Day trip

Nara

Nara, Osaka

Todai-ji Great Buddha Hall seen across a lawn in Nara
Photo: Tetsuhiro Terada / Flickr (CC BY 2.0)

Nara is the old capital east of Osaka, and its main sights sit inside or beside Nara Park. About 1,300 wild deer roam the park, and they're a designated national natural treasure.

Nearest station Kintetsu-Nara (Kintetsu), Nara (JR)
Time needed Full day
Best time Weekday mornings
With kids

Insider tip

Visit Nara puts the Kintetsu express from Osaka-Namba to Kintetsu-Nara at about 34 minutes. From JR Nanba, the JR Rapid Express to Nara Station takes about 49 minutes. Feed the deer only the crackers sold in the park.

What the guides say about 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.

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What's on at Nara

Upcoming events at Nara and within a ten-minute walk, from the weekly Osaka events calendar.

Exhibition Starts tomorrow

78th Shosoin Exhibition

第78回 正倉院展

24 Oct to 9 Nov Nara National Museum, Nara

Time 8:00 to 18:00, Fri to Sun and holidays to 20:00 Station Kintetsu-Nara, about 15 min walk

60 items from the Shosoin treasures, 11 of them on show for the first time, at Nara National Museum. It's open every day of the run, and the last entry is 60 minutes before closing.

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Todai-ji Great Buddha Hall seen across a lawn in Nara Tetsuhiro Terada, CC BY 2.0
Festival

Shuni-e (Omizutori) at Todai-ji

東大寺 修二会（お水取り）

1 to 14 Mar Todai-ji, Nara

Station Kintetsu-Nara Station, about 20 min walk

A fortnight of Buddhist rites at the Nigatsu-do from 1 to 14 March. Giant torches are carried up the stairs each evening, at 19:00 on most nights, 19:30 on the 12th and 18:30 on the 14th. The water-drawing is on the night of the 12th, around 1:30 on the 13th. Todai-ji says it is a religious service, not an event, and asks visitors to respect that.

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Todai-ji Great Buddha Hall with its wide tiled roof in Nara Tetsuhiro Terada, CC BY 2.0

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Nearby

Isuien Garden Park · 4 min walk A stroll garden next to Todai-ji that uses the temple's roofline and the hills behind it as borrowed scenery. Todai-ji Temple · 7 min walk A Buddhist temple in Nara whose main building is the Great Buddha Hall (Daibutsu-den), home to the temple's colossal Buddha statue. Kasuga Taisha Shrine · 13 min walk A Shinto shrine at the eastern edge of Nara Park. Nara Park Park · 19 min walk A park of about 660 hectares across the eastern side of Nara, home to roughly 1,300 wild deer. Yakushi-ji Temple · 5.3 km away A temple whose East Pagoda is a National Treasure. Osaka Korea Town History Museum Museum · 27.8 km away A small museum on the history of Korea Town, from the early Chosen Market to the present, 50 m north of Ichijo-dori at the main Korea Town street.

Good to know

How do I get to Nara?
The nearest station is Kintetsu-Nara (Kintetsu), Nara (JR). Nara is in Nara, Osaka.
How long do you need at Nara?
Plan for full day.
When is the best time to visit Nara?
Weekday mornings.

Stay near Nara

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See hotels near Nara on Booking.comPrices are for the night of Saturday 24 October. You can change the dates on Booking.com. If you book, Roam Osaka earns a small commission from Stay22 at no extra cost to you.