- Attractions by Area -
Three definitive highlights of ancient Nara — all in one place!
Todai-ji Temple
Home to the Great Buddha (Daibutsu), enshrined in the monumental Great Buddha Hall. Immerse yourself in the solemn atmosphere and the grandeur of Nara-period craftsmanship.
Kasuga Taisha Shrine
A 1,300-year-old shrine famed for its scarlet halls and corridors. The magical “Mantoro” (Lantern Festival) bathes the precincts in the glow of thousands of hanging and stone lanterns.
Nara Park
A vast park where friendly, protected deer roam freely. Stroll through seasonal scenery and enjoy feeding them special “deer crackers” as you wander between World Heritage sites.
Home of the Great Buddha — and one of the world’s largest wooden halls.
Can you really crawl through the Great Buddha’s “nostril”?
Inside the Great Buddha Hall there is a famous pillar with a hole said to be the same size as the Buddha’s nostril.
Passing through is believed to bring good health or even make you “smarter,” so it’s a hit with school trips. Adults — it’s a tight squeeze, so take care!
Commissioned by Emperor Shomu to pray for national peace, Todai-ji overwhelms with sheer scale. The Great Buddha Hall ranks among the largest wooden buildings on earth — and it was even bigger in antiquity.
Say hello to Nara’s deer! Nature and heritage in a vast, walkable park.
Did you know the deer “bow” for treats?
About 1,200 wild deer live in Nara Park, protected since ancient times as messengers of the gods.
When offered specially made deer crackers, many bow — their adorable way of saying “please.”
Within walking distance are World Heritage sites like Todai-ji, Kofuku-ji, and Kasuga Taisha. Few places let you greet deer and tour history at the same time.
By the way, deer crackers are made from rice bran and wheat flour. They’re harmless to humans — but please save them for your four-legged friends!
Vermilion corridors and 3,000 lanterns — a legendary ancient shrine.
No, the lanterns aren’t “one wish each” — but their number tells a story.
The roughly 3,000 stone and hanging lanterns have been donated since the Heian period for national peace and personal prayers.
Twice a year (Setsubun and August 14–15), the “Mantoro” festival lights every lantern, turning the grounds into a sea of gentle, otherworldly flames.
Deer are considered the messengers of the shrine’s deity — a tradition linked to the herds you meet across Nara Park. In the sacred forest, you might just sense the divine presence of the “kami deer.”
World’s oldest standing wooden architecture — founded by Prince Shotoku.
The Five-storied Pagoda’s central pillar “floats” — really.
Horyu-ji’s pagoda has a “shinbashira” (central column) that hovers just above the base stone, a structure that absorbs seismic energy.
This ancient anti-quake concept inspired modern engineering (famously, Tokyo Skytree). Imagine — such knowledge existed more than 1,300 years ago.
Don’t miss the Yumedono (Hall of Dreams) and the Tamamushi Shrine — masterpieces of Asuka-period Buddhist art.
Home of the five-storied pagoda and the famous Ashura statue.
The Ashura statue’s “three faces” hide subtle emotions.
Kofuku-ji’s five-storied pagoda is a symbol of Nara Park, but its most beloved treasure is the Ashura (Asura) statue in the National Treasure Hall.
The three faces reveal different feelings — a youth’s inner struggle and growth — captivating viewers for centuries.
Once the Fujiwara clan’s family temple, Kofuku-ji embodies the splendor of Tenpyo culture. Meet a masterpiece that shaped Japanese aesthetics.
The East Pagoda, praised as “frozen music,” crowns this ancient temple.
Why “frozen music”?
Art historian Ernest Fenollosa likened the East Pagoda’s rhythm of layered roofs to music captured in form — hence “frozen music.”
It looks like six tiers but is a three-storied pagoda with small intermediate roofs (“mokoshi”), creating an elegant, intricate silhouette.
The East Pagoda is the sole surviving original from the temple’s foundation over 1,300 years ago, recently restored to its former beauty. Experience the refined grandeur of the Hakuhō atmosphere.
Founded by Jianzhen (Ganjin) — a serene head temple of the Ritsu school.
Jianzhen crossed the sea after five failed attempts — and after losing his sight.
Established in 759 by the Tang monk Jianzhen, who answered Japan’s call despite storms, persecution, and blindness after multiple failed voyages.
On his sixth attempt, he reached Japan — a triumph of will that still awes visitors.
The Main Hall enshrines a majestic Rushana Buddha and a thousand-armed Kannon. In its quiet precincts, reflect on a monk’s resolve that reshaped Japanese Buddhism.
Step into the grandeur of ancient Nara — restored Suzaku Gate and Daigokuden.
Officials kept records on wooden tablets.
Excavations of the 8th‑century capital uncovered countless “mokkan” — wooden tablets used like memos or forms when paper was precious.
Beyond the majestic Daigokuden and Suzaku Gate, it’s these small finds that bring daily life to light. Listen closely — you might hear the bustle of court work in the wind.
“A thousand trees at a glance” — a sacred mountain of cherry blossoms.
Cherry trees here have been planted as sacred offerings.
Some 30,000 cherry trees cloak the slopes. Traditionally, they were planted as sacred offerings to Zao Gongen, revealed to the ascetic En no Gyoja.
The whole mountain is an object of worship; visitors come not just for blossoms but to pray. From Shimo-senbon up to Oku-senbon, elevation changes prolong the viewing season.
Visit again in fresh green or autumn — beauty here is truly four‑seasonal.
297 m long, 54 m high — Japan’s longest everyday-use wire suspension bridge.
Villagers built it themselves in 1954.
In Totsukawa, locals pooled funds and erected this bridge to connect their lives across the river — households contributed what was then a huge sum (200–300k yen).
Only 20 people may cross at once — a bit of delicious thrill with sweeping views over the clear Totsukawa River and the surrounding mountains.
A walk here lets you feel the determination that reshaped a village.
Edo-period townscape, cozy cafés, and craft shops in historic machiya.
What are those red charms on the eaves?
You’ll spot red, monkey-shaped charms hanging from many eaves — “Migawari-zaru,” amulets of the Koshin faith, with the monkey as the deity’s messenger.
Hung at home to take on misfortune and illness in one’s stead, they’ve become a hallmark of Naramachi’s streetscape.
Get lost (happily) in a maze of lanes, coffee in hand, hunting for “monkeys” as you go.
“Women’s Koyasan” — famed for its tiny five-storied pagoda and rhododendrons.
Japan’s smallest outdoor five-storied pagoda.
Muro-ji permitted women when Koyasan was closed to them, hence “Women’s Koyasan.”
The National Treasure pagoda, about 16 m tall, is the smallest five-storied pagoda standing outdoors in Japan — a delicate form in perfect harmony with the forest.
Damaged in a 1998 typhoon, it was beautifully restored. Come for spring rhododendrons and autumn foliage — and stay for the hush that lingers in the cedars.
“Temple of Flowers” — famed for peonies and a stage-style Main Hall.
A rare Kannon holding a pilgrim’s staff.
With some 7,000 peonies of 150 varieties, spring at Hase-dera is breathtaking.
The principal image, a standing Eleven-faced Kannon over 10 m tall, is unusual: right hand with a pilgrim’s staff (shakujō), left with a water jar, standing upon a rock — the “walking Kannon” said to roam to save all beings.
Climb the 399-step covered corridor to the Main Hall’s stage for a sweeping view — worth every step.
Mount Miwa itself is the deity — a primordial form of Shinto worship.
No main sanctuary beyond the “Mitsu-torii.”
Among Japan’s oldest shrines, Omiwa has no main hall; the sacred body is Mount Miwa itself.
The triple “Mitsu-torii” signifies a holy boundary through which worshipers venerate the mountain.
Seek out the “Nade-usagi” (rubbing rabbit) and the historic “Medicine Path” — and feel the hush of a sanctified forest older than memory.
Japan’s earliest full-scale Buddhist temple — home of the oldest Buddha statue.
The Asuka Great Buddha looks different from left and right.
Founded in 596 by Soga no Umako, Asuka-dera (also Hoko-ji) enshrines Japan’s oldest extant Buddha.
Fire repairs changed the statue over time, and it’s said the expression differs when viewed from each side — gentle from one, stern from the other — a reminder of compassion’s many faces.
Tradition holds that Prince Shotoku once lectured here. This is where Japanese Buddhist culture took root.
A giant exposed stone chamber — possibly the tomb of Soga no Umako.
The ceiling stone weighs about 77 tons.
This massive square tumulus lost its earthen mound, leaving the grand horizontal stone chamber exposed.
The ceiling stone is ~77 tons, and the whole chamber uses around 2,300 tons of stone — moved long before cranes. How did they do it?
Often linked to Soga no Umako, Ishibutai dazzles with cherry blossoms in spring and red spider lilies in autumn — a timeless scene of nature and ancient power.
“Nikko of Kansai” — famed for autumn leaves and the site of Reform of Taika talks.
Ancient “kemari” soccer is still performed.
The shrine to Fujiwara no Kamatari hosts the elegant “Kemari Festival” each spring and autumn, recalling the courtly game where Kamatari met Prince Naka no Oe (later Emperor Tenji), leading to the Taika Reforms.
Players in colorful robes deftly keep a deerskin ball aloft — a living window into Heian grace.
Don’t miss the world’s only surviving wooden thirteen‑storied pagoda — a singular sight among flaming maples.
Dedicated to Japan’s first emperor — a solemn birthplace of the nation.
The vast Outer Worship Hall once stood in Kyoto Imperial Palace.
The hall was moved from the Kyoto Imperial Palace’s Kashiko-dokoro, where Emperor Meiji conducted daily state affairs — grandeur you feel at once.
The 500,000 m² grounds spread around Fukada Pond, calm and deeply green. New Year’s sees rivers of worshipers welcoming the year in purifying air.
Symbol of Mount Yoshino — head temple of Shugendo, with awe-inspiring Zao Gongen.
Fierce expressions that save people.
The main hall (Zao-do) is one of Japan’s largest wooden buildings, second only to Todai-ji’s Great Buddha Hall.
Within stand three giant statues of Zao Gongen (about 7 m tall). Their fearsome faces are said to subdue evil to protect the faithful.
Usually hidden, they are revealed at special exhibitions. In July, the dramatic “Lotus Flower Offering Entering the Mountain” (Frog-Jumping Ceremony) brings ritual life to Yoshino’s sacred peaks.
A nunnery founded by Prince Shotoku’s mother — famed for the “half-lotus” Bodhisattva.
One of the world’s “three great archaic smiles.”
Next to Horyu-ji’s Eastern Precinct, Chugu-ji is linked to Princess Hashihito, Shotoku’s mother.
Its principal image, the National Treasure “Bodhisattva in Half-lotus Pose,” is often cited alongside the Sphinx and the Mona Lisa as a classic “archaic smile.”
The gentle smile is said to calm the heart — a timeless beauty in a quiet, refined precinct.
World Heritage in Naramachi — with some of Japan’s oldest roof tiles still in use.
Tiles from 1,400 years ago still crown the roofs.
Descended from Hoko-ji (Asuka-dera) established by Soga no Umako, Gango-ji preserves tiles from the Asuka–Nara periods on the Main Hall and Zen Room roofs.
Imagine: tiles that have endured 14 centuries still protecting a temple today.
Wander among stone pagodas in the “Futoden” and feel the layers of time settle around you.
Home of the Taima Mandala and the legend of Princess Chujo — twin National Treasure pagodas.
A mandala “woven in a single night,” says legend.
In Katsuragi, Taima-dera is famed for its East and West three-storied pagodas (both National Treasures) and the story of Princess Chujo.
Legend tells she wove the Taima Mandala in one night with the help of a nun who was a manifestation of Kannon, using lotus threads.
The mandala depicts the Pure Land; a reproduction is enshrined today. Visit in spring for the peony garden in bloom — beauty layered over myth.
Roses, herbs, and even hot springs — a rare “healing temple.”
Yes, there’s an onsen in the precincts.
West of Nara City by the Tomio River, Ryosen-ji is known for its rose garden and herbal baths.
“Ryosen-ji Onsen” offers day-use bathing including herbal and open-air baths — a temple where body and spirit both exhale.
Founded in the Nara period, the Main Hall and three-storied pagoda are Important Cultural Properties. In spring and autumn, some 2,000 roses of 200 varieties bloom in the gardens.
Borrowed scenery of Mount Wakakusa — two gardens from two eras in one.
Two distinct gardens — Edo front and Meiji rear — seamlessly joined.
Next to Nara National Museum, Isui-en is a nationally designated scenic garden.
The front garden (early Edo) is compact and tea‑garden‑like; the rear garden (Meiji) is a grand strolling pond garden, borrowing Wakakusa and the South Gate of Todai-ji as scenic backdrops.
The attached Neiraku Museum shows ancient East Asian art. An oasis to savor between heritage walks.
Sanctuary of Buddhist art — National Treasures and Important Cultural Properties up close.
Home to the celebrated Shosoin Exhibition.
In Nara Park, the museum focuses on Buddhist art. Every autumn, the Shosoin Exhibition offers a rare chance to see treasures usually kept from view.
The Nara Buddhist Sculpture Hall displays masterpieces from Asuka to Kamakura — a crash course in the arc of Japanese sculpture.
The historic main building by Tokuma Katayama (an Important Cultural Property) is itself a treasure of turn‑of‑the‑century design.
Silk Road’s far eastern terminus — treasures of Tenpyo culture in azekura log storehouses.
How did treasures survive 1,200+ years?
The raised-floor azekura (log‑cabin style) storehouse helps regulate humidity as timbers expand and contract — a key to preservation.
While the repository itself is closed to the public, select items are displayed at the annual Shosoin Exhibition in Nara National Museum.
Expect artifacts that trace trade routes from Persia and India — the Tenpyo era’s cosmopolitan sheen, intact across centuries.
Tranquil moss gardens and an elegant Gigeiten statue in a rare hybrid hall.
The Main Hall is a Kamakura-period reconstruction with a hybrid style.
Founded in the late Nara period, Akishino-dera’s current National Treasure Main Hall blends traditional “wayō” with the “Daibutsu” (tenjiku) style from the Kamakura era.
The principal Yakushi Nyorai sits in calm dignity; the famed Gigeiten statue — Japan’s only such image — inspired generations of artists with its poise.
Step into the moss garden, and the city’s noise fades to stillness.
“Cosmos Temple” — 150,000 blossoms in autumn and Japan’s oldest tower gate.
The National Treasure tower gate is Japan’s oldest.
Nicknamed for its autumn cosmos (some 30 varieties, 150,000 flowers), Hannya-ji’s stately tower gate dates to early Kamakura — an ancient counterpoint to the flowers’ airy grace.
Founded in the Asuka era, it’s said Emperor Shomu built it to guard Heijo-kyo’s “demon gate.” The principal is the Eight-character Manjusri on a lion.
Come also for spring kerria and early-summer hydrangeas — a garden for all seasons.
A beloved temple for safe childbirth — even visited by the imperial family.
Its name recalls an imperial “untied belly-band.”
In the Heian period, when Empress Somedono’s delivery was delayed, prayers here were answered with the safe birth of the future Emperor Seiwa — and her abdominal band loosened, or “untied” (obitoke).
Since then, the temple has drawn countless families for safe-delivery and fertility prayers. The main image is the “Haraobi Jizo” (belly-band Jizo).
Spot the dog statues linked to the auspicious “Day of the Dog.” Hope, tender and human, fills the precincts.
Once a vast “Great Government Temple” — now known for cancer-warding bamboo-sake rites.
Formerly the colossal “Daikan Daiji.”
With roots in Shotoku’s Kumagori Shoja and in Emperor Jomei’s Kudara-dera, the complex expanded under Emperor Tenmu as “Daikan Daiji,” later renamed Daian-ji at Heijo-kyo’s move.
Imagine: twin seven-storied pagodas once rose here. Today, the temple is known for cancer‑warding bamboo-sake prayers and devotion to Batō Kannon.
Each January, the “Kōninkai” (Bamboo Sake Festival) draws worshipers to begin the year in fortitude and grace.
Ten thousand plum trees along a lakeshore — Japan’s first designated scenic place.
The dam lake created today’s dramatic V-shaped vistas.
Before the dam, the Namari River carved a gorge; the lake’s surface now mirrors slopes quilted with red and white blossoms.
In 1922, it became Japan’s first nationally designated scenic site. Visit the “Plum Festival” to catch the valley perfumed with spring.
Seas of golden pampas grass — radiant sunsets and starry nights.
Kameyama takes its name from its “upturned bowl” shape.
Formed by volcanic activity ~2 million years ago, the rounded hills shimmer with pampas grass in autumn’s low sun.
Nights bring deep starfields; during the “Soni Plateau Lanterns” event, lit paths trace a dreamlike line across the slopes.
Emerald streams, cascades, and colossal rocks — nature’s sculpture park.
Its name recalls Emperor Go-Daigo “purifying his hands.”
One tradition says the name comes from a visit by Emperor Go-Daigo during the Northern and Southern Courts era, when he purified (“mitarai”) his hands here.
Walk across suspension bridges and breathe the ions of green and spray — a refreshing escape especially in new green and autumn red.
Retro hot-spring town that soothed Shugendo ascetics — and sold a famous stomach remedy.
Once known for “Daranisuke” herbal stomach pills.
At the foot of Mount Omine, Dorogawa Onsen healed yamabushi (mountain ascetics).
The town also thrived making “Daranisuke,” a distinctive Japanese herbal digestive. Shopfronts still sell it, the scent a local signature.
Waters are weakly alkaline simple springs, said to ease neuralgia and muscle pain. Linger in a riverside inn with a veranda and let time loosen its knots.
One of Kansai’s largest limestone caves — a cool, mysterious underworld.
Ride a cute log-shaped monorail (“Dorokko”) to the entrance.
Near Dorogawa, the cave stretches ~280 m. It stays a crisp 8–10°C year‑round — perfect summer escape.
Stalactites and stalagmites glow under careful lighting — “Lion Rock,” “Golden Pillar,” and other formations fire the imagination.
Power spot for the performing arts — one of Japan’s three great Benzaiten shrines.
The shrine’s bell is a special “Isuzu” with three globes.
Known as “Tenkawa-san,” the shrine draws artists and cultural figures seeking inspiration from Benzaiten.
The large bell in the worship hall is an “Isuzu,” three spherical bells joined as one — ringing it is said to purify body and mind.
The principal image is a hidden Benzaiten, revealed only at certain times. The shrine includes a Noh stage where sacred performances have long been dedicated.
“You can only visit if the gods call you” — the deep-mountain inner shrine of Kumano.
A 3,000-year-old giant cedar reigns in the precinct.
Near the 1,000‑m peak of Mount Tamaki, the shrine is steeped in myth and mist.
Ancient cedars tower here, notably the “Jindai-sugi,” said to be ~3,000 years old — awe condensed into timber and time.
Prayers for expelling evil and warding misfortune draw worshipers who brave the mountain roads — and leave with hearts steadied.
One of Japan’s three great Monju — come for wisdom and exam prayers.
Japan’s largest “sea-crossing Monju” rides a lion.
“Yamato Abe no Monju-san” enshrines the National Treasure by Kaikei: a lion‑mounted Monju flanked by four attendants, about 7 m tall — Japan’s largest of this iconography.
Students and scholars throng for wisdom boons; the grounds also include the Seimei Hall tied to onmyoji Abe no Seimei.
As the saying goes, “Three people together make Monju’s wisdom” — but a heartfelt prayer here might make one enough.
Japan’s oldest road? A walk through tumuli, shrines, temples, and Manyo poems.
Mentioned in the Kojiki and Nihon Shoki.
Running along the eastern edge of the Nara Basin from Mount Kasuga to Mount Miwa, this ancient route connects sites sung in the Man’yoshu.
The stretch from Sakurai to Tenri is a favorite for pastoral scenery and orchards — a gentle hike through living history.
Try composing a verse like the ancients as you wander the fields.
Seasonal flower fields and ancient tombs in a spacious historical park.
“Umami” may echo the many horse haniwa excavated here.
In Kita-Katsuragi District, the park blends floral displays with archeological sites.
Expect tulips and nemophila in spring, sunflowers in summer, and dahlias and cosmos in autumn — free, and full of discovery among ancient mounds.
“Bishamonten of Shigisan” — a sky‑perched power spot famed for the tiger.
The temple’s papier‑mâché tiger is said to be the world’s largest.
When Prince Shotoku prayed to Bishamonten here during battle with Mononobe no Moriya, the time was year, day, and hour of the tiger — so tiger became the deity’s messenger.
The huge “World’s Biggest Lucky Tiger” moves its neck — a charming, bold guardian promising fortune and prosperity.
Views from the Main Hall feel like a temple floating in the sky. Come for tiger power — leave with a lighter step.