Most first-time travelers immediately think of Tokyo when planning a trip to Japan. From hi-tech sights to vibrant culture, the bustling capital offers the ultimate modern Japanese experience. However, the city can be quite overwhelming and tiring to navigate.
If you’re looking for a more peaceful and laid-back destination to go to with the whole family, Osaka is a good choice with because of the rich history that will appeal to seniors and kid-friendly deer encounters.
Aside from being home to Universal Studios Japan, Osaka’s location in the Kansai region makes it a great base to explore other historic destinations near the city like Kyoto and Nara, both of which are located less than an hour away from Osaka. Many of Nara’s main attractions are centrally located around Nara Park and you can easily visit them on a day tour just by walking around.
Nara was once Japan’s permanent capital and is home to an impressive number of cultural sites, including some of Japan’s oldest and largest temples. But the peaceful city is best known for being the home of over 1,200 sacred deer who wander around freely in city parks and temples.
During our family vacation in Osaka last June 2023, we kicked off our trip with a day tour to the historic city of Nara. While it’s easy enough to get here by public transport if you don’t mind walking, since we were traveling in a group with kids and seniors, we had a van with a local driver for most of our day trips, and got the services of Sachi, a local guide who shared the history of the destinations we visited and helped us take complete group photos. (Thanks, Sachi!)
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Todaji Temple
Our first stop was the ancient Todaji Temple or “Great Eastern Temple,” one of Japan’s most famous and historically significant temples and a major city landmark. This temple was originally constructed in 752 as the head temple of all provincial Buddhist temples of Japan before the capital was moved away from Nara in 784.
The building’s main hall known as the Daibutsuden (Big Buddha Hall) has the distinction of being one of the world’s largest wooden buildings with the frontage 57.01 meters wide. It also houses one of Japan’s largest bronze statues of a seated Buddha, measuring almost 15 meters high (48.91 feet).
A popular attraction inside the hall (especially for school kids) is a pillar with a hole in its base that is the same size as the Daibutsu’s nostril (18” in diameter). It’s said that those who can fit and squeeze through the opening will be granted enlightenment in their next life. My nephews managed to crawl and make it through, but the adults passed on trying it out.
Kōfuku-ji Temple
Another city landmark we visited was Kōfuku-ji Temple, a Buddhist temple that was once one of the powerful Seven Great Temples in the city. The temple’s five-storied pagoda, originally erected in 730, is considered the second-tallest wooden pagoda in Japan. At the time we visited, it was starting to undergo some repairs for the first time in about 120 years, so there were some scaffoldings around the structure, but it still looked impressive.
Higashimuki Shopping Street
Then it was off to lunch at Higashimuki Shopping Street, an arcade with rows of restaurants and shops. Our guide had arranged lunch at Grancha, a traditional Japanese restaurant that specializes in Kamameshi, a Japanese meal where the dish is cooked in an iron pot (the ‘kama’) served with different toppings like vegetables, meat and fish, along with side dishes. This offered a relaxing sit-down experience with comfort food.
While walking around the arcade where we had lunch, I spotted Yamato Craft Beer Table, which serves meat, pizza and craft beer. Unfortunately, the brewpub was still closed when we passed by but the place looked interesting. It’s about a minute walk from the Kintetsu Nara Station.
Nara City Park and Deer Feeding
The highlight of the trip was feeding the deer at Nara City Park. Located in the central park of Nara City, this vast green area encompasses four world heritage sites of UNESCO, with origins dating back at least to the 8th century.
Tourists have a chance to interact with some of the wild deer who roam freely around the park grounds. There’s an estimated 1,200 deer freely roaming around the park.
Why are there so many deer in Nara? According to local legends, a section of Nara Park is located on the grounds of Kasuga Taisha Shrine. It’s believed that the god of the shrine rode a white deer from what is now Kashima, Ibaraki Prefecture (north of Tokyo) to Mount Mikasa in Nara. Therefore, since ancient times, the deer here have long been carefully protected as in Nara.
Even in modern times, they are considered as messengers of the gods. The deer in Nara symbolize the city and have even been designated as a natural treasure.
The deer have learned to bow and pay respects to visitors to ask for food. Tourists can buy rice crackers (costing around 200 Yen) for the deer and offer them around the park.
Roku-en Deer Center
Aside from all the deer roaming freely, there’s a separate section in Nara for the baby deer, with many new fawns born in late Spring. The does and their newborns are protected at the Roku-en deer center until the fawns are old enough to follow their mothers. Every day in June from 11:00 am – 2:00 pm, you can visit and see the fawns at the center, before they are released into the park.
Other attractions to visit in Nara
While I only revisited Nara on a day tour with the family, during a previous trip to Japan before the pandemic, some friends and I stayed in Nara overnight to enjoy the local charm and explore other tourist attractions there.
There are other historic spots of interest you can visit around Nara which are about several kilometers outside of central Nara and best accessed by bus or train.
There are actually eight properties included in the Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara considered UNESCO World Heritage Sites including five Buddhist Temples, a Shinto Shrine and a primeval forest that you can visit. These are:
- Todai-ji Temple – Buddhist Temple
- Kohfuku-ji Temple – Buddhist Temple
- Kasuga-Taisha Shrine – Shinto Shrine
- Kasugayama Primeval Forest – forest
- Gango-ji Temple – Buddhist Temple
- Yakushi-ji Temple – Buddhist Temple
- Toshodai-ji Temple – Buddhist Temple
- Heijo Palace / Nara Palace Site – Imperial residence
If you’re already in Nara Park, I recommend you visit the Kasuga Taisha Shrine, which is famous for having 2,000 stone lanterns and 1,000 hanging lanterns within the shrine premises. You can also go souvenir shopping at Nara Nagomikan, the largest souvenir shop in Nara.
Compared to some other Japanese cities, Nara gets pretty quiet in the late afternoons and evenings. There are a few local shops and sake bars where you can relax after dinner and plenty of convenience stores to buy food from if you’re on a budget.
But in case you don’t have time to spare, it’s easy enough to get to Nara from Osaka and visit a few of the main sights within Nara on day trips without having to stay overnight.
Best local food specialties in Nara
- Narazuke – Temple sake
- Miwa somen – hand-pulled noodles made of flour using spring waters of Mount Miwa
- Chagayu – Nara Green tea porridge
- Persimmon sushi
- Asuka nabe – a milky hot pot chicken dish
- Kuzumochi – Japanese confectionery made from Kuzu (Japanese arrowroot plant)
- Manju – steamed yeast bun with filling
How to get to Nara from Osaka
- By JR Railways: Multiple rapid trains operate between Osaka (JR Osaka Station) and Nara (JR Nara Station). The one way trip takes about 45 minutes and costs 820 yen. This is covered by the Japan Rail Pass. The train also stops at Osaka’s Tennoji Station (30 minutes, 510 yen one way). The JR Nara Station is about a 15-20 minute walk to Kofukuji and Nara park, but you there are local buses available that you can ride.
- By Kintetsu Railway: By limited express, the one way trip from Osaka-Namba Station to Nara (Kintetsu Nara Station) takes about 30 minutes and costs 1200-1300 yen. This express, it takes a bit longer but is cheaper at 680 yen. Trains also stop at Tsuruhashi Station on the JR Osaka Loop Line. Take note, that the Japan Rail Pass can not be used on Kintetsu trains. You’ll need to get a separate train ticket to ride this. The Kintetsu station is an underground station that is relatively near Kofukuji and Nara Park.
