Kansai, Japan · City
Japan's first permanent capital, home to the great Buddha of Todai-ji and hundreds of sacred deer roaming freely through the park.
Train — Direct train from Kyoto or Osaka, very accessible
Hundreds of deer regarded as sacred messengers roam freely through the park and can be fed 'shika senbei' crackers; Nara's quintessential family activity.
One of the largest wooden buildings in the world, home to a giant bronze Buddha.
On the edge of the city: the oldest wooden buildings in the world, from the seventh century, and a World Heritage Site in its own right, separate from the central Nara group.
Kasuga Taisha preserves an unbroken lineage of bugaku, the court dance imported from the continent in the 8th century, and performs it on several dates through the year, with the Kasuga Wakamiya On-Matsuri in December as the great occasion. This is the music and dance the Nara court heard, played on the spot it was written for.
Thousands of stone and bronze lanterns line a sacred forest path.
On 3 February and on 14 and 15 August the 3,000 stone and bronze lanterns of Kasuga shrine are lit at once, among the forest.
From 1 to 14 March, monks run along the temple gallery with giant torches throwing sparks over the crowd: a ritual that has not been interrupted for a single year since 752.
A UNESCO World Heritage temple founded in the 7th century, celebrated for its original three-story East Pagoda and the Yakushi Nyorai triad.
Nara produces around 90% of Japan's calligraphy ink; at a house founded in 1577 the mixture of soot and animal glue can be seen and kneaded.
Sushi wrapped in persimmon leaf to preserve it, pickles cured in sake lees and the somen noodles of Miwa, the birthplace of this kind of noodle in Japan.
From 15 to 18 December, a period procession and ancient performing arts held without interruption since 1136, Intangible Cultural Heritage.
A forest where nothing has been logged or hunted since the year 841, walkable on a circuit of about three hours that climbs Mount Wakakusa and brings you back with the whole city at your feet.
In August, 20,000 candles light the paths and ponds of the park, with the deer moving among them.
At Shoryaku-ji temple the bodaimoto method that gave rise to modern sake was developed; in Naramachi there are historic breweries open for visits and tasting.
In May, noh theatre is performed outdoors lit only by bonfires in the grounds of Kofuku-ji, as it was done centuries ago.
Founded by the Chinese monk Ganjin, who went blind over his five attempts to cross the sea to reach Japan; its main hall dates from the Nara era itself.
A late-January festival in which the entire slope of Mt. Wakakusa is set ablaze following a torchlight procession and fireworks.
A former merchant district with well-preserved traditional wooden houses.
The oldest documented road in Japan, between Tenri and Sakurai, passing imperial burial mounds, farms and Omiwa shrine, one of the oldest in the country.
Immersive digital art installation devoted to goldfish, a contemporary oddity in a city of thousand-year-old temples.
A two-section landscape garden that incorporates Mt. Wakakusa and Kofuku-ji's pagoda as borrowed scenery.
Japan's second-tallest wooden pagoda and a symbol of Nara's skyline.
A lightning-fast mochi-pounding performance in full view of the public, followed by a tasting at the shop itself.
Zazen meditation guided by a monk at one of the historic temples in Nara's old town (a UNESCO World Heritage site); offered in Japanese only and on weekdays only — best booked through an agency.
Almost everyone leaves for Kyoto to sleep, but Nara has a cocktail bar with a world champion and an alley of taverns next to Shin-Omiya full of local people.
Narazarashi linen, fude brushes, akahada ceramics and carved ittobori figures are still made here, and there are shops and a museum devoted to them.
A museum specializing in Japanese Buddhist art, with a notable collection of sculptures and ritual objects.
Every October the antlers of the male deer are cut in a ring, a ceremony centuries old that is also a safety measure for the people in the park.
December marathon that runs through the park and the temples of the old capital.
Tell us how many days you have and what you are interested in, and the planner builds a realistic itinerary with real train times.
Open the planner