Things to Do in Nara

About Nara

Nara doesn't try very hard, and that's precisely the point. As Japan's first permanent capital (710-784 AD), it got its major temple-building phase out of the way a thousand years before Kyoto did, and the result is a city that feels unhurried and genuinely old rather than curated-old. You can walk from a train station into a park full of free-roaming deer and be standing in front of a 15-metre bronze Buddha within twenty minutes, no shuttle bus required.

The city's identity is inseparable from Nara Park's 1,200-odd sacred deer, considered messengers of the gods since the Kasuga Shrine's founding legend, and from Todai-ji, which held the title of world's largest wooden building for centuries. But Nara rewards people who stick around past the deer selfies: the Naramachi merchant quarter has narrow lanes of Edo-period townhouses now holding sake breweries, machiya cafes and craft shops, and the whole city can be properly covered on foot or bicycle in a way Kyoto no longer allows.

This is a destination for travelers who want the temples without the crowds, ideally as a day trip or overnight add-on from Kyoto or Osaka rather than a standalone base. History buffs, families (the deer are a genuine hit with kids, though they nip and headbutt for crackers), and anyone burned out on Kyoto's queues will find Nara a relief. It's less suited to nightlife seekers or shoppers — the city goes quiet early, and that's part of its appeal.