Nara Deer: The Ultimate Guide to Japan's Famous Fawn-Filled Park

Nara deer is one of the enduring memories from our time in Japan and Nara was one of my favourite places! It’s a really cute place to visit without that big city feel. If you have been thinking is it worth adding to your itinerary the answer is yes, this is why!

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Can you see Nara in one day?

While there’s a lot to see in Nara, it’s all grouped pretty closely. If you can arrive early it’s easy to see a lot of the sights in a day. We got in at 7am from Kyoto and were happy with how we spent our day. If you want to spend time at all the temples and museums you may need to consider staying overnight. There is a great walking tour you can do to maximise your time or you can take this day trip which will make sure you fit everything in!

Where to stay in Nara?

The Centurion Hotel Classic Nara Station is a great hotel to stay in Nara. It’s central, affordable, clean and easy to get to and from both the train station and deer park area. The rest of Nara is pretty walkable so being near transport is a good place to base yourself for arrival and departure.

Getting to Nara

You will most likely get to and from Nara either from Kyoto or Osaka and it is pretty quick and easy to do so. I recommend taking this pretty train, it is so cute and only costs a little extra than the usual commuter train. Check out the details on the Kintetsu Sightseeing Limited Express “Aoniyoshi” Train, we purchased our extra tickets at the counter in the Nara train station, the staff there will help you!

Kintetsu Sightseeing Limited Express "Aoniyoshi"

What to do in Nara?

There’s actually a lot to see and do in Nara. It’s full of hidden gems, lots of temples to explore, a great vintage shopping scene as well as being a food lovers town! This is what you should do in Nara.

The Nara Deer Park

This is the biggest thing to do in Nara and probably why you wanted to come here. One look at the bowing deer and it was on my itinerary! We arrived early and the deer were all hanging out waiting for crackers.

Tip-the senbei (rice crackers) sellers don’t come out until around 9am. We hadn’t brought any with us and were searching for some to feed the deer. Luckily for us another tourist offered us some she’d been given the day before or it would have been a long wait, make sure to come prepared if going early.

The deer know what to do! They’ll come running as soon as they see the senbei. A male deer was kind of aggressive to Mike when we didn’t have any senbei (checkout our You Tube channel to see the video) and tried to buck him. Show them your empty hands so they know you don’t have any crackers! It worked for me!

Apparently it’s mating season in November so they’re a little extra aggressive. We walked up to the national museum and found a really nice lake to the right of it. There were deer everywhere. Some weren’t interested at all in the crackers and wouldn’t eat them. I fed every baby deer I could see!

Honestly this was so much fun, I loved them. If all you had time for was to feed the deer it would still be worth the trip out here. The area closest to the train station has the most well trained deer, they’re also the busiest. Walk up a little more to get a less crowded experience.

Ara Pond

While you are wandering around the park feeding deer, head to Ara Pond and check out the Ukimido Pavilion and The Garden of the Former Daijyo-in Temple. This was one of our favourite spots, it was quiet and serene. Just us, the deer and some little turtles!

Nakatanidou Mochi Store

This is the second reason I wanted to visit Nara! This old mochi store has been making the same matcha mochi for 200 years and does a show of the traditional method of pounding the dough.

They do the mochi show every few hours. Opening at 10am we saw a sign say it would be at 11:30am. We came back just after 11am and he did it about a minute later. Then advertised it again at 1pm. I think it’s just an approximate time and it’s really whenever it’s needed.

We lined up and bought mochi, it was really good. The green mochi is made with Japanese mugwort with a sweet red bean filling and kinako (roasted and sweetened soybean flour). It was warm, yummy and gluten free! The mochi only costs 200JPY each and is sold fresh.

Lining up at the Nakatanidou Mochi Store, Nara

Fresh mochi at Nakatanidou Mochi Store, Nara

Harushika Sake Brewery store

This is a fun spot to do some sake tasting or buy a tipple. Sake in Japan is a must so if you haven’t already tried it this is a good spot to check it out!

Higashimuki Shopping Street

Walk these streets for some great vintage shops, good food and cafes. There is a lot here and quite a few little lanes as well to check out. I fell in love with this vintage shop where the sweet lady was making scarves and clothes out of old silk kimonos. Make sure to check it out!

Vintage stores in Higashimuki Shopping Street, Nara

Foodies paradise!

Nara is actually a place for the foodies! It isn’t just the deer that gets fed…check out the MICHELIN Guide for Nara with all the new restaurants included. They held a Michelin food festival there in November 2024 which was incredible and they also have another food festival in March. There are a lot of great spots to eat in Nara, if you love food then make sure it is on your list.

Temples

Kōfuku-ji Temple

Located right near the mochi shop and deer park is the temple Kōfukuji. Complete with Five-story Pagoda. The temple grounds are a nice place to explore.

Kasuga Taisha Shrine

This is a short walk away, just past the National Museum and through the shrine’s botanical gardens. It is a nice spot before crowds arrive.

Nandaimon Gate

Following the shopping street to the left of the park, you’ll spot the incredible Nandaimon, the largest temple gate in Japan.

Tōdai-ji Temple

One of the most popular things to see is Tōdaiji’s Great Buddha Hall. The entry price is 800 Yen or when combined with the museum is 1200 Yen. Admire the huge Buddha, make sure to squeeze through his nostril to gain enlightenment! This is actually more simple than it sounds…theres a tall wooden pillar with a hole the size of the Buddha statue’s nostril at the bottom and people try to squeeze through it to gain enlightenment. I don’t know where this came from but you can try these things once right?

Tamukeyama Hachiman-gū Shrine

Once you’ve explored the grounds, you can follow the path behind the temple to see the small shrine, Tamukeyama Hachimangū. This is a quiet and peaceful place, you can buy a peace dove ema to write your wish upon.

Nigatsu-dō Hall

A 10 minute walk away you will find the subcomplex of Tōdai-ji, set on a hill to the east of the Great Buddha Hall. Sit here to look out over the views.

Tōdai-ji’s Belltower

The belltower is a nice stop while walking, you don’t need to spend a lot of time although I have heard that it makes a great echo.

We loved Nara, I would go back again and stay a night or two next trip! I would love to spend more time wandering the little streets and more of the many temples! Check out our You Tube Vlog below to see some of our highlights of Nara.