Nara Park & Todai-ji (day trip)

奈良公園（東大寺大仏殿）

Deer mob your rice crackers, and a giant Buddha waits beyond

⚠ Deer nip and headbutt

Hours

Nara Park always open; Todai-ji's Great Buddha Hall 7:30am–5:30pm (Apr–Oct), 8am–5pm (Nov–Mar)

Tickets

Park free. Todai-ji Great Buddha Hall adults ¥800, primary-school children ¥400 (¥1,200 combined with the museum). Deer crackers ¥200. Kintetsu return fare ¥1,360

Address

406-1 Zoshi-cho, Nara (Todai-ji); Nara Park covers the area east of Kintetsu-Nara station

Ten minutes up a gentle shopping street from Kintetsu-Nara station, deer are lying all over the lawns. More than a thousand of them roam the park, protected as messengers of the gods, and the moment you pull out a ¥200 pack of deer crackers they come from every direction, tugging at your clothes and butting you from behind. Deeper in, Todai-ji's Great Buddha Hall is one of the largest wooden buildings in the world, and inside a bronze Buddha about 15 metres tall fills the gloom. Half a day covers the highlights, with the afternoon free back in Osaka.