Day Trip Nara: Is it too much

12 comments

1. I think you can do all those but I suggest visiting a single temple not three. I plan on visiting Todaiji

2. No that is fine. Osaka to Nara like 20 mins. Then Nara to Kyoto like 20 mins too if I remember right. You can knock out everything in Nara in a couple hours. Just lots of walking.

   DO NOT BRING YOUR SUITCASE OR DESIGNER SHOES IN NARA. it is COVERED in deer poop. I saw tourists wheeling their bags through it. Balenciaga shoes covered in it…. Spend the $20 ship your bags morning you leave, pack for the day in a backpack and ship your bags. They’ll be there between 8-9am next day in Kyoto.

   Also, mochi first since it’s close to the station. They have times they do demonstrations. We arrived after and they were sold out. Plan around that. The park is pretty much all over, if you’re going for the deer experience. They are quite aggressive when you buy the crackers to give. They will bite your butt. Remember to hands up if you have nothing.

3. Just get a hotel in Kyoto it’s a lot closer 🙂

4. Kyoto and Osaka are near enough to each other that you don’t really need to switch hotels imo.

5. So you have seven things to do in Nara (watch mochi pounding, eat lunch, Kofukuji, Isuien garden, Todaiji, Kasuga shrine, Nara Park) and it gets dark by 5pm in November.

   Working backwards this suggests you will want to leave Osaka as early as possible to leave sufficient time to do everything, and have an order of priority so you can adjust on the day.

   IMO, Todaiji/Kasuga/Nara Park > Kofukuji > Isuien/Neraku > mochi pounding (not sure what the big deal is) > Okaru (first, you can get that in Osaka. Second, it saves so much time to gulp down a convenience store lunch rather than wait for freshly cooked and thus steaming hot okonomiyaki).

   If you go on a Saturday, [Kasuga Taisha’s free night illumination](https://kotonara25.jp/event/) is very lovely.

6. I don’t have opinions on the luggage situation, but take advantage of the Nara loop busses (same loop, one goes clockwise, one goes counterclockwise ; you can use your suica card) to get between the popular locations in Nara.

7. It’s def doable. Nara in the fall might not be the most spectacular but it has the best weather! Enjoy your trip!

8. It’s doable. My recommendation is to ship your luggage. You may still need a locker if you are carrying a bunch of stuff. I’d check out one of those cute limited express trains. I took the Aoniyoshi when I was there. I’d recommend bike rentals if you really want to maximize your time, but walking is great too.

9. You can definitely do Nara in a day.

   I would also wear comfy shoes you can rinse off. There sure is a lot of deer poop in Nara Park and near Todaiji as there are deer there too. As well, the paths on the temple and museum grounds are made of gravel and packed dirt.

   My advice is to arrive a bit early to see the most at a slower pace. I left from Osaka and stored my luggage at the JR Nara train station. I arrived around 8:30 am and everything closes around 5:00 or 5:30 pm. If you do take JR, you can stop by the Nara tourism office just outside the train station and they will recommend the best places to check out and the most efficient route.

   My itinerary was:
   – Kofuku-ji: I think I spent about 1.5 or 2 hours here seeing absolutely everything. Since it’s a UNESCO World Heritage Site, it was worth it to see as much as I could including their National Treasure Hall (worth the ¥300)
   – Nara Park,
   – Todaiji,
   – Nara Museum of Buddhist Art: just outside the grounds for Todaiji . I enjoyed it but you have to like Buddhist art
   -Kasuga Taisha – also amazing and serene, and
   – the Nara National Museum. Lots of Buddhist art again but more explanation of the religion, the art, and its significance.

   I also stopped at a smaller museum/tourist help centre (I think it was a noble’s house) along the way and had a lovely conversation with one of the staff of her fond memories of visiting Canada and the US many years ago.

   If I could do it again, the only things I would change would be to spend more time exploring the grounds at Todaiji, which are extensive; and make sure I was at Kasuga Taisha around sundown when it is lit up at night with lanterns. It just depends on when your train departs. I was worried about catch the last train to Tokyo but there are later trains if you’re only going as far as Kyoto.

10. So I went down a rabbit hole of looking at what’s going on in Nara. As it happens, it’s the 25th Anniversary of it being designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. There commerative events happening in November and early December: https://kotonara25.jp/event/

11. Sounds doable.

    However I would suggest take Kintetsu trains if you can – not sure if you are using JR pass ofc…

    Reasons being, Kintetsu station in Nara is closer to the touristy destinations. Also, as discussed already you have the choice of some very nice limited express trains which will cut down travel time, not to mention being a destination themselves – check out Aoniyoshi if you are interested.

12. Yeah defo. My itinerary was literally the same as yours and I also began in the early afternoon. It is possible to visit all these places in such little time but you’re gonna need a walking shoes and no heavy bags since there is A LOT OF walking.

    Also, I came to the mochi pounding place at around 3pm and there was no queue at all 🙂 But only after 30mins that place was crowded idkw