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The beautiful city of Nara is well worth exploring over the course of a day. Small enough to explore on foot, a Nara day trip is easily possible from either Kyoto or Osaka. Follow our Nara itinerary and discover the very best of this magical city.
Once the capital of Japan, Nara is synonymous with the adorable free-roaming deer that fill Nara Park. Yet the city is just as famous for its plethora of UNESCO World Heritage Sites made up of countless historic temples and shrines.
Alongside these are a number of gorgeous Japanese gardens, world-class museums, as well as exceptional views from the top of Mount Wakakusayama. You certainly won’t be short on ideas for things to add to your Nara itinerary.
By far the easiest places from which to take a Nara day trip are either Kyoto or Osaka.
Nara has two mainline train stations, JR Nara Station and Kintetsu Nara Station. Kintetsu Station is served by the Kintetsu line, a private railway. Kintetsu Nara station is a little closer to Nara Park than the JR Nara station.
However, because the Kintetsu line is a private train line and not a JR Line station you cannot use the Japan Rail Pass to reach this station.
If you’re planning a day trip to Nara from Kyoto then you can take a direct train to either of the city’s two stations.
Trains on the JR Nara Line take 45 minutes on the rapid service or about 75 minutes on a local train service to reach Nara JR Station from Kyoto Station.
Trains on the Kintetsu line take between 35-50 minutes to get from Kyoto to Nara depending on the service.
There are several direct trains every hour from Osaka JR station to Nara. The journey on the JR Yamatoji Rapid Service takes just an under an hour, stopping at Nara JR station. This makes a Nara day trip an easy excursion from the hustle and bustle of Osaka.
Though you might only be planning on spending one day in Nara, there’s enough to see to justify staying overnight.
If you’d rather stay and explore even more of Nara the following day then there are plenty of hotels in the centre of town and close to both of Nara’s train stations.
One day in Nara is a good amount of time to explore the city, yet with so many temples, shrines and gardens, as well as hundreds of deer, it’s best to arrive early in the morning.
Though the city is fairly small and compact, the majority of your Nara itinerary will be spent in and around Nara Park. Most of the shops in the centre of town don’t open until late morning, so when you arrive in Nara make your way to Nara Park.
The entrance to Nara Park is around a fifteen minute walk from Nara’s JR station and five minutes from Kintetsu Nara station.
If you’d prefer to have somebody else show you around, you can book a guided private tour of Nara led by a fully-licensed tour guide.
The guided tour takes in all of Nara’s most important sights and will give you a greater understanding of the city’s rich history as well as many of its most famous monuments and landmarks.
One of the first sights you’ll see as you enter Nara Park will be the Kokufu-ji Temple complex. Dominated by the magnificent five storied pagoda, the Kokufu-ji complex consists of a number of grand buildings that originate from the 8th century.
Along with the five storied pagoda, two of the temple’s halls, the Eastern Golden Hall and the North Octagonal Hall, have been declared as National Treasures of Japan.
The most important building in the Kofuku-ji complex is the Central Golden Hall. Completely restored and reopened in 2018, the Central Golden Hall houses a collection of sacred Buddhist icons that have also been awarded National Treasure status.
Next to the Central Golden Hall is the Kofuku-ji National Treasure Museum, which displays a fantastic collection of Buddhist art, including one of the most important Buddhist statues in Japan, the three-headed and six-armed Ashura Statue.
From Kofuku-ji Temple continue east, past the five storied pagoda further into Nara Park.
It’s at this point that you’ll have your first of many encounters with some of Nara’s 1300 tame sika deer. Considered to be sacred Shinto messengers, one of the best things to do in Nara is to feed the city’s free roaming deer.
Nara Park’s famous deer
Officially designated as National Treasures, killing one of Nara’s deer was once punishable by death. You could easily spend the majority of your Nara day trip amongst the park’s lovable deer.
Dotted around Nara Park are stalls where you can buy crackers – called “shika senbei” in Japanese – to feed the deer, who all seem to have an unrelenting appetite. A pack of deer crackers costs ¥200.
Once you’ve bought a pack the trick is to be as discreet as possible. Most of the deer have learned to bow their heads as if to politely ask for food, but if they spot a whole pack in your hand manners quickly go out of the window and you’ll find yourself circled by hungry deer.
Try and hide the crackers in a bag or a secure pocket and take one out at a time. Needless to say, don’t feed the deer with anything other than crackers, and be sure to keep hold of any litter until you can dispose of it properly. It was recently reported that a number of Nara’s deer have died from eating plastic left by tourists.
The deer at Nara Park are always ready for their next meal
Looking slightly out of place amongst the typically Japanese temples is the Nara National Museum. More like a European Palace than something you’d expect to see in Japan, the museum holds a huge collection of Buddhist art donated by the temples of Nara.
Two newer buildings, the east and west wings of the museum, are connected to the original building by an underground corridor. These wings host temporary exhibitions to accompany the main building’s enormous permanent collection.
Next, walk through the park and pass through the imposing Nandaimon Gate of Tōdaiji. Stop to admire the two huge guardians that stand either side of the gate’s entrance, before continuing on to the main Todai-ji Temple complex.
A UNESCO World Heritage site and one of the most sacred sites in Japan, Todai-ji Temple was built in 752. The main attraction of Todai-ji is the enormous main hall called Daibutsuden, or the Big Buddha Hall.
The current Daibutsuden was built in 1692, and despite being smaller than the original was still the largest wooden building in the world until as recently as 1998.
The Daibutseden houses the Daibutsu, the largest bronze statue of Buddha in the world. Almost 15 metres tall the statue also weighs an incredible 500 tonnes.
At the base of one of the temple’s pillars is a small square hole known as the Buddha’s Nostril. It is said that if you can squeeze through the hole then enlightenment will be granted to you in the next life.
After Todai-ji it’s time for lunch. Nara is an excellent place to eat, and there are plenty of good options in and around Nara Park. One of the best is Kitahara Soba, just a five minute walk from Todai-ji Temple.
Kitahara Soba is a small and homely restaurant with a wonderful atmosphere. As the name suggests, Kitahara Soba specialises in delicious and reasonably priced hot and cold soba noodle dishes. If there’s a queue when you arrive it’s well worth waiting for a free table.
Just two minutes from Kitahara Soba are two of the finest Japanese gardens in Nara. Isuien Garden and Yoshikien Garden sit side by side, with Todai-ji Temple visible in the background.
Both gardens are beautifully manicured and maintained and a wonderful haven in the middle of Nara.
Isuien Garden consists of a front and back garden. The smaller front garden is dominated by a large pond.
Overlooking the pond is the Restaurant Sanshu, housed inside an original 17th century tea house, which serves traditional meals and green tea.
The back garden features a larger lake with stepping stones leading through to secluded spots and, at the far end of the garden, a red Inari Shrine.
In front of the entrance to the garden is a small art gallery featuring precious antique artworks from all over Asia, some of which are over 3000 years old.
The Isuien Garden
The neighbouring Yoshikien Garden is larger and free to enter for overseas visitors. Yoshikien consists of three distinct gardens that sit side by side.
A beautiful large house overlooks the Pond Garden’s sloped and colourful landscape. The Moss Garden gets its name from the lawn of thick moss that sits in front of a typical tea house. The Tea Ceremony Garden at the rear of the Yoshikien is a wonderfully tranquil place to sit and relax.
Next, return back into Nara Park and walk along the lantern-lined path to Kasuga Taisha, the most sacred shrine in Nara.
Dating from the 8th century, Kasuga Taisha is the shrine for the Fujiwara family, one of the most powerful families in Japan during Nara’s time as capital of Japan.
Also enshrined here are a number of deities, including Takemikazuchi, who is said to protect the city of Nara.
Bursting with bright vermillion and nestled beneath the Kasuga Primeval Forest, Kasuga Taisha is another large temple complex, featuring a number of important halls and shrines.
At the heart of the complex is an inner sanctuary, which is famous for the gold and bronze lanterns that hang from the shrine’s buildings. Donated by worshippers the lanterns are only lit twice a year during the Mandoro festival.
If there’s still time in the day, or if you’re staying in town overnight, end your Nara day trip with a walk to the summit of Mount Wakakusayama, from where there are sublime views over the whole city.
Two different walking paths lead to Mount Wakakusayama, and you won’t need to climb right to the top for a wonderful view of Nara.
Though it’s a steep climb, the mountain is covered in grass, and a number of stairways and manageable paths lead to the top. For the most amazing views, try to arrive in the late afternoon and with a bit of luck there’ll be the backdrop of a spectacular sunset. There’ll be no better way to end your Nara day trip.
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