NaraYakushiji
The East Pagoda is a National Treasure and the only building surviving from the temple's founding. Each storey carries a pent roof, and it has been called frozen music.
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Nara
Meet eternity in ancient forests.
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Yoshino and othersOmine Okugake
The shugendo route from Yoshino through to Kumano. Parts of it are still closed to women.
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IkarugaHoryuji
Held to be the oldest wooden buildings standing anywhere in the world, and in 1993 among the first World Cultural Heritage sites in Japan. Thirteen centuries, and the timber still stands. That is not only a fact about material. It means the people repairing it never once broke the chain.
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SakuraiHasedera (Nara)
Beyond 399 covered steps stands the National Treasure main hall. Famous for peonies, it is called the temple of flowers.
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FEATURENara now (autumn)Autumn colors illuminate Nara Park and Hasedera Temple.See the feature A photographer · CC BY-SA 4.0Recommended information
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Read the answer →REGIONAL SPECIALTIES
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THINGS TO DO / 6
Things to do in this prefecture
Choose from what you can only do here.
01Walk Through Nara ParkMeet the free-roaming deer and visit the park's surrounding temples and shrines.See related entries →Pöllö · CC BY 2.5
02Visit Todaiji's Great BuddhaStand before the monumental bronze Buddha inside the vast Great Buddha Hall.See related entries →Mont Blank rich · CC0
03Explore Kasuga TaishaFollow lantern-lined paths through the primeval forest to vermilion shrine halls.See related entries →Adrián Pérez · CC BY-SA 2.004Stroll NaramachiBrowse shops and studios among traditional townhouses in the old merchant quarter.See related entries →Mont Blank rich · CC0
05Hike Mount YoshinoHike a sacred mountain renowned for cherry blossoms and Shugendo traditions.See related entries →663highland · CC BY 2.5
06Cycle Through AsukaCycle between ancient tombs, stone monuments and peaceful rice fields.See related entries →CC BY-SA 3.0NEED TO KNOW
At a glance
- AirportNearest: Osaka International Airport (Osaka)
- ShinkansenNone (nearest: Kyoto Station)
- From TokyoAbout 2 hours 50 minutes to Kintetsu-Nara Station by shinkansen and Kintetsu train
- Best seasonMarch–May and October–November
- Local specialtiesKakinoha-zushi · Miwa somen · Narazuke pickles
- Typical temperatureSummer: around 28°C / Winter: around 5°C
BEST TIME TO TRAVEL
What each season brings
663highland · CC BY-SA 4.0Spring
MAR–MAYCherry blossoms sweep across Mount Yoshino and the ancient capital.
See recommendations for this season →
名古屋太郎 · CC BY-SA 4.0Summer
JUN–AUGLush greenery surrounds Nara's temples, shrines and mountain trails.
See recommendations for this season →
A photographer · CC BY-SA 4.0Autumn
SEP–NOVAutumn colors illuminate Nara Park and Hasedera Temple.
See recommendations for this season →
Nankou Oronain · CC BY-SA 3.0Winter
DEC–FEBClear winter air lends Nara's ancient temples profound serenity.
See recommendations for this season →
LOCAL FOOD / 12
Local food
What people have long eaten in this place. We collect the dishes themselves, not restaurants.
Kakinoha zushi
Thin slices of salted mackerel cured in vinegar are placed on barrel-shaped sushi rice mixed with vinegar dressing, wrapped in a persimmon leaf and pressed.
Area：Gojo, Yoshino area
Source：Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF), "Our Regional Cuisines"
Chagayu
Rice porridge made by adding cooked rice and salt to brewed hojicha (roasted green tea) and simmering it over medium heat, stirring now and then, until it reaches the consistency you like. Steamed sweet potato or grilled kakimochi (dried rice-cake pieces) are sometimes added.
Area：Throughout the prefecture
Source：Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF), "Our Regional Cuisines"
Nara Noppe
A simmered dish of taro, daikon, carrot, konjac, thick fried tofu and dried shiitake cooked slowly in kombu dashi. The taro breaks down and naturally thickens the liquid.
Area：Throughout Nara Prefecture
Source：Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF), "Our Regional Cuisines"
Yamato no zoni
Iwai daikon, kintoki carrot, taro and tofu are simmered in dashi and white miso is dissolved in, then grilled round mochi is added. The mochi is taken out and eaten dipped in roasted soybean flour mixed with sugar.
Area：Throughout the prefecture
Source：Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF), "Our Regional Cuisines"
Asuka Nabe
A hot pot dish in which chicken is simmered with Chinese cabbage, chrysanthemum greens, shiitake and glass noodles in a broth of chicken bone stock with milk added, seasoned with white miso and light soy sauce.
Area：Central and southern Nara Basin
Source：Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF), "Our Regional Cuisines"
Nyumen
Somen noodles boiled and rinsed in water, then put into warm dashi seasoned with light soy sauce, sake and salt, and served with shimeji mushrooms, kamaboko fish cake and mitsuba.
Area：Throughout the prefecture
Source：Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF), "Our Regional Cuisines"
Kuzumochi
Yoshino kudzu starch and sugar are dissolved in water and heated, stirred until the whole mixture turns clear, poured into a container and chilled in running water until set. It is eaten with roasted soybean flour and brown sugar syrup.
Area：Throughout the prefecture
Source：Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF), "Our Regional Cuisines"
Warabimochi
Bracken starch and sugar are dissolved in water and strained, worked over low heat and steamed, then starch syrup is added and it is worked further before being chilled until set. It is eaten with roasted soybean flour or brown sugar syrup.
Area：Throughout the prefecture
Source：Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF), "Our Regional Cuisines"
Nara chameshi
Rice cooked in brewed hojicha (roasted green tea) instead of water, with soybeans that have been roasted and skinned, and salt.
Area：Throughout the prefecture
Source：Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF), "Our Regional Cuisines"
Kashiwa no Sukiyaki
Sukiyaki in which chicken is browned in oil and then simmered in a broth of sake, mirin, unrefined brown sugar and soy sauce together with Chinese cabbage, green onion, chrysanthemum greens, mushrooms, grilled tofu and shirataki noodles.
Area：Throughout the prefecture
Source：Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF), "Our Regional Cuisines"
Hangesho Mochi/Komugi Mochi/Sanaburi Mochi
Glutinous rice soaked overnight in water and crushed wheat are steamed and pounded together, rolled into balls and coated with roasted soybean flour mixed with sugar. They are pounded so that the wheat keeps some of its chewiness.
Area：Throughout the prefecture
Source：Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF), "Our Regional Cuisines"
Sanma zushi (Pacific Saury Sushi)
Pacific saury split open along the back, sprinkled with salt and left for a full day, boned and cured in vinegar dressing, then pressed into a bar shape together with sushi rice cooked with kombu and sake.
Area：Totsukawa
Source：Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF), "Our Regional Cuisines"
MICHI-NO-EKI / 18
Michi-no-Eki roadside stations
RestInformationLocal links
Rest facilities registered by Japan's national government. Each has parking and toilets open 24 hours, and by definition includes a facility that sells local products. This is where the making and the food of this prefecture can actually be bought.
- Yoshinoji KamikitayamaKamikitayama, Yoshino DistrictRegistered April 1993Official site
- Yoshinoji OtoGojoRegistered April 1993Official site
- Yoshinoji KurotakiKurotaki, Yoshino DistrictRegistered April 1993Official site
- Sugi-no-Yu KawakamiKawakami, Yoshino DistrictRegistered April 1993Official site
- Futakami Park TaimaKatsuragiRegistered January 1995Official site
- Totsukawa-goTotsukawa, Yoshino DistrictRegistered April 1997Official site
- Udaji OudaUdaRegistered April 1997Official site
- Udaji MuroUdaRegistered October 1997Official site
- Hari T.R.SNaraRegistered April 1998Official site
- Yamatoji HeguriHeguri, Ikoma DistrictRegistered August 1999Official site
- Yoshinoji Oyodo i-CenterOyodo, Yoshino DistrictRegistered August 2000Official site
- Ise Honkaido MitsueMitsue, Uda DistrictRegistered August 2004Official site
There are 18 stations in this prefecture in all (national registry).
LOCAL ACCOUNTS / 2
People posting this area
Japanese-language accounts that post about this area.
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CITIES & TOWNS / 16
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INTERESTS / 14
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Only the interests found in this prefecture.
Where locals eat!2 entries
To the listTodaiji · Mont Blank rich · CC0Shrines & Temples42 entries
Todaiji ／ Horyuji
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Tsukigase Plum Grove · Rijksmuseum · CC0Nature & Scenery14 entries
Tsukigase Plum Grove ／ Soni Highland
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Yamanobe no Michi · 8-hachiro · CC BY-SA 4.0Historic Districts12 entries
Yamanobe no Michi ／ Suzakumon Gate
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Asuka · ys1979 · CC BY 3.0Castles & History1 entries
Asuka
To the listNara Park · Pöllö · CC BY 2.5Gardens1 entries
Nara Park
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Heijokyu · Nagono · CC BY-SA 3.0Architecture9 entries
Heijokyu ／ Naramachi
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Nara National Museum · Raita Futo · CC BY 2.0Museums12 entries
Nara National Museum ／ Fujinoki Tomb
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Kofukuji National Treasure Hall · 663highland · CC BY-SA 4.0Art & Crafts35 entries
Kofukuji National Treasure Hall ／ Kasuga Taisha Museum
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Ishibutai · CC BY-SA 3.0Contemporary Art2 entries
Ishibutai ／ Mt. Yoshino
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Sato Yakuhin Kogyo Headquarters Factory · 奈良人 · CC BY-SA 4.0Craft Experiences50 entries
Sato Yakuhin Kogyo Headquarters Factory ／ Yukinomoto Honten Otani Factory
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Joruriji Temple · Ujigis · CC BY-SA 4.0Culture & History44 entries
Joruriji Temple ／ Daianji Temple
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Mantoro · Saigen Jiro · CC0Festivals4 entries
Mantoro ／ Omizutori
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Yucho Shuzo · 文藤 資成 · CC BY-SA 4.0Food & Markets23 entries
Yucho Shuzo ／ Kitaoka Honten
To the listNara Park · Pöllö · CC BY 2.5Experiences8 entries
Nara Park ／ Taketori Park
To the listHIGHLIGHTS
Highlights of this prefecture
From entries with clearly licensed photos.
Shrines & TemplesNara
Todaiji
The Great Buddha was consecrated in 752. Its hall is among the largest wooden buildings standing anywhere. The Omizutori at Nigatsudo is the rite of drawing the water sent from Jinguji in Wakasa.
ArchitectureNara
Heijokyu
The Suzakumon and the Daigokuden have been rebuilt. The frame of the old capital survives as open ground.
Contemporary ArtAsuka
Ishibutai
Boulders weighing 2,300 tonnes in all. Held to be the tomb of Soga no Umako.
Festivals
GardensNara
Nara Park
Twelve hundred wild deer. Held to be messengers of the Kasuga deity, they have long been protected.
Castles & HistoryAsuka
Asuka
Where the original form of the Japanese state took shape. Ishibutai, and the Takamatsuzuka murals.
SMILE NEWS / 136
Smile news from Japan and the world
Stories that lift your spirits a little, collected with their sources.
Cosmos Maze Opens for Autumn at Abe Monjuin Temple
Abe Monjuin Temple in Sakurai has opened its Cosmos Maze, a tradition since 1996, from October 1. Twenty-seven varieties of cosmos bloom in the 25 m by 20 m maze, and about 70 local preschoolers visited. It runs until early November.
source: Nara ShimbunWomen rangers return Darwin's rheas to the wild in Chile
In Chile's Patagonia National Park, a women-led ranger team returned 13 Darwin's rheas to the wild in April 2026. Working with the Rewilding Chile Foundation, they care for the birds around the clock; surveys once estimated only about 11 to 15 remained.
source: MongabayNew 210-million-year-old dinosaur species named from Zimbabwe's Lake Kariba shore
A new dinosaur species, Musango matusadonaensis, has been described from rocks about 210 million years old in Matusadona National Park on the shore of Lake Kariba, Zimbabwe. The bipedal, not-yet-adult animal was about 4.5 metres long, and the find suggests Zimbabwe's dinosaur fauna differed from South Africa's.
source: Phys.org (The Conversation)INSTAGRAM / SHRINES & TEMPLES / 1
Shrine & temple posts
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INSTAGRAM / MUSEUMS & CULTURE / 1
Museums & culture posts
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SEASONS & EVENTS
Seasons & events
Great Buddha Autumn Festival (Todai-ji)
2026-10-15 ～ 2026-10-15
Traditional Deer Antler Cutting Ceremony
2026-11-07 ～ 2026-11-08
Omizutori
Nara
Wakakusa Yamayaki
Nara
Omizutori
Nara
BEFORE YOU GO
Before you go
TRAVEL
Transport & stays
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