Visit Nara

A fifteen-metre bronze Buddha in a vast wooden hall, deer bowing for a cracker, paths of mossy lanterns beneath the cedars: Nara packs its essentials into a park you can cross on foot. One day covers the core, a night in town lets you enjoy it without the crowds.

Why visit Nara and not just Kyoto?

Nara was the capital of Japan from 710 to 784, before Kyoto, and its monuments are older than those of its neighbour. Eight sites together form the Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara, UNESCO listed in 1998, and most are within walking distance of each other. The city, home to about 350,000 people, turns calm as soon as day-trippers leave.

Nara's must-sees

Founding temples, a Shinto shrine and free-roaming deer, nearly all gathered in the great park east of the city.

Tōdai-ji and its Great Buddha

The bronze Daibutsu, about 15 metres tall, sits in the Daibutsuden, rebuilt in 1709 and long the largest wooden building in the world. Enter via the Nandaimon gate.

Kasuga Taisha

A Shinto shrine founded in 768, with vermilion columns and some 3,000 stone and bronze lanterns donated by worshippers over the centuries.

Kōfuku-ji

The former temple of the powerful Fujiwara clan. Its National Treasure Hall houses the famous 8th-century Ashura statue with three faces and six arms.

The sacred deer

More than a thousand deer roam the park freely, seen as messengers of the gods and protected as a natural monument. Some bow to ask for a cracker.

Nigatsu-dō

A Tōdai-ji hall perched on the hillside, with a wooden terrace that is always open and free. The view over Nara's rooftops at sunset is superb.

Isuien Garden

A Meiji-era garden that borrows Tōdai-ji's gate and the hills as its backdrop. A tea room lets you sip matcha facing the pond.

Hōryū-ji

A temple founded in the early 7th century, whose five-storey pagoda and golden hall are among the oldest surviving wooden buildings in the world.

Tōshōdai-ji

Founded in 759 by Ganjin, a Chinese monk who arrived blind after several failed crossings. Its main hall is a rare example of 8th-century architecture.

Mount Wakakusa

A 342-metre grassy hill east of the park, open from spring to autumn. An hour's climb for a panorama over the whole Nara basin.

What to see in Nara, area by area?

Nara Park and the eastern hills

Nara Park stretches about 4 km from west to east, from Kintetsu-Nara station to the foot of Mount Wakakusa. It links Kōfuku-ji, the National Museum, Tōdai-ji and Kasuga Taisha, whose primeval forest, protected for centuries, climbs towards Mount Kasuga. Allow a full day to explore without rushing. Enter from the east around 8 am, when temples open and the deer are still calm: coaches mostly arrive between 10 am and 3 pm.

Naramachi, the old merchant town

South of Sarusawa pond, Naramachi covers part of the former grounds of Gangō-ji temple. Its lanes are lined with machiya, narrow-fronted, deep wooden merchant houses now turned into cafés, craft shops and small guesthouses. Some are free to visit, such as the Koshi-no-ie house. Allow two hours in the late afternoon, when the park empties, and try kakinoha-zushi, sushi wrapped in a persimmon leaf, a regional speciality. It is the most pleasant area to stay in.

Heijō Palace and Nishinokyō

West of the centre, the Heijō Palace site preserves, over more than a kilometre, the location of the 8th-century imperial court. Suzaku Gate and the Daigokuden hall have been reconstructed, and entry is free. A little further south, the Nishinokyō area gathers Yakushi-ji and its pagodas, and Tōshōdai-ji, founded by the Chinese monk Ganjin. Allow half a day by bus or Kintetsu train: this area receives a fraction of the park's visitors.

Ikaruga and the southern Nara basin

About twelve minutes by JR train south-west of Nara station, then a twenty-minute walk or a short bus ride, Ikaruga is home to Hōryū-ji, founded in the early 7th century by Prince Shōtoku. Its buildings are among the oldest wooden structures in the world. Allow three hours for the temple and its neighbour, Chūgū-ji. Further south, Asuka and its burial mounds or Yoshino and its cherry trees each require a full day.

Festivals that mark the year

Nara lives to the rhythm of great rituals. In late January, Wakakusa Yamayaki sets the slope of Mount Wakakusa ablaze on a Saturday evening. From 1 to 14 March, the Omizutori at Nigatsu-dō sends giant torches along the temple gallery. Kasuga Taisha lights all its lanterns in early February and mid-August during the Mantōrō. From late October to mid-November, the National Museum displays a selection of Shōsōin treasures, and queues often exceed an hour. For a first visit, aim for November maples or early April cherry blossoms.

Frequently asked questions about Nara

Are Nara's deer dangerous?
They are used to people but remain wild. Light bites and headbutts are common when crackers are waved around, especially in autumn during the rutting season. Show your empty hands so they lose interest, and keep an eye on young children.
Is one day from Kyoto enough to see Nara?
For Tōdai-ji, Kasuga Taisha, Kōfuku-ji and the park, yes, if you leave before 8 am. Adding Hōryū-ji or Nishinokyō requires a second day. Spending a night in Naramachi lets you see the park almost empty in the early morning.
Can you squeeze through the pillar at Tōdai-ji?
One pillar in the Daibutsuden has a hole the size of the Buddha's nostril: crawling through is said to bring good luck. Children slip through easily, slim adults too, but others get stuck at the shoulders. Expect a long queue at peak times.
When are all the Kasuga Taisha lanterns lit?
During the two yearly Mantōrō: on Setsubun in early February, and on the evenings of 14 and 15 August. The rest of the year the lanterns stay dark, but one room at the shrine shows a selection lit up in the darkness.
Why is the Kōfuku-ji pagoda under scaffolding?
The five-storey pagoda, about 50 metres tall, is undergoing a major roof restoration launched in 2023 and expected to last several years. It is hidden by a protective structure: the rest of the temple and the treasure hall remain open.
Kintetsu or JR from Osaka to Nara?
The Kintetsu from Namba arrives at the edge of the park and suits most visitors. The JR line, covered by the Japan Rail Pass, leaves from Osaka station or Tennōji and also serves Hōryū-ji: handy if you combine both.
Can Nara be done as a day trip from Tokyo?
It is possible but exhausting: about 2 hours 15 minutes by shinkansen to Kyoto, then 45 minutes by train, so nearly six hours of travel round trip from Tokyo. It is better to include it in a stay based in Kyoto or Osaka.

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