#Sky over Lake West#: 14-Day Kansai Free Travel Diary – D11: Nara Day Trip -- Nara Park, Tōdai-ji
June 2, 2025, sunny. Today I’m spending a day in Nara.
After hotel breakfast (still 990 yen/person), I set off.
First stop: Nara Park.
After comparing transport options, I chose the Kintetsu Express train route: Hotel --> Karasuma Shijō Station --> Kyōto Station (transfer) --> Yamato-Saidaiji Station (transfer) --> Kintetsu Nara Station. The journey took about an hour and was very cost-effective.
I took a photo in the concourse of Kintetsu Nara Station.
A five- to six-minute walk from the station brought me to Nara Park.
Along the way, I already saw deer roaming and foraging on the sidewalk.
Even the manhole covers on the street were beautiful.
Across the road was the Nara Prefectural Government Building.
This deer chased a tourist across the road for food, then returned, and cars stopped to let it pass.
This is a bus stop; multiple bus routes pass through Nara Park.
Nara Park is one of the pioneers of modern parks in Japan. It stretches 4 km east-west and 2 km north-south, covering a vast area. Most of Nara’s famous historic sites, such as Mount Wakakusa, Tōdai-ji, Kasuga Taisha, and the Nara National Museum, are located within it. It became a prefectural park in 1888 (Meiji 21) and was designated a National Scenic Spot of Japan in 1922 (Taisho 11).
In the park, you can interact freely with the deer.
Deer will beg visitors for shika senbei (deer crackers, 200 yen per tube), but they won’t eat the tubes placed on the sales counter.
The park is large, divided into an eastern and a western section.
Crossing a road, I entered the eastern section, where the deer were relatively quieter, and I even saw a fawn.
Ahead was the Nara National Museum.
The museum was holding a wonderful exhibition.
It felt very serene.
It turned out today was the museum’s regular closing day – a pity.
Second stop: Kasuga Taisha.
Leaving the Nara National Museum, I continued east and soon reached the entrance path to Kasuga Taisha. I had to walk a few hundred meters further, passing many more deer along the way.
Before begging for food, the deer would nod at you a few times – very amusing.
Kasuga Taisha was built in 768 to protect Heijō-kyō and pray for national prosperity. It is the clan shrine of the Fujiwara family. According to legend, the god Takemikazuchi rode a deer to this site, so deer are considered divine messengers.
Kasuga Taisha on Mount Kasuga is the head shrine of all Kasuga shrines across Japan. Together with Ise Grand Shrine and Iwashimizu Hachiman-gū, it is considered one of Japan’s three major shrines.
Mount Kasuga has been a sacred mountain of Kasuga Taisha, with logging prohibited for over a thousand years. As a result, it is covered with primeval forest of evergreen broad-leaved trees such as oak and castanopsis. Because logging has been banned since the 9th century, the virgin forest has been preserved, and together with the inseparable scenery of Kasuga Taisha, it was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Architecturally, the main sanctuary consists of four parallel shrine halls. The vermilion-colored corridor surrounding the main hall contrasts beautifully with the green forest of Mount Kasuga. Together with the lanterns hanging under the eaves and the shrine buildings, it creates a picturesque scene.
The vermilion main hall has been famous for wisteria since ancient times. The 3,000 stone lanterns and hanging lanterns within the shrine are also very famous. In the “Kasuga Taisha Shinen” (Divine Garden), about 300 species of plants are cultivated, all of which are recorded in the ancient poetry anthology Manyōshū. Additionally, the shrine houses over 3,000 cultural artifacts, including 520 national treasures.
Third stop: Mount Wakakusa.
Exiting Kasuga Taisha and crossing the road north, I saw a large grassy area and a small hill – the foot of Mount Wakakusa.
After purchasing a ticket (150 yen/person), I entered from the south gate and started climbing the southern hiking trail.
Mount Wakakusa is located within Nara Park in Japan. It has a stepped terrain formed by three overlapping peaks, with an altitude of 342 meters. The mountain is characterized by a 330,000-square-meter grassy slope.
Hikers can enjoy panoramic views of the Nara Basin from observation platforms at the first, second, and third peaks.
The mountain path from the second peak to the third peak.
I reached the summit – the third peak of Mount Wakakusa!
View overlooking the Nara Basin.
Surprisingly, even at the third peak, I saw deer – amazing!
I descended the same way and stopped at the second peak for a photo.
Looking down at the first peak; zooming in, I could see wooden stakes at the first peak.
The path from the second peak to the first peak was relatively gentle, and soon I reached the first peak – success!
Here are a few panoramic photos.
It was already past 1:00 PM when I left Mount Wakakusa. I immediately went to a shop across the street for lunch.
Chicken rice + beef rice + tofu noodles.
After lunch, I continued on my way. This is the north gate of Mount Wakakusa.
Following the sign, I headed toward Tōdai-ji (Nigatsu-dō).
Fourth stop: Tōdai-ji.
Tōdai-ji is the head temple of the Kegon school of Japanese Buddhism, also known as Daikegon-ji or Konkōmyō Shiten’nō Gokoku-ji. Located east of Heijō-kyō (present-day Nara), it is one of the Seven Great Temples of Nara and has a history of over 1,200 years. It is the largest wooden building in the world today.
The construction of Tōdai-ji was inspired by Wu Zetian’s building of the Hall of Heaven in Luoyang’s Zichen Palace and carving of the Vairocana Buddha at Longmen Grottoes. In 740 (Tenpyō 12), under the strong persuasion of Empress Kōmyō, Emperor Shōmu vowed, “I, too, shall create [a great Buddha].”
In 1998, Tōdai-ji was inscribed as part of the “Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara” UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Temizu-yama Hachiman-gū.
I encountered a group of middle school students on a field trip.
This golden treasure is called the Sōrin, standing 23.3 meters tall. It is said to be the finial (sōrin) from the top of Tōdai-ji’s former east and west seven-story pagodas. Just imagine: if the pagoda finial is 23 meters long, how tall must the seven-story pagoda have been?
At Tōdai-ji, I encountered another deer nodding to beg for food.
It got what it wanted.
Tōdai-ji’s Great South Gate (Nandaimon) bears a plaque reading “Daikegon-ji” (Great Kegon Temple). The gate is 25.46 meters high, built in a double-eave hip-gable style, supported by 18 enormous wooden pillars.
On the way out of Tōdai-ji, there were many deer as well.
Fifth stop: Uji City.
On the way back, I decided to stop by Uji so I wouldn’t need to make a separate trip. I took a combination of Kintetsu and bus: from Kintetsu Nara Station, I rode the Kintetsu Kyōto Line to Ōkubo Station, then transferred to bus (Platform 4, Route 21) to Keihan Uji Station.
First, I tried some authentic Uji matcha ice cream.
Uji City is located in the southern part of Kyōto Prefecture, adjacent to the southeast of Kyōto City. It has been a passage connecting Nara and Kyōto since ancient times. Uji is known for the world heritage temple Byōdō-in and for Uji matcha (green tea). It is also the main setting of the Tale of Genji story. Additionally, it is the main setting for the anime series Sound! Euphonium produced by Kyoto Animation.
I then took a walk around Uji’s scenic spots. Although it was past opening hours, I could still see the exteriors.
Asagiri Bridge.
At the other end of Uji Bridge, going straight through the large torii leads to the Prefectural Shrine; taking the small path to the left of the large torii leads to the world heritage site Byōdō-in.
I had missed the opening time, so I only saw the closed gate.
The Prefectural Shrine is very small.
At 6:45 PM, I left Uji. From Keihan Uji Station, I took the Uji Line (toward Chūshojima) to Chūshojima Station, then transferred to the Keihan Main Line–Oto Line (toward Demachiyanagi) to Gion Shijō Station.
After exiting the station, I went to find food. Passing by Kyōto Yakiniku Nandaimon (Kyoto Grilled Meat – Nandaimon Branch), it looked good, so I went in to try.
I ordered: 1) Recommended 5 Types of Meat Platter (Premium), 220g (one serving); 2) Kyōto Premium Thick-Sliced Beef Sirloin, 100g (one serving);
3) Kudamono Noodles (one serving); 4) Korean Seaweed (one serving).
Each table had a tablet (see image on the right); orders were placed directly on the tablet.
The food arrived quickly – time to dig in!
Stuffed, I strolled back to the hotel.
