Todaiji (東大寺, Tōdaiji, "Great Eastern Temple") is one of Japan's most famous and historically significant temples and a landmark of Nara. The temple was constructed in 752 as the head temple of all provincial Buddhist temples of Japan and grew so powerful that the capital was moved from Nara to Nagaoka in 784 in order to lower the temple's influence on government affairs. Until recently, Todaiji's main hall, the Daibutsuden (Big Buddha Hall), held the record as the world's largest wooden building, despite the fact that the present reconstruction of 1692 is only two thirds of the original temple hall's size. The massive building houses one of Japan's largest bronze statues of Buddha (Daibutsu). The 15 meters tall, seated Buddha represents Vairocana and is flanked by two Bodhisattvas.
Nara Park (奈良公園, Nara Kōen) is a large park in central Nara. Established in 1880, it is the location of many of Nara's main attractions including Todaiji, Kasuga Taisha, Kofukuji and the Nara National Museum. It is also home to hundreds of freely roaming deer.
Kasuga Taisha (春日大社) is Nara's most celebrated shrine. It was established at the same time as the capital and is dedicated to the deity responsible for the protection of the city. Kasuga Taisha was also the tutelary shrine of the Fujiwara, Japan's most powerful family clan during most of the Nara and Heian Periods. Like the Ise Shrines, Kasuga Taisha had been periodically rebuilt every 20 years for many centuries. In the case of Kasuga Taisha, however, the custom was discontinued at the end of the Edo Period. Beyond the shrine's offering hall, which can be visited free of charge, there is a paid inner area which provides a closer view of the shrine's inner buildings. Furthest in is the main sanctuary, containing multiple shrine buildings that display the distinctive Kasuga style of shrine architecture, characterized by a sloping roof extending over the front of the building.
Mount Wakakusayama (若草山) is the grass covered mountain behind Nara Park, located between Todaiji Temple and Kasuga Shrine. The mountain is about 350 meters tall and affords unobstructed views over Nara City. Tourists are allowed to climb Mount Wakakusayama all year round except during winter. A small entrance fee is charged. The grassy slope of the mountain is lined by cherry trees that are usually in full bloom around early April. A steep trail leads along the leftmost edge of the slope to a plateau halfway up the mountain with great views over the city. It takes about 15-20 minutes to reach the plateau and many people do not hike farther. An additional 20-30 minutes would get you to the mountain's peak.
Horyuji Temple (法隆寺, Hōryūji) was founded in 607 by Prince Shotoku, who is credited with the early promotion of Buddhism in Japan. Horyuji is one of the country's oldest temples and contains the world's oldest surviving wooden structures. It was designated a world heritage site in 1993. Horyuji's temple grounds are spacious and separated into two main precincts, the Western Precinct (Saiin Garan) and the Eastern Precinct (Toin Garan).
Naramachi (奈良町, literally "Nara Town") is the former merchant district of Nara, where several traditional residential buildings and warehouses are preserved and open to the public. Boutiques, shops, cafes, restaurants and a few museums now line the district's narrow lanes. Many of Naramachi's buildings in the Edo Period and earlier were machiya, long, narrow "townhouses" that served both as shops and as the living quarters of the local merchants. The store fronts of machiya were often kept narrow in order to save on taxes, which used to be calculated on a property's street access rather than its total area. Today, a handful of machiya have been preserved and made open to the public as museums.
Kofukuji (興福寺, Kōfukuji) used to be the family temple of the Fujiwara, the most powerful aristocratic clan during much of the Nara and Heian Periods. The temple was established in Nara at the same time as the capital in 710. At the height of Fujiwara power, the temple consisted of over 150 buildings. The temple features several buildings of great historic value, including a five-storied pagoda and a three-storied pagoda. At 50 meters, the five-storied pagoda is Japan's second tallest wooden pagoda, just seven meters shorter than the five-storied pagoda at Kyoto's Toji Temple. Kofukuji's pagoda is both a landmark and symbol of Nara. It was first built in 730, and was most recently rebuilt in 1426. Neither pagoda can be entered by the public.
Yakushiji (薬師寺) was constructed by Emperor Tenmu in the late 7th century for the recovery of the emperor's sick wife. One of Japan's oldest temples, Yakushiji has a strictly symmetric layout, with the main hall and lecture hall standing on a central axis, flanked by two pagodas. The main hall was rebuilt in the 1970s after being destroyed by fire and houses a Yakushi trinity, a masterpiece of Japanese Buddhist art. The East Pagoda is the temple's only structure to have survived the many fires that have beset the temple over the years, and dates from 730. It appears to have six stories, but is in fact only truly three-storied, like the West Pagoda.
Shin-Yakushiji Temple (新薬師寺) was founded during the Nara Period (710-794) by an empress for the sake of the ailing emperor. It is devoted to Yakushi Buddha, the patron of medicine in Japanese Buddhism. Shin-Yakushiji means "New Yakushi Temple", because there already existed a Yakushiji Temple. During its heyday, Shin-Yakushiji consisted of a large complex of buildings, but all except for the main hall (Hondo) have since been lost. Inside the main hall there are life size statues of 12 guardian deities surrounding a two meter tall statue of a seated Yakushi Buddha, which are the temple's main objects of worship. The Yakushi statue is made of wood while the guardians are made of clay. Each guardian has a different character and possesses a different weapon, and visitors can spend quite a while admiring them. There are also a few small paths around the temple grounds.
The Nara National Museum (奈良国立博物館, Nara Kokuritsu Hakubutsukan), located in Nara Park, is an art museum which primarily displays Japanese Buddhist art. Established in 1889, the museum retains its original building and is joined by a new wing that is connected to the original building by an underground passage. Both wings display the museum's permanent collection, which includes Buddhist statues, paintings, scrolls and ceremonial objects mainly from Japan. The new wing also houses temporary exhibitions, including an annual exhibition every autumn of treasures from Todaiji Temple. A ticket to the museum gives access to both wings, and English explanations are available throughout the museum.
During most of the Nara Period (710-794), Nara served as the capital of Japan and was known as Heijo-kyo. The Heijo Palace extended about one kilometer wide and one kilometer long and served as the site of the emperor's residence and government offices. For its great historical and cultural importance, the palace site is included as one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites of Nara.
Toshodaiji (唐招提寺, Tōshōdaiji) was founded in the year 759 by Ganjin, a Chinese priest who was invited to Japan by the emperor in order to train priests and improve Japanese Buddhism. Ganjin's influence in the introduction of Buddhism to Japan was monumental, and his arrival and teaching at Toshodaiji (which roughly translates to "temple of the one invited from Tang China") were important stages in that process. Toshodaiji's main hall (kondo) was re-opened in late 2009 after being renovated over a period of almost ten years, during which the building was dismantled and reconstructed. The temple's lecture hall (kodo) was originally an administrative building located in the Nara Imperial Palace and was later moved to Toshodaiji. Today, it is the only surviving building of the former palace.
Isuien (依水園) is an attractive Japanese garden with a variety of features, such as the use of Todaiji Temple's Nandaimon Gate and Mount Wakakusayama as "borrowed scenery". Isuien means "garden founded on water", and the garden's name is derived from the fact that its ponds are fed by the small adjacent Yoshikigawa River. The Yoshikien Garden is located just on the other side of the river.
Yoshikien (吉城園) is a pleasant Japanese garden located in central Nara. It is named after the Yoshikigawa River, a small river that runs beside the garden, and was built on the site of Kofukuji Temple's former priest residences. The entry fee to the garden is waived for foreign tourists. There are three unique gardens within Yoshikien: a pond garden, a moss garden and a tea ceremony garden. So, a visit to Yoshikien provides the opportunity to see three different variations of Japanese gardens in one spot. If visitors still want to see more techniques of Japanese gardening, the Isuien Garden is located just across the small river.
Kazuo Sumi is a great guide. We are a family of 5 (kids 11-19). The weather was really bad, raining all day. Kazuo kept us motivated with his knowledge about Nara and Japan in general. We had an amazing day and can recommend this trip and guide absolutely.
The tour was exceptional. The sites that we visited far surpassed what we saw in Kyoto, allowing us to see more beauty and historical sites in one day than we did our entire two week trip in Japan. More so, however, was that the guide was far more knowledgeable than any other we encountered. Junichi had deep knowledge about the history, culture, and religion of the whole of Japan and Nara, as well as exacting understanding of each site in particular. He tailored the tour and the information provided specifically to our interests. If you are visiting Kyoto or Osaka, this tour should be on the very top of your list. It far surpassed anything and everything in those cities. If hesitating, just book it now
The tour was exceptional. The sites that we visited far surpassed what we saw in Kyoto, allowing us to see more beauty and historical sites in one day than we did our entire two week trip in Japan. More so, however, was that the guide was far more knowledgeable than any other we encountered. Junichi had deep knowledge about the history, culture, and religion of the whole of Japan and Nara, as well as exacting understanding of each site in particular. He tailored the tour and the information provided specifically to our interests. If you are visiting Kyoto or Osaka, this tour should be on the very top of your list. It far surpassed anything and everything in those cities. If hesitating, just book it now
Very nice guide! Now, No one in the organisation to ensure you nice experience. They are there to take our money and ask for our opinion, even before the booking. Confusing site
We enjoyed a full day at Nara guided by Noriko who started by collecting us at Kyoto station. Nice introductions and we liked the conversations. Throughout the day Noriko provided excellent information and we were able to beat the crowds by using some alternative routing. She helped us to introduce to the owner of a local Calligraphy store which was highly appreciated. We can strongly recommend booking the tour with Noriko and it was a pleasure spending the day in Nara. Paul & Lut Belgium
We had a wonderful full-day tour from Kyoto to Nara with our guide, Ichiro-san. From start to finish, he was kind, attentive, and incredibly knowledgeable. He explained everything in great detail and made the entire experience smooth and engaging. Ichiro-san took care of all the logistics, including train connections and a quick taxi to save time, which made the day stress-free. We also enjoyed a fantastic lunch with delicious local specialties — one of the highlights of the day! Overall, it was a perfect mix of culture, history, and nature, made even better by Ichiro’s warm personality and deep knowledge. Highly recommended!
We saw everything we wanted to see on our tour and the guide was good even though he was a little on the quiet side. He was very timely and flexible when we wanted to drop one of the previously requested sites and add a saki tasting. He expertly led us through the train stations and the bus stops to get to our destination. We all enjoyed our visit to Nara.
Haru was a wonderful tour guide. Very professional and always prepared with information about each site. We probably saved two hours of our time by hiring a tour guide who knew exactly where to go and how to get there, but the added information was even more valuable.
Hiro did a great job guiding us through Nara. Leading up to the trip he was easy to communicate with and he helped us customize the itinerary. He met us right on time at the hotel and helped us navigate through the train/bus stations. He was flexible with the schedule as it was raining when we arrived and he added a Sake tasting experience for us to get a break from the rain. He took us to a museum of the old houses of Nara and then walked with us through the deer park. Hiro planned a wonderful lunch and was very accommodating to my food allergies. We got to feed and interact with so many deer! We wandered through a beautiful garden and then back through the deer park on our way to the bus and train stations. Hiro did a great job with us!
Hiro San has prepared a very insightful tour in Nara! He have sent us the schedule beforehand and organized everything in advance. Highly recommend him!
Ken is the absolute perfect guide. His English is perfect. His knowledge is encyclopedic. He is kind and patient. He is energetic. He sent me an itinerary personalized to our interests the day before and was promptly waiting in the hotel lobby with his sign. My husband and son had the best day with him exploring Nara landmarks . We couldn’t not have asked for a better experience.
Maya was fantastic. She gave us a cultural and historical tour that was laid out perfectly. She was very accommodating as well. These were beautiful structures in the list, as well as a Japanese garden and an amazing ramen spot. Even though it was a little cold today, everything was still beautiful.
Yoshii was fantastic! He provided historical context during the travel time to Nara. He was excellent at explaining all of the locations, and tirelessly led us to all the worthwhile locations in Nara. He takes excellent photos and shares great information about the location and Japan in general. We would recommend him without hesitation!
Shoko Seki was amazing. Our tour started promptly at 10:00 AM at our hotel, and before we knew it, we were already on a train to Nara, learning about the history of Japan. An hour later, we were on a bus (platform 2) from Nara train station to Todaiji Temple, where the deer (Divine Messengers) were waiting for us to feed them crackers. Not a single minute was wasted. Shoko has deep knowledge of Japan's first capital and its three ancient must-see temples. She also chose the perfect spot for lunch—slightly off the main tourist paths, a quiet place overlooking a Japanese garden. We had the chance to enjoy a delicious traditional meal at a very reasonable price. The 8 hours flew by, and at 6:00 PM, Shoko took us back to the hotel and also explained how to smoothly get to Hiroshima. Highly recommended!
Great tour to Nara with Masaki. Customized the outing as desired and saw all of the highlights of Nara. He was incredibly easy to engage and discuss the history of each landmark. Very educational and fun tour. Highly recommend.
This was our favorite tour we have done on our trip to Japan. Romi-san was an incredible guide! The shrine and temples are amazing, we had a delicious lunch with local Nara delicacies, and Romi took us through some beautiful gardens and some very cool shops when we were running ahead of schedule. And that’s to to say nothing of the thousands of deer we got to see, feed, and interact with. I highly recommend leaving as early as possible to avoid crowds. We practically had the temples and shrines we visited in the morning to ourselves- even on a Saturday during busy season!
My wife and I had a wonderful tour of Nara and surrounding temples. Kazuko knew how to work through all of the logistics of taxi, rail, bus travel which made things very easy to travel from Kyoto to Nara Station. She went out of her way so that we could visit the Horyugi complex which is just mind blowing. She was incredibly knowledgeable, kind, and patient w our questions and speaks good English. I would strongly recommend this tour with Kazuko!
We had the best day thanks to our great guide Junichi, he knew so many things, spoke perfect english and was so nice and professional. Honestly, he was the best guide we have had in Japan. We wouldn’t hesitate to recommend him to anyone! Thank you so much Junichi!
Ken was an excellent guide for us American tourists. He shared Japanese history that brought the temples & monuments to life as we went from place to place. He’s easy to talk to and helped us to understand Japanese culture & religion a lot more than when we started the day. I highly recommend a day tour with Ken!!
Our tour guide was so patient and pleasant. Made our trip to Nara so enjoyable! She gave a good history of Nara and also gave us tips on navigating the train system and public transportation. Truly enjoyed the day with her.
Junichi was the absolute best guide! He was knowledgeable about the history and culture of Japan in a way that made me feel like I had Japan Hostory 101 in a single afternoon! Highly recommend.
Loved every moment about the experience in Nara and Akira was amazing in facilitating an unforgettable day. We didn't have specific ideas for what we wanted to see and do in Nara but Akira put together an itinerary that made Nara my favorite experience in Japan. Akira met us at our hotel and let us to Nara on the train. From visiting beautiful gardens to ancient temples to feeding deer Akira was attentive and informative. The pace of the day was great and Akira even added a couple of additional, and delightful, surprises to end our day. Would highly recommend this tour and experience in Nara.
We had a great day, Junichi was an amazing tour guide. He had an excellent english. He explained us everything religion, history and Japanese culture. We couldn’t ask for a better guide.
Tomy was an outstanding guide that made this visit all the better gaining an understanding of the history within Japan.
We enjoyed the day trip to Nara. Our guide Hiro was wonderful. He was very organized and picked us up from our hotel and delivered us back. Nara was well worth a visit. Would recommend this trip.
Our guide, Matt, was incredibly accommodating, knowledgeable, and informative. He checked in with us well before our tour to ensure that he planned an itinerary that aligned with our interests and preferences (he even made sure that the restaurant we visited had vegetarian food for us!). He provided rich history related to Nara and taught us cultural practices during our visit to the various shrines. Loved seeing the beautiful nature (all those adorable deer). Seeing the Kasugataisha Shrine was a highlight of our entire trip! I definitely recommend this tour to anyone interested in experiencing the full beauty and history of Nara.
We very much enjoyed seeing Nara with Keiko. She took us to the Byōdō-in and told us the history of the place. She is good company and we have enjoyed getting to know her.
Our guide was wonderful. She gave us a lot of history of each site we visited . She made sure we had a wonderful time in Nara. She was very knowledgeable and accommodating .
Everything was wonderful. Ken met us at our hotel, as we traveled together on public transportation to Nara. We learned quite a lot and had a wonderful experience.
A very good day in Nara with Haru our guide. Lots of interesting facts shared about the history of Japan which we would never have known without a guide. Many stops on this tour to temples and of course the bowing deer! Great comms from Haru prior to the tour to ensure the day went smooth.
Nara is an amazing place to visit, really a can't miss place close to Kyoto. However, regardless of how beautiful the place is, having spent the day with Ichiro (our guide) was even better!! Again, if you're short on time, going to these places with a guide is a most, and if you decide to take the guided tour to Nara, we don't have words to say how much we recommend asking for Ichiro as your guide.
We spent the day with our guide Junichi on Oct 2, 2024. He was extremely knowledgeable about Japanese history and showed us many interesting places in Nara, some of which were not typical tourist spots which was really fun. He was flexible regarding the itinerary and went above and beyond to make sure we had a great day. He was superb and his English is flawless which was not expected but was an added benefit. Highly recommend !
We had a wonderful day traveling to and from Nara from Kyoto with Hiro! He was very informative and helped us through the many sights in Nara. We highly recommend this tour! :)
Our guide Ichiro was excellent! We booked this tour during our honeymoon and would highly recommend. We decided to book a private car for the day which we would 100% recommend if you want to visit places that a bit off the beaten track and makes an 8hr day more relaxing! Ichiro was very knowledgeable, professional, great company and sense of humour and created a very thoughtful itinerary for us so we missed the crazy tourists peak times. You can tell he is also passionate about Japan’s history! His English was very good and we would highly recommend Ichiro!
Our guide did not speak good English. We were not able to understand his and he was not able to communicate with us. He frequently used Google translate to express himself. The agency should take proper care to ensure the guides do speak English.
We only had one day in Nara, so we had to make the most of it. Our tour guide, Rie, lives in the area, and knew a lot about everything we saw. We put together a list of what we wanted, with her guidance, and saw a couple of additional things as well. If you’re in Kyoto, take a day and go over to Nara - you won’t regret it! And get Rie if you can! She’s super sweet, and made sure we were comfortable and set for the whole day.
What a wonderful tour! Junichi-san was friendly, extremely knowledgeable and an excellent guide. The deer were everywhere and so much fun. The temple grounds are vast, so a very good guide was perfect for my daughter and me. Take this your! You will not forget or regret doing so.
Me, my wife and our niece met Junichi-san at Kyoto station for our train ride to Nara and that is where the fun began. Junichi-san is very knowledgeable and answered all our questions that we asked throughout the day. We learned the difference between Shinto and Buddhism and how they came to be used politically by tyrants throughout Japanese history. We learned a lot about the origins of the Japanese people, language, customs and religions, very informative and we enjoyed it the whole time. Junichi-san is an active guide, so you better have your walking shoes on because there is a lot to see and he is more than ready to show it to you. The highlight for me was seeing a specific statue that I learned about 40 years ago in a Japanese art history class. It was a magnificent feeling of coming full circle to see in real life what was a much talked about slide projected on the wall all those years ago. A real treat! A dream come true. Thanks Junichi-san!
Kazuo: First time in Japan. Kazuo did a wonderful job and we learned a lot on the tour. He speaks fluent English and he is very polite.
Thank you Junichi san for giving my family of 3 a tour of Nara. It was nice to be on a tour with someone who is from Nara and really knows the history. We enjoyed his explanation and enthusiasm. He took us to areas where it was not crowded...and there were areas which were very crowed! We were literally shoulder to shoulder with other tourists. He took us to local stops to taste delicious treats. Also, make sure you wear comfortable sneakers because you will do A LOT of walking. Easily 10+ miles. We asked a lot of questions about the culture and he was happy we were totally engaged. We found out Junichi san used to run in marathons. He is truly an active dude! You got to keep up. He does not want you to miss out on anything. The next time we go to Japan, we're looking him up. What an awesome day to tour with Junichi. 純一さん、本当にありがとう
Kazuo Sumi was a perfect guide. He was incredibly knowledgable and friendly. We got to choose what we wanted to see. He gave us lots of historical and cultural information and was more than happy to answer questions. He gave us a fantastic day traveling around Kyoto.
We had an amazing experience learning about Sumo culture. Kazuo was extremely knowledgeable and made the tour fun by telling many interesting and entertaining stories about the sumo culture and wrestlers.
A full day with amazing temples, shrines and deer! Kazuo met with us at the train station and guided us to Nara. He kept a very thorough schedule that included the major highlights, with great knowledge of all the history. He always made sure we were hydrated and allowed us time to go shopping. The restaurant he chose for lunch was very reasonable and with good variety.
Appreciate Yuka personalized the trip to accomodate our desire to see Yakushiji Temple, even though it was in a less popular area of Nara. The East Pagoda was first built over 1,300 years ago, and is one of the several National Treasures in Japan. Yuka was very knowledgeable, explained the history and showed us the details of the architecture. We also enjoyed Horyuji Temple, Nara Park and Todaiji Temple. Todaiji Temple was overcrowd with a lot of the Japanese school children's school excursions. So less time to spend rto eally admire the Vairocana Buddha. But it was interesting to see all the children lining up and trying to crawl through the hole in the huge pillar to ensure academic success.
Seeing all the deer & enormous Buddha was fascinating. Our guide was very pleasant and informative! I would definitely recommend this day trip!
Mr. Ken Yokozuka was quite incredible the way he prepared everything for our one day visit to Nara. He organized the day to fit in the places we were interested in visiting and another most interesting places. At every stop, he explained all the historical background and related information. It was on a very tight schedule and without his help we could not have managed it. The morning at the Horyuji temple was the highlight of our five day trip in Japan. Clear blue sky, clean air, the oldest wooden building and the art works there. Thank you!
The trip was great with our guide, Anne who explained the history of the sites we visited. The only drawback was the weather as it rained the entire time. All in all, a good day.
We had a great day trip seeing the shrines and temple in Nara and feeding the deer. Our guide Anne was a delight. Thank you!
Hiro was great!! He has a ready itinerary, and we did even more, he even pick us up from our hotel in Kyoto. Very kind and good history behind all the temples
Beautiful trip. Our guide Shoji was really professional and kind. He took us to amazing temples, far away from the crowds. We really recommend it.
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