Is Nara, Japan Worth a Visit?

Nara, Japan is one of the most popular day trips from Kyoto. Should you bother? In my opinion, yes!

Nara is mostly famous for two things – wild deer and a large Buddha. The deer are both fun and an annoyance. They’re everywhere, and they expect you to feed them. People are set up in various spots where they sell “deer crackers,” and once you buy some of these, expect the deer to be quite aggressive. They’ll probably chase you when all of the crackers have been eaten. I had a deer grab hold of my shirt with its teeth and pull me, while another actually bit through my pants until it hurt. He didn’t break the skin, but it was unpleasant. Yet another one continually butted me with his antlers to try to get my attention.

The bottom line is that it’s fun to feed the deer up to a point, but be prepared for the fact that they’re still wild animals. They do, sometimes bow, however, if you bow first. I don’t know how wild deer were taught to do this, but often, they will bow before taking the cracker from you.

Nara, which was once called Heijo, was the first capital of Japan, so it has a particularly special place in the history of the country. There are a number of temples and shrines there, so you can spend more than a day if you like or just a few hours and head right back to Kyoto.

If you choose to stay for just a few hours, the temple not to miss is Todaiji, constructed in 752 as the main Buddhist temple in the whole country. It’s the world’s largest wooden building, and it contains a 15-meter tall bronze Buddha with a large Bodhisattva statue on either side of it. These statues and others within the building are quite impressive. The only statues in Japan that rivaled these for me were the bronze Buddha that’s outdoors in Kamakura (a day trip from Tokyo) and the 1,000 statues of Kannon at Sanjusangendo Temple in Kyoto. (You can’t photograph the Kannon statues, but they’re stunning. You can find images of them online.)

The train to Nara is easy because it’s the last stop, so you can’t miss it. The park with the deer and the area where you’ll find the historic buildings is a bit of a walk from the train station, but the walk is interesting. You’ll pass by a number of shops along the way, many of which are selling every imaginable kind of souvenir with deer on them. If you’d rather not walk, you can take a bus from the train station. There’s a tourist office in the station with English-speaking personnel who can tell you exactly what bus to take. (Note that in Japan, you usually pay for your bus ride as you exit. You enter in the back door and exit from the front door.)

While in Japan, my phone’s GPS was my best friend, so I strongly suggest that you get a data plan for your phone. It will help you navigate to your desired destination with relative ease. It’s what pointed me to Todaiji and helped me find it among all of the other temples and shrines. If you can work Nara into your schedule during your time in Japan, I highly recommend it. The town is a unusual place with lots of great photo opportunities.