Nara is the most popular day trip from Osaka and Kyoto, and for a good reason. There are a couple of very impressive temples to visit, and that is absolutely recommended. However, the strangest thing in Nara is the many deer walking around town. They are in the city, walking in temples, shops and stations. This is a great day trip. Keep reading for some things to do on a day trip to this fantastic place.

Tourist occurrence: High

How to get here: 40 minutes by train from Osaka and Kyoto

How much time needed: One day trip

1. Make sure your first stop is Kofuku-ji

The Kofuku-ji is a cool temple to visit. It has several different room complexes to discover, and they are cool, but you also have to buy different tickets for them. You need to start with this temple, as some other temples in Nara are more interesting. You can skip this temple. 

Price: ¥ 500 per complex

Tourist occurrence: Low

How much time needed: It will take about 20 minutes, but I did not visit all complexes

2. Feel impressed at the Todai-ji

The Todai-ji temple is a great place to go. There is an impressive gate where you have to go underneath, and then after paying for your tickets, you will get on the main grounds. The main temple is very impressive on the outside (it is huge!) and from the inside. The inside has several big Buddhas, including the biggest in Japan. There are also some very cool artefacts out of the main ground, which are free, but I absolutely recommend buying a ticket, as the main ground is very cool. This might be my favourite temple in Japan. Almost no one does an audio tour, but I recommend doing it. It is around 20-30 minutes and gives you some more insight, and you can skip every part if you want to. 

Price: ¥ 800 for the main ground. ¥ 500 for the audio tour.

Tourist occurrence: High

How much time needed: Around an hour to see all cool throughout the temple

3. Walk through all the deer

Nara holds some very cool temples, but the biggest reason that people visit the place is the sika deer. Officially they are wild animals, but they are being fed (I did not). They can be a bit aggressive when you have some food, but for the rest, it is fun to see, as you can find them in shops, stations and more. It is absolutely not tough to find them, but please stay respectful to the animals, even though they can be a bit cheeky.

4. Try to come here during a food festival 

We were lucky that there was a food festival when we were there, but it is in September, and I am not sure if it is more often. There were many stands with several different fantastic foods. From simple street food to impressive high-quality food from top-rated chefs, there were many options. It was great to have lunch!

5. See more lanterns than sika deer at Kasuga Taisha

Kasuga Taisha is an unexpected treasure in Nara. We were just walking and found this great temple. It holds many lanterns, and that is so cool, especially a dark room with cool lights. The temple also has some 'normal' temple buildings, but the lanterns are the highlights. There is a route you can follow so you can see all the highlights of Kasuga Taisha. 

Price: ¥ 700 

Tourist occurrence: Medium

How much time needed: 30 minutes - 1 hour

6. Walk around in Nara Park

If you walk from temple to temple or to other sites, you are mostly walking through Nara Park. And you guessed it right, there are many deer in these forests. Personally I prefer to see deer in their 'natural' habitat, so it is very nice. It makes walking in Nara a bit more relaxing, as it is a nice park. 

Price: Free

Tourist occurrence: Medium

How much time needed: 1 hour

Things I have not done, but could be cool

Although there are some more sights, I think for a day trip these should be your sites to visit.

Final Thoughts