Nara was the capital for most of the eighth century, and it still holds the scale of that ambition: a bronze Buddha fifteen metres high, in a wooden hall built to fit him.
Most visitors come for an afternoon from Kyoto. We would rather you stayed a night, so you can walk to Kasuga Taisha through the lantern-lined forest while it is still damp and dim.
Away from the park, Naramachi keeps its merchant houses, sake breweries and shops that still make ink sticks by hand.
Journeys through Nara
Want to spend longer here? Most people do.
Plan with us