A Day Trip to Nara: Deer, Temples, Shrines and More

Taking a day trip to Nara is one of the more popular attractions for visitors to Japan. Most people come to see its famous deer, the living symbols of the city who roam its streets and large park as if they own the place.

Besides the deer, Nara also holds several cultural attractions that make it an excellent place to spend a day. Its most important sight is Todai-ji, a Buddhist temple famous for being one of the world’s largest wooden buildings. More significant is the reason for its size: a 50-foot-tall statue of Buddha, one of the largest bronze representations of Buddha in the world.

Nara is also a popular day trip because of how easy it is to reach from either Osaka or Kyoto. A simple 30-to-45-minute train ride and you’re there.

If you’re still on the fence about taking a day trip to Nara, keep reading to find out why you should include this on your Japan itinerary!

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See All the Deer at Nara Park

Nara Park has a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Todai-ji Temple, but its most popular attraction is all the deer roaming freely through its grounds.

These deer are considered sacred to locals as they’re thought to be messengers of the gods. It’s for this reason that these deer have grown in the numbers they have throughout Nara. They’re currently protected under national monument status, so killing one is a crime. This is also why they’re so comfortable around humans.

The other reason they’re so friendly is they’re used to getting fed by visitors. But this isn’t like other parks where you’re not supposed to feed the deer. It’s encouraged here, so long as you are using the deer crackers you can purchase throughout the park. These crackers are made specifically for the deer, and proceeds go towards protecting them.

And the deer love them, maybe too much sometimes. They’ll come right up to you for some of these crackers. Many have even learned to bow for them. On the other hand, some can be a little aggressive when it comes to getting crackers. It’s mostly amusing but be on your guard. If any are getting too frisky, just give them your crackers and walk away.

Asides from that, these deer really are delightful. They’re everywhere, offering some lovely photo ops if you can catch them at just the right time amid Nara Park’s temples and lanterns.

Todai-ji

The other main draw of a day trip to Nara besides the deer is Todai-ji and the giant Buddha it houses. Besides wandering around Nara Park, this temple is where most people end up at some point during their visit to Nara.

Todai-ji has several features worth mentioning. The first, and my personal favorite, is the large gate you pass through on your way the shrine. On either side of the gate are two massive wood-carved Nio believed to protect the temple and Buddha from evildoers. Their enormous size is impressive enough, but the intricate detail of their creation is equally stunning.

Once you enter the shrine, the giant Buddha is the star of the show with good reason. Its enormity captures the attention of every visitor whether they’re visiting for religious purposes or not. Like so many of Japan’s temples and shrines, it’s hard not to feel a sense of spirituality as you gaze up at the Buddha.

Next to the Buddha are a few other statues worth checking out, but the point of interest is a barely human-sized hole in a pillar in the back of the shrine. Legend has it that anyone who is able to fit through this hole will attain enlightenment. I gave it a try, but I guess I’ll have to wait till my next life to become enlightened.

Here’s a tip if you try to go through the hole. Go in with your arms straight overhead. I saw several people tackle it like that after my unsuccessful attempt.

Nigatsu-do and Sangatsu-do

Nigatsu-do and Sangatsu-do are both subtemples of Todai-ji, yet they’re far enough apart from the main temple to feel like their own complex. It’s well worth the time to walk to these two temples after visiting Todai-ji. These two temples are also nice in that they’re far less busy than Todai-ji, giving visitors a bit more solitude as they wander around the grounds.

For me, the highlight is Nigatsu-do. You can walk around this temple with several peeks into its interior to admire its various evocative rooms. These are nice, but the best part of Nigatsu-do is that it offers spectacular views of the whole complex and Nara. It’s a treat to be able to look down on the various temple rooftops from here.

Sangatsu-do was far less interesting. You can walk up to and around it, but there isn’t much to see from the outside. For a fee, you can enter the temple to see a small museum of Nara-period statues.

Kasuga Taisha Shrine

As you continue your way around Nara Park, you’ll eventually start coming across a lot of lanterns either spread across the grounds or else clustered in large groups. These lanterns mark your approach to Kasuga Taisha Shrine.

Even if you don’t go into the main shrine, which we didn’t do, Kasuga Taisha Shrine is still worth visiting for its evocative grounds. The main exterior part of the shrine is filled with bright vermilion buildings and a wide variety of both hanging and ground lanterns. All the lanterns make for some poignant visuals.

In addition to paying to enter the shrines interior grounds, you can also pay a fee to visit a small museum that houses treasures from Kasuga Taisha. There is also a botanical garden you can visit for a small fee, as well.

For an extra special treat, you can visit Kasuga Taisha Shrine in the middle of August to see the Chugen Mantoro Festival. During two days from the 14th to 15th of each year, the 3,000 lanterns of Kasuga Taisha are lit throughout the shrine’s grounds. We weren’t there for this, but I imagine it must be quite the sight.

Just a bit outside of the shrine is a small section with shops and food. This is a nice spot for a cold drink or ice cream if it’s a hot day while visiting Nara.

Kofuku-ji

Kofuku-ji Temple is the only religious complex I recommend visiting on a day trip to Nara that isn’t in the Nara Park area. Nevertheless, it’s just outside the park, so it’s still close enough to everything else that it doesn’t require much of a walk.

Even though Kofuku-ji was relatively small, it had two of my favorite temple views in Japan. The first was of the Southern Octagonal Hall. This isn’t the main building in the complex, but in my opinion, it is the most picturesque with its vermilion construction and lantern standing in front of it right in the middle of the courtyard. It was particularly pretty in the late afternoon as the sun started to set behind it.

Kofuku-ji’s five-storey pagoda is the other impressive view in the complex. However, during our visit, it wasn’t particularly interesting up close because it was undergoing renovations. You can expect this if you visit any time between now and 2031. However, if you go over to the pond by the Nara Visitor Center, you can get some great views of the pagoda rising above the trees.

The rest of Kofuku-ji is worth a walk around. The main building, the Central Golden Hall, is also the largest, but you have to pay to enter. In fact, you have to pay a small fee to enter any of the buildings here, including the Central Golden Hall, the Eastern Golden Hall and the Kofuku-ji National Treasure Museum.

Naramachi Koshi-no-Ie

If you’re tired of all the deer and religious buildings, I recommend checking out the Naramachi Koshi-no-Ie in a quiet residential area just south of Mochiidono Arcade. If you’re coming from a western country, a visit here is a great way to see how different their homes are from what we’re accustomed to.

This free attraction takes you through the home of a former wealthy Nara merchant. It also has a small garden with a couple sitting areas if you just want to take a break to sit in peace and quiet for a bit.

Within the home are several English-speaking attendants to answer any questions you may have during your visit. They’re a great source to learn more about traditional Japanese life.

Yoshikien Garden

Right next to Nara’s larger Isui-en garden is Yoshikien Garden. While this garden is small and lacks any major sights, it’s a lovely way to get away from Nara’s crowds for a relaxing stroll through its grounds.

Compared to Isui-en, Yoshikien is much smaller, making it easier to visit if you’re pressed for time. More importantly, it’s free, so it’s worth at least a stop in for a quick walk around.

Yoshikien Garden consists of three different gardens: a pond garden, a moss garden and a ceremonial tea garden. The pond garden is the first you encounter, and even if you just hop in to walk around this one section, it’ll be worth a visit.

Is a Day Trip to Nara Worth It?

After reading about all the things there are to do during a day trip to Nara, you may be wondering if it’s worth staying overnight here. That’s actually what we did during our visit because we wanted to take our time here.

However, after our trip was over, we both agreed that Nara could have easily been a day trip. While Nara does have a lot to do, it’s all in pretty much the same area of the city. Most everything except Todai-ji is also a relatively quick visit.

Granted, we didn’t do any of the museums and didn’t go into the main portion of Kasuga Taisha Shrine. Still, even you add some of these things, you should still be able to do everything you want to do more or less comfortably in a day. It’ll be a busier day, but it should be doable.

I’ve attached a popular day trip to Nara tour from GetYourGuide in case you want to leave the planning to a local during your visit.

On the other hand, it is nice if Nara is in the middle of your trip to really slow things down and rest for a bit. The hotel we stayed at was nice and worth consideration. Nara Ryokan has a private onsen and quiet, comfortable rooms. It’s not particularly traditional despite being labeled a ryokan, but it was a pleasant stay for one night.

Other Things to do in Nara

Horyu-ji is one of Nara’s and Japan’s oldest temples and has some of the world’s oldest surviving wooden structures. The complex also houses a museum featuring many important works of Buddhist art. Unfortunately, Horyu-ji is a bit of a hike from Nara Park and everything else on this guide, which is why we ended up skipping it.

The most important museum in Nara is the Nara National Museum. Inside the Nara National Museum is a collection of culturally important Buddhist art and other ceremonial objects from around Japan.

Isui-en Garden is the larger, more popular garden in Nara next to Yoshikien Garden. Isui-en Garden is more sprawling than Yoshikien, but it also has an entrance fee 1,200 yen. Included in this price is a small museum featuring Chinese and Korean antiquities.

The Nara Visitor Center is the place to go if you have any questions about things to do in Nara. Why it makes this list, though, is because it also offers a few free activities for guests, including a tea ceremony, origami classes, and calligraphy classes. If you’re looking for free activities, make sure to check out their schedule before visiting. The Nara Visitor Center also offers cheap accommodations for visitors looking for an inexpensive stay.

Where to Eat During a Day Trip to Nara

We only had two proper meals in Nara, so I don’t have many specific recommendations for where to eat on a day trip to Nara. Nevertheless, I can recommend two different shopping areas with plenty of options to choose from.

Mochiidono Shopping Arcade is one of Nara’s oldest shopping streets and has over 70 shops and restaurants. You’ll find a number of different types of eateries to suit almost whatever you’re craving. We ate lunch at a Szechuan restaurant named Kikori. I had a delicious meal of pork dan dan noodles. If you’re okay with something other than Japanese, Kikori shouldn’t let you down.

Another option near Nara Park is Higashimuki Shopping Arcade. Like Mochiidono, Higashimuki is filled with all sorts of different types of shops and restaurants. We eventually settled on Yamato Modern, a smaller izakaya restaurant. This izakaya was unique in that its setting and menu had more modern inspirations than many of the other restaurants we visited in Japan. The food was good and relatively cheap. Don’t miss the miso-soaked rice balls. Yum!

How to Get to Nara from Kyoto

The easiest way to do a day trip to Nara from Kyoto is via train. You have two different options to choose from.

If you have a JR Rail Pass, you can take a Miyakoji rapid train from Kyoto Station to JR Nara Station. These trains run about every 30 minutes and take about 45 minutes. Without a JR Rail Pass, fares cost 720 yen.

Without a JR Rail Pass, the Kintetsu limited-express trains run twice an hour from Kyoto Station and costs 1,280 yen. These trains take about 35 minutes to reach Nara.

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Book Your Day Trip to Nara

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