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If you are visiting Japan and are stopping in Kyoto and/or Osaka, then a day trip to the beautiful Nara Park should undoubtedly make it into your itinerary!
I recently was lucky enough to live in Japan for nine months due to my very peculiar job of traveling the world with a circus show. For the first six months, we lived in Tokyo, which was an absolute dream come true, and for the last three, we lived in Osaka.
These last three months living in Osaka made me see how underrated this city is and how many incredible things there are to do in Osaka.
One of my favorite things to do during our days off was to jump on a train and take a day trip to the dreamy Nara Park.
After being lucky enough to live in Japan for nine months, I can easily say that visiting Nara was one of my favorite activities during my time in Japan, so much so that I went back not once, not twice, but four times!
I kind of became an ambassador for the park among my friends and colleagues who I would go back with whenever I heard one of them didn’t visit yet.
So after taking all those Nara Park day trips from Osaka, I can guarantee you that it is a must-add to your current Japan itinerary!
And this ultimate Nara Park day trip guide will help you make the absolute best of your trip to this magical place. Featuring what to do in and around Nara Park, where to eat during your day trip, and of course a good coffee spot—always a must on this blog.
If like me, you always wanted to be Pocahontas chilling in the woods with all your animal friends, get ready to make your Disney dreams come true!
The Ultimate Nara Park Day Trip Guide: What To Do, See, And Eat
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Where is Nara Park?
Nara is a city in Japan located in the northern part of the Nara Prefecture, sitting south of the Kyoto Prefecture and to the east of Osaka.
It used to be a Japanese capital back in the Nara period in 710 to 794 before the capital was moved to Kyoto. This is why you will find no shortage of stunning temples and shrines to explore during a day trip to Nara.
Nara Park is one of the oldest parks in Japan, located within Nara City, known for its free-roaming deer and historic temples.
Because of its central location, Nara Park is an easy day trip from Osaka and Kyoto.
How long to spend in Nara?
One day in Nara offers plenty of time to see all of the main attractions of the city such as visiting the historic temples, feeding the famous Nara bowing deer, and exploring the alleys of the quaint city.
The best is to arrive early in the morning to stroll through the park grounds, stop by the temples, and get enough time to interact with the deer, a unique experience you won’t have anywhere else.
Day trip from Osaka to Nara
Taking a day trip to Nara Park from Osaka is incredibly easy with direct trains going almost every 10 minutes from the central Osaka-Namba Station to Kintetsu-Nara Station.
Coming back and forth from Osaka to Nara is an easy activity to fit into any Osaka itinerary as there are no reservations needed for anything.
You can just wake up, hop on a train, and feel like a Disney princess in less than 40 min.
Day trip from Kyoto to Nara
If you are wondering how to get to Nara Park from Kyoto, fear not, planning a day trip to Nara Park is also easy.
First, you will have to make your way to Kintetsu-Tambashi Station to get on the direct train to Nara.
If you are in the city center of Kyoto, the way to do this will be to hop on the Keihan Main Line from Gion-Shijo Station and change trains at Tambashi.
While being an ever so slightly longer ride than from Osaka, visiting Nara Park from Kyoto is still a very comfortable day trip to take, and one that I would recommend you don’t skip.
What to do in and around Nara Park
Feed and interact with the famous Nara Park bowing deer
One of the top things to do in Nara Park is interacting with and feed its famous bowing deer.
The Nara deer are so used to humans that they comfortably interact with curious visitors offering crackers, creating a surreal experience.
Spending time up close with these adorable creatures feels almost magical—like you jumped straight into a Disney movie—making it a truly memorable part of any day trip to Nara Park.
What are the deer eating?
At the park, you can purchase deer crackers specifically sold to feed them to the deer.
These crackers are made of wheat flour and rice bran and are made without any sugar, so they are completely safe to feed to the deer.
As a Japanese salesman also pointed out, they are also fine for humans to consume, but they are just not very tasty.
Where to buy the deer crackers and how much do they cost?
You will find various stands throughout the park selling small bundles of deer crackers for 200 yen each (1.5 USD).
One package is more than enough per person, especially if you break the crackers into small pieces.
How to feed the Nara bowing deer
I could write a whole blog post on this topic.
After going four times to Nara Park, and every time with first-time visitors, I feel like I perfected the way to read and interact with the deer.
But to keep it simple, here are a few rules to follow when feeding the Nara bowing deer:
- Don’t feed the first deer you see. Never feed the deer that are immediately next to the cracker stand. They are way too eager and might get a little aggressive and harassing if you give them crackers. Instead, walk into the park and find other deer who are not too eager to chase you down for the crackers.
- Keep crackers out of sight. If you have a bag with you, put the bulk of the crackers out of sight, and only take one cracker out when you want to feed a deer. Otherwise, they will harass you until you give them the whole pack.
- Choose a chill individual deer. If you are nervous about feeding deer or interacting with them, the best is to find solo deer that are just minding their own business. If you offer them a cracker they will take it and then go back to grazing.
- Show empty hands when done feeding. Whenever I encountered harassing deer, I would just show them my empty hands and most times they would see that I had no crackers and leave me alone.
How to make the Nara Deer bow
It is incredibly cute to see the Nara deer bowing as a human-learned behavior and is such a unique experience to see animals re-create this movement.
To get a deer to bow to you, simply follow the previous steps, and when you are in front of the single chill deer, show the cracker in your hand, and do a bowing motion. Most of them will bow back and then approach for the cracker.
It’s so freaking cute!!!
Rules to follow when interacting with the Nara bowing deer
- Follow the warning signs posted around the park about the deer’s behavior.
- Remember these are wild animals and will bite, kick, or head bump if provoked, so be nice to them. Don’t push them, don’t touch them if they don’t want to.
- Don’t approach the baby deer, a bigger one might be close by and not be a big fan of this.
- Be cautious around the older male deer with antlers.
- Do not feed the deer anything else besides the special deer crackers.
- And as everywhere in Japan, take all trash home with you.
Visit the historic temples in Nara
As previously mentioned, there was a period when Nara used to be the capital of Japan, which is why you can spot some incredible temples and shrines around the city.
Some of the unmissable temples that you should visit during your Nara Park day trip include the Kofuku-ji temple and the ruins surrounding it, which are some of the first ones you will encounter as you make your way to the park from the city center.
The impressive Todai-ji Namdaimon (Grand South Gate)—make sure to spot the intimidating temple guardians inside of it—will guide you to the historic Todai-ji temple.
But before you get there you will walk past the scenic Todaiji Kagami-ike Pond, where you will surely come across lots of deer hanging out by the water.
Other unmissable spots during your Nara Park day trip include the Second Torii Gate deeper in the park, which frames a gorgeous lush path that will guide you to Kasuga Taisha shrine, and the picturesque Yogo-mon Gate.
Don’t worry, most of these temples also come with a side of deer sighting. They are everywhere in this town!
Watch the famous mochi-pounding
If you are looking for unique things to do in Nara then watching the mochi-making pounding process should be on your list.
You will be able to witness how mochi is made at the popular Japanese confectionary shop Nakatanidou.
Keep an eye out when you arrive in Nara and walk past Nakatanidou on the way to the park, as they usually put out a sign of when the next mochi-pounding round will be.
Besides observing the impressive and risky—you will see why—mochi pounding process, you should obviously also give it a try while you are there.
Learn from my mistakes and enjoy your mochi while it’s fresh. It tastes much better this way than if you save it for later.
Enjoy tea and Japanese sweets in the middle of the park
While exploring the beautiful grounds of Nara Park and its temples, you can make a pit stop at Kasuganinaijaya for tea and a sweet break.
It is a Japanese regional restaurant, however when we visited it was only open for tea and desserts which was more than fine by us.
The matcha is delicious and the sweets are tasty, served in a uniquely charming setting with the view of the lush trees outside.
Buy deer-themed souvenirs
A top thing to do while visiting Nara Park is to buy ridiculously adorable deer-themed souvenirs.
You will be able to find everything and anything you could ever want. From incredibly cute deer plush toys—which I regret not buying one of—bento boxes with deer prints, tote bags, key chains, and even deer-shaped cookies.
The options are endless, and the hardest thing will be to fit all your souvenirs in your luggage for the flight home.
Where to eat in Nara Park
I am a creature of habit, and I like to stick to what works, and there are two stops I always make while visiting Nara Park.
Where to eat breakfast in Nara
To start the day in Nara my go-to spot is Rokumei Coffee for breakfast and coffee, and is conveniently just a few steps away from Nara station.
The coffee is tasty, they have a few breakfast options, mostly pastries, and their merch is incredibly adorable.
It’s the perfect first stop of the trip to get the fuel for the day, and a spot worth checking out when planning a day trip to Nara Park.
Where to eat lunch or dinner in Nara
After visiting Nara multiple times and trying other restaurants I became a loyal fan of Tonkatsu Ganko Nara.
I had plenty of tonkatsu while in Japan, and this one in Nara is one of my favorite ones. So much so that I kept bringing people to it every time I visited Nara with someone new.
The meat is tender, juicy, and flavorful, and it is right next the train station, making it perfect for dinner before heading back to the hotel after a busy Nara Park day trip.
With its world-renowned—and incredibly cute—free-roaming bowing deer, historic shrines and temples, and gorgeous pathways through the forest surrounded by even more deer, a day trip to Nara Park is a unique experience that should undoubtedly make its way into your Japan itinerary.
We hope you found this Nara Park guide helpful, and that it answers all the questions you could have for a perfect day trip to this magical place.
Are you team full-on Disney princess feeding and interacting with the deer, or would you rather admire them from a safe distance? Let us know in the comments.
…I’m clearly team Disney princess!