Nara Day Trips from Osaka & Kyoto!

- In our Nara Park Tour we use Kintetsu Railways. This company has built a tunnel inside the mountain called Mount Ikoma, that divides Osaka and Nara. Since you go straight across it, it is one of the most convenient and short ways to go on a Nara Day Trip from Osaka. 

- If you take a Limited Express train from the Kintetsu Namba Station in Osaka, it will cost you less than 5 USD. It will take you to Nara in 36 minutes. The Kintetsu Nara station is right next to Nara Park, so you will start interacting with the deer just a few minutes after you get off the train. This means your Nara Day Trip from Osaka starts immediately after arrival!

- JR Railways do have a Nara station too, but the station itself is not as close to Deer Park as Kintetsu’s, so you have a 15 minutes walk to get there. Plus, JR trains do not go through the mountain, taking almost an hour to arrive in Nara from Osaka.

- Kintetsu Railways also has deer themed trains making taking your Nara Day Trip from Osaka to the next level and for the same price!

- Your Nara Day Trip starts immediately after arrival:

As you would experience in our Nara Park Tour, a few minutes after arrival you will be bowing at the Nara deers. Around 1,465 deer in Nara are waiting to interact with you in a beautiful historic setting.

- No tourist fatigue:

Surrounded by mountains and green landscapes, Nara offers a lot of calm to its visitors.
The total area of Nara city (including the park we tour) is about 276.84 km2. Is similar to Paris or San Francisco, but its population is much smaller than these cities. This makes it a really calm place to explore on a day trip from Osaka or Kyoto.

- Emotionally powerful:

From the Scale of the Great Buddha, to the deers appearing through Kasuga Taisha Shrine lanterns, you can feel the profound spirituality of Japan within the whole city. We designed our Nara Park tour so you can enjoy this aspect too. This is a great option for a day trip from Osaka to experience a different scenery.

- Very easy logistics:

Nara Deer Park, Todaiji Temple, Kasuga Taisha Shrine and many other major sites are within the same walking area, making it the perfect destination for a Day Trip from Osaka or Kyoto.

- Lots of places to discover:

While Nara Park is worldwide famous, there are a lot of beautiful places outside Nara city that not many foreigners know. That is why Nara is the perfect location to discover off the beaten path locations and hidden gems not many people visit. Although Nara Day Trips from Osaka or Kyoto are great, there are a lot of reasons to stay in Nara too.
If this interests you, check out our tours to Mount Yoshino in Spring or Autumn, or Hozanji Temple, all beyond our standard Nara Park tours. As the saying goes: “Your wish is our command!”

 Some of these stories you may have heard about in our Nara Park Tour. With the establishment of the Capital in Nara in 710 AD, great temples moved to Nara as well, including the one that we nowadays know as Kofukuji. That one temple that is really close to Deer Park.

With time this temple will become one of the most influential ones in the country. It will expand and even somehow merge with the great Shinto Shrine Kasuga Taisha nearby too. Many people visit this shrine on their Nara Day Trip too.

Over time, people set Kofukuji temple on fire — and rebuilt it — many times. In 1868, Meiji Government announced new measures including a policy to enforce the separation of Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples. All these major changes ended up with the government confiscating the temple's territory.

Almost all Kofukuji’s monks returned to secular life or became priests in shrines, leaving the temple territory abandoned. In the following year, gates, fences and many sectors of the temple’s territory were taken down to open routes and paths. That is why it is currently hard to tell where the temple area ends and from where the park area starts.

In 1880, authorities officially designated Nara Park in the area that once belonged to Kofukuji Temple. Years later, authorities expanded the park even further. It currently includes areas around Kasuga Taisha Shrine (Deer Shrine), Todaiji Temple (the one that contains the Big Buddha Hall) and Mount Wakakusa, reaching its current 660 hectares.

The Nara Park that we tour, includes several World Heritage Sites along with 47 buildings designated as National Treasures too.

This kind of information may help you enjoy your Nara Day Trip from Osaka or Kyoto better:

Do you remember that big Shrine in Nara full of the deers walking around its lanterns? Its name is Kasuga Taisha. Legend has it that the main deity of this shrine, descended on Mount Wakakusa -the mountain behind the shrine, that we see on our Nara Park tour- riding a white deer.

From that moment, locals considered the deer sacred messengers of the shrine's gods and carefully protected them. Up until 1637, the law treated killing a deer as a capital offense.

In recent years, local universities conducted studies and found genetic differences in the Deers of the Nara Park. Researchers believe these differences emerged about 1,400 years ago, likely when locals originally founded Kasuga Taisha Shrine. This confirms that the locals have been taking care of the Deers in Nara for more than 1,000 years. This changed their genetics and allowed them to live longer than other species, as well as to maintain their population across many generations. 

Have you noticed other uniqueness of the deers when you took our Nara Park tour? Tell us about it on our social media!

(3) Watch your belongings inside Nara Park:

We also say this before starting our Nara Park Tours, but Deers may eat plastic bags, pamphlets or other human objects you may have with you. Be careful not to have it taken by our fellow sacred messengers.
Also if you carry a bag, be sure to hold it securely so it doesn’t get caught on their antlers either.

(4) Do not litter:

In the past, deer have died by eating discarded trash by accident. There are no trash cans in Nara Park, because in Japanese customs it’s a given that you are going to take your own trash with you. We require all participants of our Nara Park tour to follow this rule, and we encourage all day trip visitors to do the same.

(5) Careful when walking your dog:

Unfortunately we are not able to welcome pets on our Nara Park Tours. It is important to bear in mind that Deers are shy animals. Other animals can startle the deer and cause accidents.

*Extra Good Practices:

- Another guideline we teach on our Nara Park Tour, is what to do if you don’t have deer crackers. You can raise your hands and show your empty palms to the deers, so they know you do not have more snacks for them.

- Also, if you buy Deer crackers, try to break it into pieces first, and have it in a place deers won’t see easily. Pick a small piece or a single cracker, before handing them to the deers. This will prevent the deers getting too excited about the crackers and surrounding you.

When the main God of Kasuga Taisha descended on Mount Wakakusa (the mountain behind the shrine we see on our Nara Park Tour), he came riding a white deer. Because of this, worshippers considered the deer sacred messengers of this God and bowed to them tirelessly at the shrine to show their devotion to the deers too.

Legend has it deers had so many people bowing at them, that they learned how to do it too, and started greeting back to the people.

We do a lot of bowing on our Nara Park Tours, and you will probably do it during your Nara Day Trip too.
We also know that deer associate bowing with receiving food. If they bow to you, it is highly likely they expect you to give them a deer cracker. While Nara deer enjoy interacting with people, keep in mind they won't appreciate bowing repeatedly without receiving a treat in return. After all, we all become cranky when hungry, right?

Part of the sales of deer crackers (shika senbei) go to Deer protection so they are a nice way to help too!

One of the locations you should not miss on your Nara Day Trip from Osaka or Kyoto: the Big Buddha in the Todaiji Temple.
Emperor Shoumu built this temple. Back then, Japan endured great hardship like political strife, famines, earthquakes, and major smallpox outbreaks across the country.
Emperor Shoumu incorporated the philosophy of Buddhist teachings into his governance. The main goal of the Big Buddha construction was to foster a spirit of compassion that would connect the hearts of the people in those hard times. 

But Emperor Shoumu didn’t want to build it just by simply using money. Instead, he wanted living beings to build it together through cooperation. So he proclaimed “Even if one brings but a single blade of grass or a handful of solid, if anyone wishes to assist, let them do so”.

Historians say half of Japan's population at the time contributed to building the Big Buddha. Now you know why it is a spot you can not miss on your Nara Day Trip from Osaka or Kyoto.

- Local expert guides: Our guides are passionate Nara specialists — not generalist Japan tour operators. They know the stories behind every shrine, temple, and deer.

- Small groups, authentic experiences: We keep our tours intimate so you get personal attention and can ask questions freely.

- Departs from Osaka and Kyoto: Convenient pickup and easy access — no need to figure out Japan's train system on your own.

- Off-the-beaten-path: We go beyond regular Nara Park Tours showing you the Nara that locals love — hidden temples, ancient mountains, and neighborhood gems.

- Guided Tours available in English and Spanish: Perfect for international visitors looking for a guided tour in Nara in their own language.