Nara · Day Tour
The Great Buddha, a thousand deer, and a merchant quarter almost nobody walks.
From
¥7,700 per person
approx. US$49
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before
Instant confirmation
A Nara tour covering Todai-ji and its Great Buddha, the deer park, the lantern-lined approach to Kasuga Taisha and the old merchant streets of Naramachi. Four hours on foot with admissions included, in a city that was Japan's capital before Kyoto existed.
The Great Buddha Hall is one of the largest wooden buildings in the world and the statue inside is close to fifteen metres tall. Photographs do not convey it. Your guide explains how it was cast in the eighth century, what happened when it burned, and what was rebuilt.
The deer in Nara Park are wild and protected, and they have been treated as messengers of the gods for over a thousand years. They also know exactly what a paper bag looks like. Your guide explains the etiquette, which is more useful than it sounds.
The approach to Kasuga Taisha runs through forest lined with stone lanterns, donated over centuries by people asking for something. There are around three thousand of them. The shrine at the end is vermilion, and the contrast with the forest is the point.
Nara was the capital before Kyoto, and Naramachi is what is left of its merchant town — narrow lattice-fronted houses on the old grounds of Gango-ji. Almost nobody who comes for the deer walks here, which is why it is worth the last hour.
Meet your guide at the station.
The Great Buddha Hall.
The deer, and how to behave around them.
The lantern-lined approach and the shrine.
The old merchant quarter.
Kintetsu-Nara Station, at the main exit. Your guide carries a Travel Japan Together sign and will contact you on WhatsApp beforehand.
Yes. It is about forty minutes from either, and the concentration of what is here — an eighth-century capital, in walking distance — has no equivalent elsewhere.
Your guide and admission to both Todai-ji and Kasuga Taisha. Transport and meals are your own.
They are wild animals and they are used to people. They bow, they nudge, and they will take food out of a bag. Follow your guide and you will be fine.
About five kilometres over four hours, at a steady pace with stops.
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start time. Bookings are confirmed instantly.
Nara · Day Tour
7 hours · From ¥22,000
