What is so special about Nara?

Boasting the most UNESCO World Heritage sites of any city in Japan, Nara offers a unique experience of Japanese history and culture in a relatively compact city. Nara was the first permanent capital of Japan from AD 710 to 794 and has an impressive list of splendid temples, shrines and traditional gardens to see.



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Nara Prefecture is located in the Kansai Region of Japan, and is known as the home of many early emperor palaces, large Shinto shrines, and abundance of wild deer that roam freely through the region.

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A celebration of the seasons. If it's springtime Nara is a top spot for cherry blossom. The city itself was stunning enough but Nara is also the name of a prefecture that includes Yoshino, one of the top cherry blossom viewing sites in all of Japan.

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Nara National Museum is also located in the park. Staying overnight gives you extra time to see Nara by night, and explore some of the dinner options available. You can try some of Nara's specialities, such as somen noodles (a string-thin flour noodle), or bitter persimmon leaf sushi, kaki no ha zushi.

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While six or eight hours is ideal for a daytrip, you might find yourself with a mere half day to spend in Nara. If that is the case, don't despair: A half-day (four hours) is enough to see a lot of Nara's major sights.

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Because of this legend, deer were thought of as sacred animals--the helpers of gods--and have been carefully protected for many years. Even today, Nara's deer are carefully protected as natural monuments.

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Do not carelessly touch or approach the deer! Do not let your child approach the deer alone! The deer in Nara Park are wild animals. Their behavior is unpredictable.

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The deer are active at all hours of the day, looking for their next handout, but with few people around at night, most of them just rest on the ground.

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