15:00 and check-out at 10:00, subject to the chosen plan. The hotel page checked 19 October 2026 lists a ¥3,850 cleaning charge per group per stay and ¥4,400 per dog per night, payable on site, as well as an optional ¥4,400-per-person barbecue. Those are operator web examples, not a complete accommodation quote. Ask for the room rate on your exact nights, guest count, taxes, meals, cleaning, pet charges and cancellation terms before paying. The general information page lists year-round hotel operation, but a one-house property can still be unavailable.
Choose a meal without assuming restaurant hours match the room
KANAU's restaurant is in the historic main house and is also open to non-guests. Its operator lists lunch 11:00–16:00, last order 15:30, on Wednesday, Saturday, Sunday and holidays; dinner is reservation-only. Menus may include game dishes such as deer or wild boar, alongside other Western-style cooking, but displayed dish photos do not prove that a particular dish is served on a booked date. Confirm whether breakfast, dinner or barbecue is included in your plan and discuss allergies, vegetarian needs, game meat and alcohol directly. Neither an overnight reservation nor the term 'cafe restaurant' guarantees a walk-in dinner.
Check pets, music and activities as separate conditions
The operator advertises a piano, Wi-Fi and dog-friendly stays, plus optional river-area barbecue and guided activities such as rafting, trekking and snowshoeing. Its hotel page requires rabies and combination vaccination and toilet training for dogs, while another operator FAQ says other pets may be accepted. These pages do not set out an identical pet policy, so disclose the animal, number and dates before booking. Ask also where music is permitted, what equipment or guides are supplied, whether activities are running in your season, and if river conditions allow the planned use. Do not treat a list of possible activities as a guaranteed daily programme.
Make the Anou bus a two-way plan
The operator gives 1 Anou, Nishi-Yoshino and estimates a Nara Kotsu bus from JR Gojo Station to Anou Wada Kitaguchi at about 19 minutes, followed by a short walk. It also quotes about 90 minutes from Kintetsu Yamato-Yagi Station and about 20 minutes by car from Gojo Interchange. The operator's FAQ mentions a paid transfer on request and approximately 15 minutes by car from JR Gojo. These are route estimates, not a timetable or confirmed transfer. Check the exact outward and return bus on your dates, especially for evening dining, and agree any pickup and its fee in advance. The operator lists free parking for ten cars, not a reserved bay.
What to look for
One-party stay in a renovated Edo-period rowhouse on the Hori residence grounds
Main Hori house's Southern Court history is distinct from the actual sleeping building
Restaurant, dogs, piano and guided activities each have separate booking conditions
Photo notes
No hotel, municipal, OTA or guest image is licensed to MyNara. The Hori residence is a cultural property and an operating restaurant; ask the manager before interior, guest, drone or commercial photography. Do not use a generated imperial room image to represent the renovated accommodation.
Make a day of it
Explore guides close to this map point, then check the actual route before travelling. Distances below are straight lines, not walking distances or travel times; map points may not be entrances.
Sources & editorial status
Original MyNara draft based on the linked sources. Sources reviewed 19 October 2026. Opening arrangements, prices and offers may change; use the operator's current information before travelling.
- KANAU operator — history, hotel, restaurant and bus approach
- KANAU operator — house rental, cleaning/pet charges, booking and activities
- KANAU operator — restaurant days and hours
- KANAU operator business site — standard check-in/out, parking and transfer FAQ
- KANAU operator business site — maximum occupancy and hotel operation
- Gojo City — Hori family residence and Southern Court association
- Official Nara Travel Guide S00897 — directory identity and outdated phone conflict