Nara travel guide: a day trip from Osaka, with the deer

We went to Nara for the day on 8 November 2025, from Osaka.

What is funny is seeing the deer walk absolutely anywhere, in the middle of the road and everywhere else.

Nara overview

When: 8 November 2025, a day trip.

How we got there: by train from Osaka.

How long I would stay: one day.

Good to know: from Osaka-Namba, the Kintetsu Nara Line takes about 35 to 40 minutes to Kintetsu Nara station, for 680 yen, and that station is five minutes from the first deer. The JR line from Osaka works too, for 840 yen, and is free with a JR Pass, but it drops you further out, about twenty minutes west of the park.

Book a day trip from Kyoto or Osaka that includes Nara, Fushimi Inari and Arashiyama

What we did in Nara

The deer park

I loved photographing the deer, even if it was sometimes complicated with the crackers.

Good to know: there are around 1,200 wild deer in Nara Park, protected as a national treasure. The only food you may give them is shika senbei, the rice bran crackers sold by licensed vendors for 200 yen a bundle. Many deer bow to ask for one, and bow back if you bow first. The park itself is free.

My advice: do not show the whole pack of crackers, or you will have a riot. Buy one bundle when you are ready to feed them, keep it out of sight until then, and show your open hands when you are done. Deer also eat paper and plastic, so keep maps, tickets and bags zipped.

Book a guided tour of the deer park and the Great Buddha

The temples

Todai-ji and its Great Buddha, and the shrines around the park.

Kasuga Taisha, the vermilion shrine at the far end of the park, is worth the walk: around 2,000 stone lanterns line its approach and 1,000 bronze ones hang from the buildings. The outer grounds are free, the inner area is paid, and the lanterns are lit only twice a year, in early February and mid August.

The gardens: Isuien, a Meiji era garden laid out so that the gate of Todai-ji and the hills behind become part of the view, costs 1,200 yen. Yoshikien next door is free for foreign visitors.

Good to know: the Great Buddha Hall costs 800 yen and opens at 7:30am from April to October, 8am from November to March. The Nandaimon gate and the outer grounds are free, as are the outer grounds of Kasuga Taisha and the Kofuku-ji pagoda area. Come at opening time: after 9am, the school groups arrive.

The old town

Naramachi, the old merchant district, with its wooden houses, just south of the park.

Good to know: no tickets and no queues here, and several of the old machiya houses are open as small free museums, among them Naramachi Koshi-no-Ie, a reconstructed merchant house you can walk through. It is the quietest part of Nara, ten minutes from the deer.

Where to eat in Nara

At the konbini. A little famichiki, and off we go.

Good to know: famichiki is the fried chicken from FamilyMart, sold hot at the counter. It is the cheapest and most Japanese way to eat between two temples.

How long do you need in Nara?

One day.

Nara FAQ

How do you get from Osaka to Nara?
By train, about 35 to 40 minutes from Osaka-Namba on the Kintetsu line.

Is Nara worth a day trip?
Yes. The deer walk everywhere, even in the middle of the road, and the temples and old town fill the rest of the day.

How do you feed the deer in Nara?
With shika senbei crackers, 200 yen a bundle, bought in the park. Never show the whole pack at once.

What is free in Nara?
The park and its 502 hectares, the outer grounds of Kasuga Taisha, the whole Naramachi district with its free machiya museums, and Yoshikien garden for foreign visitors.

Is Nara Park free?
Yes. The park is free, the Great Buddha Hall is 800 yen.