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Japan · City guide
What to do in Nara
15 vlogs from 10 channels mention 65 places in Nara; 5 of them appear in at least half of the vlogs. Places are ranked by how often the vlogs mention them. Press the play button on any place to watch that exact moment.
- 65places
- 15vlogs
- 159moments
- 4.1 hof video
65 places · most mentioned first
Todaiji Temple
One of Japan's most prominent temples, whose huge wooden main hall houses a 15-metre bronze Buddha and a pillar hole said to bring enlightenment to those who squeeze through.
2:36· Jay and Karolinain 14 vlogsNara Park
Large park linking Nara's main sights, home to hundreds of free-roaming deer revered as messengers of the gods; deer crackers sell for 200 yen.
1:15· Sunny in Japanin 12 vlogsKasuga Taisha
Founded in 768 as the Fujiwara family shrine, this forest shrine is famed for thousands of bronze and stone lanterns, all lit during festivals in February and August.
12:27· Jay and Karolinain 10 vlogsNandaimon Gate
Todaiji's huge entrance gate, completed in 1203 and one of the largest temple gates in Japan, guarded by two Nio statues.
2:41· Jay and Karolinain 9 vlogsNakatanidou
Popular mochi shop known for its high-speed mochi-pounding demonstrations, serving warm yomogi mochi filled with red bean.
5:57· Sunny in Japanin 8 vlogsKofukuji Temple
Former Fujiwara family temple founded in 710, with one of Japan's tallest five-storied pagodas and a rebuilt Central Golden Hall.
3:16· PiQtour Japanin 7 vlogsNigatsudo Hall
Hillside Todaiji hall with a balcony offering scenic views over Nara; main site of the Omizutori rituals.
14:12· Sunny in Japanin 7 vlogsIsuien Garden
Japanese garden with a 17th-century front garden and an 1899 rear pond garden that borrows views of Todaiji and the surrounding hills.
7:16· Japan Guidein 4 vlogsMount Wakakusa
Grassy hill in Nara Park with a steep 15-minute climb to the summit, site of a mountain-burning ceremony each January.
29:30· Sunny in Japanin 4 vlogsNaramachi
A residential old-town district south of Nara Park with narrow streets of traditional homes, boutiques and restaurants.
5:22· The City Guruin 4 vlogsNara National Museum
Museum near the park entrance and one of the best places to learn about Japanese Buddhism and Buddha statues.
13:32· Sunny in Japanin 3 vlogsMount Yoshino
Mountain in Nara Prefecture regarded as Japan's finest cherry blossom spot, with about 30,000 trees blooming in staggered sections.
13:32· Sunny in Japanin 3 vlogsYoshikien Garden
Free garden combining moss, pond and tea-ceremony gardens on the former site of a Kamakura-period sub-temple.
7:15· PiQtour Japanin 3 vlogsKasugayama Primeval Forest
Protected primeval forest surrounding Kasuga Taisha that has remained unaltered for over a thousand years.
2:38· Ryan Bednarin 3 vlogsHigashimuki Shopping Street
Covered shopping arcade starting right outside Kintetsu Nara Station, good for a stroll and snacks on the way to the temples.
0:35· PiQtour Japanin 3 vlogsSanjo-dori
Nara's main shopping street between the stations and Nara Park, lined with many famous food shops.
13:48· SAMURAI JUNJIRO Channel【SJC】in 3 vlogsGangoji Temple
Considered Japan's first Buddhist temple. It was founded as Asukadera in Asuka over 100 years before Nara became the capital.
8:27· Japan Guidein 3 vlogsTsubosaka-dera
Hillside temple known for praying for eyesight, with a large Buddha statue overlooking the Nara landscape amid cherry blossoms.
22:34· Sunny in Japanin 2 vlogsIzakaya One
Izakaya right next to JR Nara Station serving standard izakaya dishes, with an English menu available.
11:34· Sunny in Japanin 2 vlogsFormer Residence of Shiga Naoya
Former home of the novelist Shiga Naoya, a preserved early-20th-century residence a short way from central Nara Park.
22:00· Sunny in Japanin 2 vlogsFujinamiya
Dark hall within Kasuga Taisha filled with candlelit lanterns, recreating the shrine's lantern festivals.
2:49· SAMURAI JUNJIRO Channel【SJC】in 2 vlogsMizuya Chaya
Thatched-roof teahouse restaurant in the forest near Kasuga Taisha serving a variety of udon dishes.
5:33· The Navigatio Japanin 2 vlogsKakinoha Sushi Honpo Tanaka
Specialist in kakinoha sushi, a Nara speciality for over 200 years, with vinegared rice and fish wrapped in persimmon leaves.
5:31· SAMURAI JUNJIRO Channel【SJC】in 2 vlogsYumekaze Hiroba
Dining and shopping complex right near Todaiji, with sweet shops and cafes in traditional-style buildings.
12:08· SAMURAI JUNJIRO Channel【SJC】in 2 vlogsUkimido Pavilion
A floating hexagonal pavilion on Sagiike Pond in Nara Park, especially picturesque in autumn colours and soft morning light.
5:52· Sunny in Japanin 2 vlogsNaramachi Nigiwai no Ie
A restored 100-year-old townhouse that recreates the lifestyle of its era, with a tea room and steep traditional stairs.
4:15· SAMURAI JUNJIRO Channel【SJC】in 2 vlogsMount Omine
Sacred Shugendo mountain reached by the pilgrimage trail that begins at Kinpusen-ji in Yoshino.
12:25· Ryan Bednarin 2 vlogsNaramachi Koshi-no-Ie
Restored machiya townhouse, narrow at the front but long inside, a design shaped by taxes once based on storefront width.
8:57· Japan Guidein 2 vlogs
Mentioned once
37 more picks, each from a single vlog, so not ranked.
Todaiji Museum
Museum next to Todaiji's Nandaimon Gate displaying the temple's religious and cultural treasures, including large Buddha statues.
5:42· Japan Guide1 vlogHanayagura Observation Point
Lookout on Mount Yoshino known for panoramic views over the mountain's cherry blossoms.
15:00· Sunny in Japan1 vlogMatabei-zakura
Huge 300-year-old weeping cherry tree in the Nara countryside, named after the samurai Goto Matabei.
28:05· Sunny in Japan1 vlogHoryuji Temple
Historic temple outside central Nara, suggested as a highlight for those spending extra time in Nara Prefecture.
Rokumei Coffee
Local coffee shop serving coffee roasted in Nara, close to both JR Nara and Kintetsu Nara stations.
Sarusawa Pond
Pond below Kofukuji known for the reflection of the temple's five-storey pagoda on its surface.
Omiwa Shrine
Shrine in Nara Prefecture recommended for travellers exploring beyond Nara Park.
Asuka
Rural area of Nara Prefecture suggested for exploring by bicycle on a longer stay.
Kasugano-enchi
An open lawn area in Nara Park where deer graze among cherry blossom trees in spring.
5:46· Sunny in Japan1 vlogKamaiki
An udon restaurant serving noodles made from scratch daily, hot or cold, at communal tables.
11:37· Sunny in Japan1 vlogNakame Coffee
A coffee shop on an open-air arcade about 20 m from Kintetsu Nara Station, open from 8 a.m.
12:03· Sunny in Japan1 vlogIzakaya Tsunofuri
A fancy izakaya on Higashimuki Shopping Street with semi-private tables and an adventurous menu.
17:53· Sunny in Japan1 vlogWakakusa Curry
A curry restaurant just south of Nakatanidou offering a range of curry flavours plus vegetarian and vegan options, with an English menu.
18:25· Sunny in Japan1 vlogShikayose (Deer Calling)
A tradition dating to 1892 in which a horn playing Beethoven's Pastoral Symphony summons deer from the forest to be fed acorns.
20:33· Sunny in Japan1 vlogKinpusen-ji Temple
Ancient temple and one of the most important sites of Shugendo mountain worship, marking the start of the pilgrimage trail to Mount Omine.
1:39· Japan Guide1 vlogYoshimizu Shrine
Shrine built over 1,200 years ago where Emperor Go-Daigo set up his Southern Court in the 14th century, effectively serving as an imperial palace.
1:49· Japan Guide1 vlogSakuramotobo Temple
Important Shugendo mountain-worship temple with a long history and a complex with many facets to explore.
1:55· Japan Guide1 vlogChikurin-in Gumpoen
Centuries-old temple that has long lodged yamabushi pilgrims, known for its beautiful landscape garden.
1:57· Japan Guide1 vlogNaramachi Karakuri Toy Museum
Museum in a machiya townhouse with over 200 reproduced mechanical toys from the feudal period.
9:49· Japan Guide1 vlogEdogawa Naramachi
Unagi (freshwater eel) restaurant in central Naramachi offering a multisensory kaiseki course, with the eel prepared before diners' eyes.
10:18· Japan Guide1 vlogMi Nara
Commercial complex popular with locals that houses the goldfish and creature museums on its fourth floor.
Nara Kingyo Museum
Goldfish art museum with about 3,000 goldfish of around 40 types, displayed in a fantastical, photogenic setting.
Nara Ikimono Museum
Museum showing over 100 types of creatures, including lizards and turtles.
Tenpyoan
Japanese confectionery shop in Yumekaze Hiroba selling rice crackers, cookies and dorayaki.
Himuro Jinja
A Shinto shrine established in 710, known for the weeping cherry trees on its grounds.
4:33· Happy Trip1 vlogImai-cho
An exceptionally large preserved Edo-period townscape of traditional houses that is ideal for an afternoon wander.
4:24· Ryan Bednar1 vlogFujiwara Palace Ruins
An ancient palace site whose open grounds bloom with vast fields of cosmos in fall and yellow canola in spring.
5:14· Ryan Bednar1 vlogSoni Highlands
Highland grasslands at Nara Prefecture's eastern edge, known as a sunset spot in the mountains.
6:37· Ryan Bednar1 vlogMuro Art Forest
An art park designed to revitalize a mountain village, with geometric sculptures by Israeli artist Dani Karavan.
7:48· Ryan Bednar1 vlogMuro-ji
An 8th-century Shingon temple that always admitted women, earning it the nickname 'women's Koyasan'.
8:58· Ryan Bednar1 vlogDorogawa Onsen
A lively mountain hot spring town that has hosted Shugendo pilgrims for centuries, beneath sacred Mount Omine.
11:33· Ryan Bednar1 vlogKumano Kodo
A legendary pilgrimage network that is mostly in Wakayama, with one arm extending through Nara's deep mountains.
15:12· Ryan Bednar1 vlogSangatsudo Hall
Todaiji's 'March Hall', just below Nigatsudo, and the oldest building in the Todaiji complex.
2:00· The City Guru1 vlogIzasa Nakatani Honpo
A restaurant serving kakinoha-zushi, Nara's traditional sushi wrapped in persimmon leaves.
7:13· The City Guru1 vlogTonochaya
A traditional tea house known for chagayu, a rice porridge simmered in roasted green tea.
7:33· The City Guru1 vlogMori Narazuke
A shop selling narazuke, Nara's traditional vegetables pickled in sake lees.
7:44· The City Guru1 vlogImanishi Honten
A long-established maker of narazuke, Nara's traditional vegetables pickled in sake lees.
7:44· The City Guru1 vlog