Easy Day Trip to Nara, Japan: 5 Exciting Things to Do

I am a participant in affiliate programs, so basically I earn a small commission if you use any of the affiliate links on this post - at no extra cost to you! Dope right?

Heyyy spoiler, but guess who went to Nara, Japan!?!? Yeah…yeah, it was me. Japan is one of my favorite countries (tied for first in fact!), and I would love to spend MONTHS in every Japanese city. But…alas this was only a 2 week trip to Japan so unfortunately my time would have to be restricted to only a day trip to Nara.

BUT, yanno, taking a day trip to Nara is actually the most popular method in visiting the city, and at the very least, it’s well worth the train trip even if just for a half day trip to Nara! Tho…now that I think about it, I actually did more day trips FROM Osaka than I spent exploring Osaka itself haha. But, whatever, more reason to go back to Osaka next time!

Why Nara

You may be asking yourself why you would even want to take a day trip to Nara anyway. What’s the significance? What does Nara have going on that’s specifically unique to the average traveler? Well for starters, Nara used to be the ancient capital of Japan. If you’re a history buff then that may be enough for you, but trust me, there’s a lot more juice to the plump city of Nara!

Nara was Japan’s first permanent imperial capital, from 710AD to 794AD, and the city was heavily involved in promoting foreign learnings and adaptations, especially China. Mostly China, actually. Nara was modeled after Xi’an with the city following a grid format. It was also around the time Chinese characters were adopted into Japanese language and Chinese language and culture were introduced to the larger Japanese population. So Nara is incredibly significant to Japanese history.

Plus…there’s a lot of deer.

As legends go, the Shinto deity Takemikazuchi-no-mikoto rode to Nara on a sacred deer in 768 to bring prosperity and happiness to the people. Since then, the deer were considered sacred and helpers of the gods, and killing one was punishable by death. To this day, the deer of Nara are actually genetically distinct to ANY other deer in the surrounding area or Japan in general, making them an extremely unique feature to the city and are even considered “natural monuments.”

So yah, taking a day trip to Nara is a pretty cool experience!

Getting to Nara

If you’re staying in Osaka, then taking a day trip to Nara is super easy. You can take a local train to Nara for about an hour and costs between 800-1000 yen ($5-$7 USD). For navigating in Japan, Google Maps is very helpful and accurate, especially for the public transportation system. It’ll even give recommendations on where to board the train based on how crowded it is!

Kyoto is an equally popular place to take a day trip to Nara. Since the local train is also about an hour’s journey and about the same price range. We spend three days in Kyoto and I would have gladly added another day to take a day trip to Nara.

If you are only spending one day in Nara, then I’d recommend heading out as early as your vacation alarm clock allows because there is a surprising amount of cool things to do in Nara!

And, since it’s such a popular day trip from two busy cities, Nara is usually pretty packed and lines can get longer later in the day. Thankfully, the small city is fairly walkable so you shouldn’t have to worry about hailing a taxi or anything.

Things to Do in Nara

Okay let’s get into all the fun things you’ll be doing during your day trip to Nara. This will be a pretty short list, and there are TONS more to do in Nara and the surrounding areas, but alas, this is only a day trip to Nara so I’m condensing it to the biggest showstoppers that you can squeeze in for a few hours.

Deer

Chances are if you’re visiting Nara, you’re coming for the deer. And for good reason, the deer of Nara have put the city into the hearts of tourists everywhere. And I admit, they’re fun to look at up close and are pretty integral the the city and its history. For the most part, you’ll find the majority of the deer hanging out in Nara Park and the nearby temples.

A gentle reminder, these are not domesticated deer.

They are wild animals.

They do wild animal things.

One mistake that some tourists make is thinking the deer are just cute attractions when in fact they are…well, wild animals that can and WILL bite, kick, surround, and headbutt each other and tourists if anyone gets too close.

Or…for not reason at all. Because again, they are unpredictable wild animals.

You can buy deer snacks to feed them for 200 yen ($1 USD), which go a lot faster than you expect, so be prepared to buy a few if you want to spend more time in the park. These snacks are just that for the deer – snack. They eat a majority of their meals on their own, so don’t feel inclined to buy snacks. Nara takes good care of these deer, so rest assured they are not starving. The deer eat regardless and most of them are just being greedy goblins (relatable).

On that note, depending on when you visit, you may notice some of the deer with their antlers shaved down. Every autumn (specifically October if you want to watch), the antlers of male deer are painlessly cut in a ritual that has continued since the Edo period. This is done to ensure the safety of BOTH deer and people, and does not harm the deer.

Tōdai-ji

The next biggest attraction for your day trip to Nara is the magnificent Tōdai-ji Temple, which is one of Japan’s most significant temples. In fact, the temple grew so powerful that one of the reasons the country’s capital moved away from Nara in 784 was to lower the temple’s influence on government affairs.

The Temple has been rebuilt a few times due to fire and earthquakes, but Tōdai-ji is still standing tall and up until recently, the main hall of the temple held the record as the world’s largest wooden building (and it was only 2/3s the hall’s original size!). Tōdai-ji is also known for having one of Japan’s largest bronze Buddha statues (Daibutsu) at 15 meters (49 feet) tall.

Admission to Daibutsuden Hall (that holds the Buddha statue) is 800 yen (~5 USD) and you’ll also see a few other statues in the hall that are also impressive sizes.

An insider tip for the hall, if you are on the smaller body size, is to attempt to squeeze through one of the hall’s pillars. It is rumored that if you can successfully pass through the pillar, your year will reward you. You’ll mostly see kids on field trips doing it so…naturally I had to too.

Do you think I made it through? Lol. Lemme know in the comments!

Horyuji Temple

If you have time on your way back to the station at the end of your day trip to Nara, you might want to swing by Horyuji Temple! Horyuji Temple was founded in 607 by Prince Shotoku, who is credited with the early promotion of Buddhism in Japan. It’s one of Japan’s oldest temples and has some of the world’s oldest surviving wooden structures.

Unfortunately for us it was closed by the time we reached it, but it seems pretty dope too. At the same time, you might be getting temple fatigue, especially doing two in one day, so maybe take a look at both Horyuji Temple and Tōdai-ji Temple and pick whichever looks more interesting to you.

Mochi Pounding

I probably should’ve started the day trip to Nara by swinging by the famous mochi pounding at Nakatanidou, but…eh. It’s a very social media popular attraction, so it’s PACKED. Granted, it is pretty fun to watch people pound the CRAP out of mochi, especially at the speed they do it, but unless you line up early to watch, you likely won’t get a good view.

There is no set time for mochi pounding – it’s a necessary task to prepare mochi – so it’s a bit of a gamble to wait around for it. Between me and you, I don’t even like mochi, so…I’m a bit biased, but my friends absolutely LOVED the fresh mochi so stopping by was 100% worth it for them! It’s also affordable despite their popularity.

Plus, the street that Nakatanidou is on has a ton of cool shops to check out so either way I’d recommend at least stopping by!

Where to Eat in Nara

If you’re only doing a day trip to Nara, then chances are you’ll only get one or two meals in the city before heading back to your lodging. For my trip, we only had lunch in Nara as we grabbed a quick breakfast from 7-11 on our way over (#teamonigiri). However, I have a few options for ya!

First and foremost, Nara is an excellent destination to eat unagi, or eel. It is a classic Japanese meal, and in one of the ancient capitals, it just FEELS RIGHT, yanno? We visited the restaurant Unagiku, which is open between the short hours of 11am-2:45pm for lunch. It’s THAT GOOD. And speaking of, you’ll need to make reservations and pay your reservation in advance. They are also open for dinner, 5pm-7pm, so that could be a good option if you are staying overnight or don’t mind catching a later train.

The grounds are absolutely beautiful and are such a great reminder of how closely cuisine plays into culture. You pick the set meal of choice, though if you are a hungrier person, I’d recommend adding on some a la carte items (the Japanese omelette is divine!). If you don’t care for the sit down experience, you can also order a bento box to-go that is a bit cheaper, and you can create your own picnic.

You’ll also come across random food stalls which make for great snack stops during your day trip to Nara!

While we were walking, we also came across a food truck that was playing…Mexican music?? Intrigued, we HAD to stop. Sarry’s Tacos is the place and they hold the title of the best tacos in Nara. Not sure if that is by default…but they were surprisingly better than I expected!

We ordered one of each on the menu and more than half were really good! They have a covered eating area which was really comfortable and we struck up conversation with a few other tourists that were equally intrigued by this random taco truck haha.

Last but not least, you know I’m a beverage gal so I needed a quick juice to replenish myself after all the fun during my day trip to Nara. I stopped into a small smoothie spot called Drink Drank and had THE BEST PERSIMMON SMOOTHIE I EVER HAD IN MY ENTIRE LIFE. It was incredible. We also ordered an orange smoothie that was fantastic, but man…that persimmon smoothie was unrivaled. Highly recommend!

Conclusion: Day Trip to Nara

Basically, out of all the smaller trips you can make from Osaka, Nara (in my opinion) was the destination that had the most to offer. I’d argue that it is worth turning your day trip to Nara into an overnight!

While I didn’t personally stay overnight, I high-key wish I had so I’ve saved a few hotels for the next time I’m in the area. For budget friendly options, there is Hilo Hostel (booking link | expedia link) and Iroha Grand Hotel Kintetsu Nara Ekimae (booking link | expedia link). For options when you have a little more wiggly room, I have marked the SETRE Naramachi (booking link | expedia link) for my next visit! If you’ve turned your day trip to Nara, let me know in the comments where you’ve stayed!

Pin this Day Trip to Nara!

Sharing is caring!