What can you do in Nara?

Nara is the second city, after Kyoto, with a rich collection of traditional sights in Japan. It is one of the most traditional cities in Japan, with various beautiful gardens, museums, and traditional neighborhoods.

Nara is a compact city full of top-tier attractions, including the famous Daibutsu (Great Buddha) in the Todai-ji temple, the Kasuga-Taisha shrine, and the Nara-Koen park with its famous semi-wild deer. In this section, I will introduce the main attractions of Nara, starting with my three choices for must-see things to see in Nara. Add a few more attractions to this must-see list, and you will have a great day in Nara.

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Things to see in Nara:

Todai-ji Temple

Home to the famous Daibutsu (Great Buddha), Todai-ji Temple is a must-see for all visitors to Japan. It is awe-inspiring and moving. Todai-ji is not only one of the must-see attractions in Nara, but also one of the must-see attractions in Japan. What you really must see at Todai-ji is the Daibutsu-den (Great Buddha Hall), which houses the enormous grandeur of the Daibutsu, a 16-meter high Buddha that seems to radiate a kind of spiritual energy. Also, be sure to visit the Nandai-mon Gate, which is located a few hundred meters east of the Daibutsu-den.

Japanese name: 東大寺 大 仏 殿
Japanese address: 奈良 市 雑 司 町 406-1
English address: 406-1 Zoushi-cho, Nara-shi
Phone number: 0742-22-5511
Opening hours: 07:30-17:30 (April-Oct), 8:00-16:30 (Nov-March)
Nearest station: 20-minute walk from Kintetsu Nara Station
District: Nara-Koen area
Website: official website
Access: Y500

Isui-en Garden

Japanese name: 依 水 園.
Japanese address: 奈良 市 水 門 町 74
English address: 74 Suimon-cho, Nara-shi
Phone number: 0742-25-0781
Opening hours: 9.30-16.30 (enter by 4 p.m.)
Nearest train station: 15-20 min walk from Kintetsu Nara Station
District: Nara-Koen
Entrance: Y650

Kasuga-taisha Shrine

Kasuga-Taisha Shrine is Nara’s most important Shinto temple. More than just the temple buildings, Kasuga-Taisha is a mysterious world of forests, paths, lanterns, and roaming deer. After visiting Isui-en Garden and Todai-ji Temple, Kasuga-Taisha is the next must-see attraction in Nara-Koen Park. While the shrine, like most Shinto shrines, centers around a Honden (main hall) and a Haiden (worship hall), I consider Kasuga-Taisha to be much more than that. The buildings are just the connection to the mysterious expanse of paths with stone lanterns, atmospheric forests, and of course, the ever-present deer seeking food from visitors. Take the time to linger around Kasuga-Taisha, but don’t forget to take a relaxing walk along the surrounding paths. This is truly a special world in itself.

Japanese name: 春日 大 社
Japanese address: 奈良 市 春日 野 町 160
English address: 160 Kasugano-cho, Nara-shi
Phone number: 0742-22-7788
Opening hours: 6 a.m.-6 p.m. (April-September), 6:30 a.m.-5 p.m. (October-March)
Nearest train station: 25min walk from Kintetsu Nara Station
District: Nara-Koen
Free admission

Other attractions in Nara:

Nara-Koen Park

Nara-koen Park, meaning “koen” in Japanese is a large park full of trees and open spaces that stretches to the east of the center of Nara and Naramachi, all the way to the foot of the hills rising to the east of the city. Nara-koen Park is not so much a sight in itself, but a place with many other important sights such as the Todai-ji temple, Isui-en garden, and the Kasuga-Taisha shrine. The park has lovely paths and is filled with ponds. Undoubtedly, the most interesting feature of the park, especially for children, is the large population of semi-wild deer that roam through the park. You can buy a package of deer crackers (shika sembei) to feed them (but be aware that the deer can be very aggressive to get them from your hands, so don’t give the crackers to very small children).

Japanese name: 奈良 公園
Opening hours: 24 hours
Neighborhood: Nara-Koen
Nearest train station: 5-minute walk from Kintetsu Nara station
Free admission

Nigatsu-do Hall

Nigatsu-do Hall is one of the halls of Todai-ji Temple, but I mention it separately here because it is a separate attraction. The best way to reach Nigatsu-do Hall is by crossing the atmospheric footbridge that begins in the northeastern corner of the Daibutsu-den Hall of Todai-ji. Nigatsu-do is free to explore and there is a small resting area on the north side of the hall where you can enjoy free tea (make sure to wash your own cup when you’re done).

Japanese name: 二月 堂
Japanese address: 奈良 市 雑 司 町 406-1
English address: 406-1 Zoushi-cho, Nara-shi
Phone number: 0742-22-5511
Opening hours: 24 hours
Nearest train station: 20 minute walk from Kintetsu Nara Station
District: Nara-Koen
Free admission

Sangatsu-do Hall

Please note that Sangatsu-do Hall is actually located to the east of Nigatsu-do Hall, not to the south. It is a separate hall of the Todai-ji temple complex and has a distinctively different feel, so it is worth a visit if you have the time. Visitors do need to pay an admission fee to enter Sangatsu-do, but you can still enjoy its beautiful exterior even if you choose not to go inside.

Japanese name: 三月 堂
Japanese address: 奈良 市 雑 司 町 406-1
English address: 406-1 Zoushi-cho, Nara-shi
Phone number: 0742-22-5511
Opening hours: 07:30-17:30 (April-Oct), 8:00-16:30 (Nov-March)
Nearest train station: 20-minute walk from Kintetsu Nara Station
District: Nara-Koen
Entrance: Y500

Yoshiki-en Garden

Yoshiki-en Garden is one of Nara’s best-kept secrets. It is a beautiful garden with a thatched tea house located right next to (on the south side of) Isui-en Garden. Not only is this a lovely garden to wander around, but admission is also free for foreign visitors! The Japanese maples here are especially spectacular in November.

Japanese name: 吉 城 園 城.
Japanese address: 奈良 市 登 大路 町 60-1
English address: 60-1 Noborioji-cho, Nara-shi
Phone number: 0742-22-5911
Opening hours: 9 a.m.-5 p.m. (part before 4:30 p.m.)
Nearest train station: 15min walk from Kintetsu Nara Station
District: Downtown Nara
Entrance: free for foreign visitors (bring your passport to be sure).

Kofuki-ji

Kofuku-ji temple is hard to miss – it’s the enormous temple complex with the towering pagoda that you’ll see on your right as you head towards Nara-Koen Park. While the “treasure house” in Kofuku-ji contains some interesting Buddhist images, it’s probably enough to just wander around the open grounds (which you can do for free) and admire the structures from the outside.

Japanese name: 興福寺
Japanese address: 奈良 市 登 大路 町 48
English address: 48 Noborioji-cho, Nara-shi
Phone number: 0742-22-7755
Opening hours: 9 a.m.-5 p.m. (part before 4:45 p.m.)
Nearest train station: 5-minute walk from Kintetsu Nara station
District: Nara-Koen
Entrance: entrance to site free, Y600 to “treasure room”

Naramachi

Naramachi is the traditional district with shops, old houses, workshops, restaurants, cafes, and Ryokan (traditional Japanese inns) south of Sanjo-dori street (in fact, it’s the neighborhood to the east of JR Nara Station and south of Kintetsu Nara Station). While there are some interesting sights such as Koshi-no-Ie (a traditional house you can enter), the real fun here is just to walk through the old streets, admire the buildings, stroll into shops and cafes, and imagine what Japan must have been like a hundred or more years ago.

Japanese name: な ら ま ち
Japanese address: 奈良 市 中 院 町 21 (奈良 町 情報 館)
English address: 21 Chuin-cho, Nara-shi (address of the Naramachi Information Center).
Phone number: 0742-26-8610 (Naramachi Information Center phone number)
Opening hours: 24 hours
Nearest Train Station: 10-minute walk from Kintetsu Nara Station, 5-minute walk from JR Nara Station
District: Naramachi
Free admission

Nara National Museum

Nara National Museum is located just east of the Kofuku-ji temple on the west side of Nara-Koen Park. Divided into two buildings, the older building on the west side is the Nara Butsuzo-kan (Hall of Buddhist Images), which houses the museum’s permanent collection of fine Buddhist images (highly recommended for those with an interest in Buddhism), and the newer building on the east side where special temporary exhibitions are held.

Japanese name: 奈良 国立 博物館
Japanese address: 奈良 市 登 大路 町 50
English address: 50 Noborioji-cho, Nara-shi
Phone number: 050-5542-8600
Opening hours: 9:30 a.m.-5:00 p.m.
Nearest train station: 15min walk from Kintetsu Nara Station
District: Nara-Koen
Admission: admission to permanent exhibitions Y500, more for special exhibitions