Nara
🛕 Temple
Horyu-ji
Hōryū-ji is a Buddhist temple that was once one of the powerful Seven Great Temples, located in Ikaruga…
📷 10Nara
28 places to visit, with what each one is and notes on getting there.
Planning a trip to Nara
How the spots group
Around Nara Park the spots sit close together: Todai-ji Great Buddha is 0.5 km from Nara Park in a straight line and 0.4 km from both Nigatsu-dō Hall and Isuien Garden; Kasuga Taisha is 1.1 km from Tōdai-ji and Kofuku-ji 1 km, and Naramachi Merchant District is 0.6 km from Kōfuku-ji. A second group lies around Toshodai-ji & Yakushi-ji, 2 km from Heijō Palace and 2.1 km from Saidai-ji. Horyu-ji is in Ikaruga, 13 km from Tōdai-ji; Fujiwara-kyō and Kashihara Shrine are 2.5 km apart in Kashihara; and Mount Yoshino is about 31 km from Hōryū-ji.
Where to start
The one route we have checked starts at JR Nara Station (Yamatoji Line) or Kintetsu Nara Station and takes a Nara Kōtsū bus to Kasuga Taisha. The other pages name nearby stations: Kintetsu Nara for Kofuku-ji, Todai-ji Great Buddha and Naramachi Merchant District; Hōryūji on the Yamatoji Line for Horyu-ji, 1.5 km away in a straight line; Nishinokyō on the Kintetsu Kashihara Line for Toshodai-ji & Yakushi-ji; Yamato-Saidaiji for Heijō Palace and Saidai-ji; and Kashiharajingū-nishiguchi for Kashihara Shrine.
Seasons and closures
Mount Yoshino has long been famous for its cherry blossoms, and in 1990 it was chosen as one of Japan's 100 Best Cherry Blossom Spots. The other Nara pages carry no seasonal notes, so check each page for hours before you go.
Written by us from the spot pages on this site. Distances are straight lines; check each spot’s page for hours and routes before you go.
Spots
Nara
🛕 Temple
Nara
🛕 Temple
Todai-ji Great Buddha
Tōdai-ji is a Buddhist temple complex that was once one of the powerful Seven Great Temples, located in the…
📷 7
Nara
⛩ Shrine
Kasuga Taisha
Kasuga-taisha is a Shinto shrine in Nara, Nara Prefecture, Japan. It is the shrine of the Fujiwara family…
📷 9
Nara
🛕 Temple
Kofuku-ji
Kōfuku-ji is a Buddhist temple in Japan that was once one of the powerful Nanto Shichi Daiji 'Seven Great…
📷 10
Nara
🌸 Park & garden
Nara Park
Nara Park is a public park located in the city of Nara, Japan, at the foot of Mount Wakakusa.
📷 11
Nara
🛕 Temple
Toshodai-ji & Yakushi-ji
Tōshōdai-ji is a Buddhist temple of the Risshū sect in the city of Nara, in Nara Prefecture, Japan.
📷 10
Nara
⛰ Mountain
Mount Yoshino
Mount Yoshino is the general name for the mountain ridge that stretches from the south bank of the Yoshino…
📷 11
Nara
🛕 Temple
Nigatsu-dō Hall (Tōdai-ji)
Nigatsu-dō is one of the important structures of Tōdai-ji, a temple in Nara, Japan.
📷 10
Nara
🌆 Cityscape
Naramachi Merchant District
Naramachi is a historic district on the south-east side of central Nara, where many townhouses from the Edo…
📷 8
Nara
🌸 Park & garden
Isuien Garden
Isui-en is a Japanese garden located in Nara, the old capital of Japan near Kyōto.
📷 10
Nara
📜 History
Fujiwara-kyō
Fujiwara-kyō was the Imperial capital of Japan for sixteen years, between 694 and 710.
📷 10
Nara
📜 History
Hashihaka Kofun
The Hashihaka kofun is a megalithic tomb (kofun) located in Sakurai, Nara Prefecture, Japan.
📷 9
Nara
⛩ Shrine
Isonokami Shrine
Isonokami Shrine is a Shinto shrine located in the hills of Furu in Tenri, Nara Prefecture, Japan.
📷 8
Nara
📜 History
Ishibutai Kofun
Ishibutai kofun is a Kofun period burial mound, located in the village of Asuka, Nara in the Kansai region…
📷 10
Nara
⛩ Shrine
Kashihara Shrine
The Kashihara Shrine is a Shinto shrine located in the city of Kashihara, Nara Prefecture, Japan.
📷 11
Nara
🏯 Castle
Kōriyama Castle
Kōriyama Castle is a flatlands-style Japanese castle located in the city of Yamatokōriyama, Nara…
📷 9
Nara
🏯 Castle
Heijō Palace
Heijō Palace was the imperial residence in the Japanese capital city Heijō-kyō (today's Nara), during most…
📷 8
Nara
⛰ Mountain
Mount Ikoma
Mount Ikoma is a mountain on the border of Nara Prefecture and Osaka Prefecture in Japan.
📷 9
Nara
⛩ Shrine
Tanzan Shrine
Tanzan Shrine, also known as the Danzan Shrine, the Tōnomine Shrine and the Tōnomine Temple, is a Shinto…
📷 10
Nara
⛰ Mountain
Mount Kongō
Mount Kongō is a 1,125-metre-high (3,691 ft) mountain in the Kongō Range on the border of Nara Prefecture…
📷 9
Nara
🛕 Temple
Saidai-ji
Saidai-ji is a Buddhist temple located in the Saidaiji-Shiba neighborhood of the city of Nara, Nara…
📷 8
Nara
⛰ Mountain
Mount Miwa
Mount Miwa or Mount Mimoro is a mountain located in the city of Sakurai, Nara Prefecture, Japan.
📷 10
Nara
🏯 Castle
Shigisan Castle
Shigisan castle was a Japanese castle of the Sengoku period, controlled by the Kizawa and Matsunaga clans.…
📷 9
Nara
🛕 Temple
Taima-dera
Taima-dera is a Buddhist temple located in the Taima neighborhood of the city of Katsuragi, Nara…
📷 9
Mie
⛰ Mountain
Mount Ōdaigahara
Ōdaigahara-san or Ōdaigahara-yama, also Hinode-ga-take or Hide-ga-take is a mountain in the Daikō Mountain…
📷 7
Nara
⛰ Mountain
Mount Nijō
Mount Nijō is a mountain in the Kongō Range straddling the prefectural border between Taishi, Osaka and…
📷 8
Mie
🏞 National park
Yoshino-Kumano National Park
Yoshino-Kumano National Park is a national park comprising several non-contiguous areas of Mie, Nara, and…
📷 10
Nara
🏞 National park
Kongō-Ikoma-Kisen Quasi-National Park
Kongō-Ikoma-Kisen Quasi-National Park is a Quasi-National Park in Nara, Ōsaka, and Wakayama Prefectures…
📷 10Nothing in that category here.