Nara

Nara is the capital of Nara Prefecture in the Kansai region, and it was the seat of the emperor during the Nara period, from 710 to 784, before the court moved on and Kyoto became the capital in 794. That early start is why it is also known as Nanto, the southern capital. Eight temples, shrines and palace sites, among them Tōdai-ji, Kōfuku-ji, Kasuga Shrine and the Heijō Palace, were inscribed by UNESCO in December 1998 together with the Kasugayama Primeval Forest as the Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara. The city is smaller and slower than its neighbours, and most visitors see it in a day.

Almost everything a first visit is for sits in or around Nara Park, at the foot of Mount Wakakusa. It was established in 1880, covers about 502 hectares, and over 1,200 wild sika deer roam it as a protected natural treasure; they are wild animals, and at least 164 people were injured by them between 2017 and 2018, so do not tease them for a photo. On its edge, Tōdai-ji, founded in 738 and opened in 752, keeps the world’s largest bronze statue of the Buddha Vairocana inside a Great Buddha Hall finished in 1709. Kōfuku-ji and Kasuga Grand Shrine, built in 768, are on the same walk.

Nara is the easiest day trip in Kansai, an easy train from either Kyoto or Osaka, so most people sleep in one of those and come for the day. From Kansai International Airport the Haruka reaches Kyoto in about 1 hour 20 minutes, and Kyoto to Osaka is fifteen minutes by shinkansen, so either base works. Once you arrive, the park and the main temples sit close together and you walk between them, with the deer for company. A Suica or Pasmo IC card pays for trains and buses, but carry some cash for small restaurants and temple stalls, where a card is less certain.

Winters average about 3 to 5°C and summers 25 to 28°C, with the hottest days close to 35°C, so an August visit wants an early start and shade. Cherry blossom arrives late March into April and the autumn colour from late October to early December, which are also the busiest weeks, and Golden Week, Obon and New Year fill trains everywhere.

Goodbars sells a Japan eSIM you install at home and switch on when you land; it runs on NTT docomo, Japan's largest mobile network by mobile contracts, and our Japan coverage page shows where it reaches and what independent speed tests measure. Renting a pocket Wi-Fi is a long-standing habit for visitors to Japan too, and it suits a group that moves together all day.