Best Day Trips from Osaka: Nara, Kobe, Himeji and Koyasan

Nara is the easiest day trip from Osaka, and Himeji Castle and Koyasan are the two worth planning a full day around. Kobe, Minoh Falls, Arima Onsen and the Daisen Kofun fit shorter outings. This page gives times only where an official page states them.

Nara

Nara is the old capital east of Osaka, and its sights sit in or beside Nara Park, about 660 hectares with roughly 1,300 wild deer. Visit Nara puts the Kintetsu express from Osaka-Namba to Kintetsu-Nara at about 34 minutes. JR Rapid Express takes about 49 minutes from Nanba, about 52 from Osaka and about 69 from Shin-Osaka, ending at Nara Station.

The park is free and open all year, and it’s an 8-minute walk from Kintetsu-Nara. Todai-ji houses the Great Buddha, with entry to the hall at ¥800 for adults. Kasuga Taisha sits at the park’s eastern edge, and general worship at the main sanctuary needs no ticket. Feed the deer only the crackers sold in the park. There are no litter bins, so take your rubbish with you.

Himeji

Himeji Castle is the White Heron Castle, and you can climb inside the main keep. The castle’s site gives 9:00 to 17:00 with last entry at 16:00, and the grounds are a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Adults 18 and over pay ¥2,500, and under-18s are free. It’s closed on 29 and 30 December. The castle says it’s a 20-minute walk from JR Himeji and Sanyo Himeji stations, or you can take a Shinki bus from the north exit to Otemon-mae and walk about five minutes.

Koyasan

Koyasan is the Shingon Buddhist sacred mountain in Wakayama. The Koyasan tourism association says to take the Nankai Koya Line to Gokurakubashi and change to the Koyasan Cable Car. Okunoin is a roughly 2 km approach through old cedars to Kobo Daishi’s mausoleum, lined with over 200,000 memorial towers. From Nankai Koyasan Station the Koya Rinkan bus goes to Ichinohashi-guchi, the usual start. The cable car and bus times weren’t on a page checked, so look up the timetable before you leave and leave a full day.

Kobe

Kobe is the port city west of Osaka. Kitano has the Weathercock House, a National Important Cultural Property, and Nankinmachi is one of Japan’s three top Chinatowns. From Sannomiya Station the City Loop Bus takes about 10 minutes to Kitano Ijinkan-gai, then it’s about 5 minutes’ walk. Houses keep their own hours, so check each one.

Minoh, Arima and Sakai

Minoo Park and Falls is free, with a 33 m falls reached by a trail from Hankyu Minoh Station. Osaka’s tourism bureau lists the walk at about 40 minutes. Arima Onsen is a hot spring town north of Kobe, reached on the Kobe Electric Railway. Gin no Yu is open 9:00 to 21:00 (last entry 20:30) and closed the 1st and 3rd Tuesday of each month and 1 January, and it’s a 10-minute walk from Arima Onsen Station. The Daisen Kofun (Nintoku-tenno-ryo) in Sakai is Japan’s largest burial mound at 486 m. It’s under Imperial Household Agency supervision, so check Sakai City’s tourism guide for how to see it.

Choosing

Go to Nara for deer and a temple with an easy ride. Go to Himeji for a castle you can climb. Go to Koyasan for the cedar approach to Okunoin, and plan the day around the cable car. Minoh suits late autumn. Not sure where to base yourself? See where to stay in Osaka, and for the city itself, things to do in Osaka.

Places in this guide

Photos show the actual places, licensed under Creative Commons and credited to their photographers.

Nara Park Nara · near Kintetsu-Nara Station Photo: tonko43 Todai-ji Nara · near Kintetsu-Nara Station Photo: Tetsuhiro Terada Kasuga Taisha Nara · near Kintetsu-Nara Station Photo: Fredrik Rubensson Koyasan Koyasan · near Koyasan Station Photo: xiquinhosilva