Nara Park Day Trip
A day in nature among deer, giant temples and mossy lantern paths of Japan’s ancient capital. Wear comfy shoes, as the whole day is on foot.
Meeting point: 09:45 at Osaka Namba Station to get to: Kintetsu Nara (近鉄奈良), the last stop on the line and right next to Nara Park.
Osaka-Namba
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Kintetsu-Nara Station
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From Sannomiya (about 80 min, no changes): at Hanshin Kobe-Sannomiya, take a Rapid Express (快速急行) bound for Kintetsu Nara (近鉄奈良). They run every 20 to 30 minutes. Aim for a train at around 09:00.
From Osaka (about 40 min): at Osaka-Namba (近鉄 Kintetsu), take a Rapid Express or Express to Kintetsu Nara. Aim for a train at around 10:00.
If you’re near Umeda, you can instead take the JR Yamatoji Rapid to JR Nara (about 50 min). JR Nara is a 15 to 20 minute walk from the meeting point.
Plan for the day:
09:45 Meet at Osaka-Namba Station (not Namba).
10:00 head to Nara. We can decide what to do on the day, here is a rough itinerary:
Walk through Kōfuku-ji’s grounds. The five-storey pagoda is wrapped for restoration until 2034, but the halls around it are open.
11:00 Nara Park: buy deer crackers and get the deer to bow to you. Bow first, and they bow back.
11:30 Tōdai-ji: walk through the giant Nandaimon gate to the Great Buddha hall.
12:30 Lunch at Yume-Kaze Hiroba, a cluster of restaurants by the park entrance.
13:30 Nigatsu-dō: a short climb to a wooden balcony with a view over Nara. Free.
14:15 Forest walk to Kasuga Taisha along a path lined with thousands of mossy stone lanterns.
15:30 Stroll back through the park. Stop at Nakatanidō near the station for fresh, super-fast pounded mochi.
16:30 Finish at Kintetsu Nara Station.
Cost (about ¥1,000 plus lunch and trains):
Trains each way: about ¥1,100 from Sannomiya, about ¥680 from Osaka-Namba, or about ¥820 by JR from Osaka. Use an IC card.
Tōdai-ji Great Buddha Hall: ¥800.
Deer crackers: about ¥200.
Kasuga Taisha: the lantern path is free, and the inner shrine is optional (about ¥700).
Lunch: ¥1,000 to ¥2,000.
Good to know:
The deer are wild. They nibble at paper maps and bags, and males can headbutt, so put the crackers away once you’ve finished.
Nigatsu-dō has steep steps.