Location List

Although the Miwa area is said to be the origin of sake brewing in Japan, Imanishi Sake Brewery is the last remaining brewery in the area. After over 350 years, it is still run by the same family. ...

This elegant, classical Japanese restaurant was founded in 1891. The original ryotei is mainly used for weddings and private parties, but the annex restaurant is open for lunch to give you an authe...

This covered shopping arcade close to Nara Park has a good selection of restaurants and souvenir shops, and is a good option on rainy days. Adjoining Kintetsu Nara Station, it tends to get crowded ...

Traditionally a lodging for Shugendo practitioners, this famed 1300-year-old temple-turned-ryokan is now open to all. Guest have included many famous Japanese writers and Emperor Hirohito. The ryok...

Right in Nara Park, you can expect to be greeted by deer as you stroll around the grounds of this historic ryokan, where each room is like a private forest retreat. Although the staff speak little ...

As you turn through the gates just off Nara Park, you see the classic Japanese landscape of Daijoin Garden on one side, then a series of magnificent wooden buildings with a grand entrance. Nara’s m...

Convenient for ascending the steep mountain to Hozanji Temple and Ikoma Sanjo Amusement Park, the line was built in 1928. The original cable cars were fairly standard, until they were replaced in 2...

The Imanishi house was built around 1650 (the date was found carved into one of the roof timbers), and also served as the town court and administration centre, making it one of the grandest houses ...

This ancient road which runs through Katsuragi, once the epicentre of politics and culture in its heyday, and along the base of Mt. Katsuragi and Mt Kongo, today offers hikers a gentle path to trav...

Although there is nothing left of Fujiwara Palace, red columns mark the original foundations, giving you an idea of the scale. The fields have become famous with photographers for their cosmos flow...

The Former Site of Heijokyu Imperial Palace is the site upon which Heijo Palace or Heijkyo once stood. The site now features reconstructions of the Imperial Audience Hall where the Emperor’s throne...

This impressive megalith is believed to be the tomb of Soga no Umako, a powerful figure who worked closely with Prince Shotoku in the Asuka period to promote Buddhism. At first, it was thought to b...

The approach to Nara’s most famous and impressive Shinto shrine takes you along an atmospheric forest path, lined with hundreds of stone lanterns. Everywhere you will come across the sacred deer th...

The entrance is easy to miss: a small, red arched bridge leads from the narrow shopping street to the temple complex. You follow a path along the river to the large Nio-Mon gate that marks the real...

The Takayama area is famous for making tea whisks (chasen). Local families have been passing down the trade for 500 years. The whisks are made from bamboo which grows across the area. This traditio...

Easily the most beautiful garden in Nara, Isuien is easily accessed on foot from Todaiji Temple or the Nara Municiple Art Museum. The main entrance takes you past the Neiraku Museum, included in th...

Nara Park is what many think of as "Nara." Stretching over about eight square kilometres, it encompasses major sites like Todaiji Temple, Kofukuji Temple and Kasugataisha Shrine, along with museums...

This small pond close to Nara Park is a pleasant place for strolling or taking a break. As you reach the top of the main shopping area along Sanjo Dori, you will see the pond, lined with willow tre...

With paths starting behind Todaiji Temple, Mt Wakakusa is easy to climb and rewards hikers with views as far as the Former Site of Heijokyo Imperial Palace. There is a small fee to enter one of the...

This spectacular hiking course features a moss-draped forest, a beech forest, wild animals including deer and views as far as the sea. Some have compared the views to the scenery in the movie “Avat...

This sweeping plateau, a beautifully vivid green in summer, is covered in pampas grass which turns a golden colour in autumn. Short hiking trails leading to the top of Mt Kuroso offer spectacular v...

If you don’t mind some steep stairs, this small shrine in a bamboo forest behind Ohmiwa Jinja Shrine has a lovely atmosphere. There is a small observatory in the shrine precincts with views over th...

Deep in a grove of cedar trees, this smaller shrine within Ohmiwa Jinja Shrine has a wonderfully mysterious atmosphere. Dedicated to medicine and healing, it houses a natural spring whose waters ar...

Established in AD645, this is one of Japan’s oldest Buddhist temples. It is famous with test takers who pray for good results. The temple houses a striking seven meter tall statue of Monju Bosatsu,...