Nara right now

Sunday · 2026/11/01

USD ¥157.3
EUR ¥175.7
SGD ¥123
AUD ¥110.5

Festival · Nara · Kansai

Dadado-no-onihashiri

Masked demons swing blazing torches through a temple hall in an ancient winter ritual held twice a day, a prayer for protection from misfortune.

Gojo · 14 Jan 2027

Historic Site · Nara · Kansai

Asuka-Fujiwara

The Nara-Prefecture ruins where Japan's first centralised state took shape, newly inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2026.

Kashihara

Pilgrimage · Wakayama · Kansai

Kumano Kodo

For over a thousand years, the Kumano Kodo has led pilgrims through the mountains of Kii to the sacred Kumano Sanzan shrines - now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Mountain · Nara · Kansai

Cherry Blossoms at Mount Yoshino

About thirty thousand cherry trees on a mountainside in Nara, planted over centuries as offerings, which come into flower from the foot upward over a month.

Yoshino

Nara

Festival

Dadado-no-onihashiri

Masked demons swing blazing torches through a temple hall in an ancient winter ritual held twice a day, a prayer for protection from misfortune.

14 Jan 2027Gojo · Nara

Quick poll

Park & Garden

Nara Park

Prefectural park in Nara around Todai-ji, Kofuku-ji and Kasuga Taisha, home to about 1,700 wild sika deer protected as a national Natural Monument.

Nara

Museum

Nara Prison Museum

A Meiji-era red-brick prison (1908) and one of the Five Great Prisons with its original layout intact, now a museum operated by Hoshino Resorts.

Nara

Shrine

Kashihara Jingu

Shrine commemorating Japan's mythical founding, erected on the sacred site where Emperor Jinmu established his palace approximately 2,680 years ago.

Kashihara · Nara

Museum

Nara Kingyo Museum

One of Japan's largest goldfish museums, with about 40 varieties of goldfish swimming in art installations of light, mirrors and projection mapping.

Nara

Castle

Koriyama Castle Ruins

Castle ruins in Yamatokoriyama, Nara, with stone walls, moats, rebuilt gates and turrets, a keep-base lookout and one of Japan's top cherry blossom spots.

Yamatokoriyama · Nara

Historic Site

Heijo Palace Ruins

Imperial residence and administrative center during the Nara period (710-794), designed after Chinese models and reconstructed from excavations.

Nara

Temple

Great Buddha Hall

The central hall of Todai-ji temple rebuilt in the Edo period, standing as the world's largest wooden structure after multiple destructions and reconstructions.

Nara

Temple

Horyu-ji

This seventh-century Buddhist temple features some of the world's oldest wooden structures and several national treasures, including a five-story pagoda.

Ikaruga · Nara

Temple

Toshodai-ji

A Buddhist temple in Nara founded in 759 by the Chinese priest Ganjin, head temple of the Ritsu-shu denomination and home to 17 National Treasures.

Nara

Temple

Todai-ji

Established in 738, this Nara temple houses the largest bronze Buddha statue and serves as headquarters of the Kegon Buddhist school.

Nara

Temple

Kofuku-ji

Eighth-century Buddhist temple in Nara, chief sanctuary of the Fujiwara clan and one of Japan's Seven Great Temples, featuring historic pagodas.

Nara

Mountain

Cherry Blossoms at Mount Yoshino

About thirty thousand cherry trees on a mountainside in Nara, planted over centuries as offerings, which come into flower from the foot upward over a month.

Yoshino · Nara

Pilgrimage

Kumano Kodo

For over a thousand years, the Kumano Kodo has led pilgrims through the mountains of Kii to the sacred Kumano Sanzan shrines - now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Wakayama · Kansai

Agoda9.3 ExceptionalOnyado Nono Nara Natural Hot SpringsHotel · 4-star

Agoda9.2 ExceptionalIROHA GRAND HOTEL Kintetsu-NaraHotel · 4-star

Agoda9.3 ExceptionalYuzan GuesthouseHostel · 2-star

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Nara right now

What's On, once a month