Kyoto to Nara: Planning a Perfect Day Trip to Nara
KYOTO TO NARA BY TRAIN
A day trip to Nara is a must do if you’re visiting Kyoto. Any pictures you have seen pictures of deer roaming freely and interacting with the local folk probably live on Nara, the first ancient capital of Japan. The intimate city is an incredibly easy train ride from Kyoto and you’ll get to see Fushimi Inari, with its thousands of torii gates, along the way.
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Depart from Kyoto Station as early as you can to beat the crowds at Fushimi Inari Shrine, which will be your first stop on the way to Nara. There are two trains on the JR Nara Line that are covered by the JR pass - the local train and the express train. If you plan to stop at Fushimi Inari, take the local train on the way there as you can hop off at JR Inari Station and follow signs to the shrine.
On the way back to Kyoto you will take the express train which has fewer stops and will save you about 30 minutes.
Here’s the deal with Fushimi Inari - it’s super cool and incredibly Instagrammable but you won’t find the serenity that you find with the thousands of local shrines sprinkled around Kyoto. It’s a popular tourist destination so prepare for more of a Disneyland vibe than a peaceful spot to reflect.
You’ll pass trinket shops and stalls where you can buy a fortune, amulet, tours, and so on. It is typical to make an offering when you enter a shrine so after doing so, enter the temple grounds. The vermilion shrines are especially impressive at the base of the hill as they are densely packed, creating a bright orange hall for visitors to walk through.
Something we did not do (but really wish we had) is follow the bright orange hallway all the way to the top of Mt Inari. It takes 2-3 hours round trip but the higher you climb, the more sparse the crowds. There are supposed to be incredible sweeping views of Kyoto as well at the top!
DAY TRIP TO NARA
When you’ve had your fill at Fushimi Inari, hop back on the local train to Nara Station. When you get off the train, you’ll see a main street lined with cheesy tourist shops. Bypass this area except for one critical purchase - deer snacks. With these wafers in hand, you’ll get close interaction with the more emboldened deer in town.
Once you pass the main drag, it’s a straight shot and 10-minute walk to Nara-Koen Park which is great starting point for exploration. My recommendation is that you spend the day without an agenda to soak in this quaint city and avoid the tourist locations but if you’re determined to see the sights here are some of the recommended spots:
Tōdai-ji Temple which houses a huge bronze statue of Buddha
Isui-en Garden for your dose of mirrored ponds and gorgeous greens
Kasuga-taisha Shrine, one of the most important Shinto shrines
The Nara-Koen Park is massive so allow a couple of hours to explore on foot. Many of the wild deer spend time in the park and tend to gather in groups in the park’s far corners. Keep in mind they are semi-wild so some will be skittish and some will be daring but ALL love the deer snacks.
Deer are sacred in Nara (deer were one of the four gods of the Kasuga Shrine) so they are allowed to roam, hold up traffic and enter businesses, all of which we witnessed. In your park wanderings, you will most likely encounter Yoshikien Garden, which is a collection of three Japanese gardens that were built on the residences of the former priests of Kofukuji Temple.
Another beautiful park feature is Sagiike Pond with its Ukimido Pavilion that seems to float on the pond’s surface and offers shelter or a place to reflect.
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There was a torrential tropical storm that just happened to strike midday in the summer so we took shelter in Ukimido Pavilion before braving the storm and posting up at Harushika Brewery to do a sake tasting and drink away the afternoon. If we had clear skies, we would have headed straight to the Naramachi neighborhood which is Nara’s Edo Period merchant quarter that has many shops, museums, homes and temples that are well-preserved. Many homes are in the machiya style, which is a traditional wooden townhome typical in Kyoto
Get a pre-dinner libation at Ogawa Matabei Shoten, which is a low key indoor/outdoor joint that has tons of local beers and sakes and happens to be a local Shiba Inu hangout. We saw a Shiba pup run in from the street to greet the other Shibas hanging in the shop - it turns the dog trio were mama, brother and sister and the owners come together every day so the furry fam could hang together.
Then head to Tsuruyoshi restaurant for traditional kaiseki, which is a traditional multi-course Japanese meal that is meticulously prepared by the chef. Tsuruyoshi is one of the best fine dining restaurants in Nara and have a limited amount of private dining rooms so have your hotel make a reservation for you ahead of time. We had our own room with “western style” seating (table and chairs instead of traditional floor seating) and devoured the 12-course tasting menu.
Our waitress, dressed in a full kimono and slippers, had a Japanese-English translation book to identify each dish that was served to us. We delighted in courses of cockle, abalone, fatty tuna sushi, uni and some meats that didn’t have an English translation, which were all cooked in the regional fashion. Take your time strolling back to the Nara JR station as there was only warm summer air and gentle night sounds in the town’s quiet streets after dark.
