Tokyo Explorer

Often overlooked by those rushing to Kyoto, many visitors to Japan forget that Nara is an integral part of the Kansai area and indeed the nation’s history as birth place of the modern imperial system – not to mention it serving as Japanese capital prior to Kyoto claiming the honor.

For those tourists in this neck of the woods eager to escape the tourist hordes in Kyoto therefore – especially during the heat of the summer months – the good old fashioned, wind in your face bicycle rides through Nara Park and its nearby neighborhoods are the ideal way to combine the city’s nature and history; the very best method of navigating ancient city and park alike.

So, be it historical treasures you are after poking your nose into; with Kofuku-ji Temple and Todai-ji Temple (home of the huge ‘Great Buddha’) taking centre stage in Nara and Horyu-ji Temple just to the south, or perhaps an escape to nature after the concrete jungles of the Kansai or Kanto become too much, Nara has no equal to the fantastic Nara Park.

The park proper measures roughly 1.5km from north to south, and the same distance east to west at its widest point, and is best accessed from the Kyoto linked Kintetsu Nara Station. A short walk to the south, to the main Information Centre (ask for direction at the station), is the best way to find the local rent-a-cycle shops and to look at rates, time needed to cover the sights you want to see, or just to use to have a mosey around the centre of this quaint old city.

Recommended viewing in the park area will always include, Todai-ji Temple and its Daibutsu-den Hall with a 16m high depiction of the Buddha weighing in at more than 430 tons, Kofuku-ji Temple and its twin pagodas dating back to the 12th and 15th centuries respectively, as well as Kasuga Taisha Shrine. All are situated within the confines of the Nara Park but with Kofuku-ji Temple in the extreme west of the park near the train station, Todai-ji Temple in the north and Kasuga Taisha Shrine in the south-east corner, the decision to rent a bicycle will prove one of the best made whilst in the city.

The park itself dates back almost 130-years, offers numerous places to get off the bike for a while, enjoy a cool drink and take in the surroundings, and is of course very famous for its deer*, although many have become used to the presence of humans in recent years and can be overly friendly, even annoying at times.

[ Nara Park ]

Access: via the Kintetsu Line from Kyoto (30 - 50 mins depending on train used)

Fee: free of charge although charges apply when entering shrines and / or temples.

*for those making the trip in October, weekends usually sees park authorities leading a round up of the deer to remove their horns.