Tag: Nara Deer Park

Sakura 2024: NARA, KOBE & HIMEJI Photoblog

Last year, my friends and I flew to Japan to experience the world-famous Sakura season. We had planned to be in most cities during the forecasted full bloom period, but to our surprise, the bloom was delayed by a little over a week due to colder-than-usual temperatures. We continued with our plans and enjoyed the trip despite the delay.

We started our journey in Takayama and Shirakawa-go, then went down to Osaka for a few relaxing / working days. We traveled further south to Hiroshima and Miyajima Island, then returned to Osaka. During our second visit to Osaka, we decided to explore nearby cities such as Nara, Kobe, and Himeji.

Allow me to share some of the photos I took during these short visits to the cities. I had been to Kobe in 2016 and Nara a few times (2016, 2019 and 2023), so I did not take many photos.

Accommodation & Osaka Base

My friends and I stayed in Osaka again for a few days after Hiroshima. Just like during our previous visit, we stayed at The Stay Osaka Shinsaibashi.

It has become my favorite accommodation in Osaka. I have stayed at this property during my last four visits to the city. I wrote about why I love this property in one of the recent “Hostel of the Day” features. I hope you can check out why this is my favorite here.

A few years ago, I wrote about how to apply for a Japan tourist visa. Click here to learn more about getting one for yourself.

JR Kansai-Hiroshima Area Pass

We purchased the JR Kansai-Hiroshima Area Pass for our visits to Hiroshima and the three cities. We paid ¥17,000 each for a 5-day pass that allowed us to take unlimited Shinkansen rides between Osaka and Hiroshima, as well as limited express and local JR trains and buses within the area. We used this pass to visit the three cities, take bullet trains to Kobe and Himeji, and use the local JR line for Nara.

I took an in-depth look at the JR Kansai-Hiroshima Area Pass and evaluated whether it was worth purchasing. I hope you can check out my review of the area pass here.

Nara

We visited Nara to see the world-famous deer park. It was one of my friend’s first times visiting the city.

Kobe

We went to Kobe mainly for the Kobe beef. We had lunch at a local steak restaurant and walked around the nearby temple area while waiting for our Shinkansen to Himeji.

Himeji

We took the Shinkansen to see one of the most beautiful castles in Japan, Himeji Castle. Our visit coincided with the local cherry blossom viewing festival, despite the Sakura not yet being in full bloom.

Our visits to these three cities were full of amazing sights, great food, and memorable first-hand experiences. Despite the delayed Sakura bloom, we thoroughly enjoyed exploring the cities and their unique attractions.

Have you been to Kobe, Nara and Himeji, or are you planning to visit soon? I would love to hear about your experiences or any questions you might have! Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below. If you have any further questions or need more details, you can also reach me directly at contact@thewkndtravel.com. I am happy to help with any clarifications or travel tips.

Thanks for joining me in today’s blog post. In case you missed it, my friends and I flew to Japan for 20 days to experience the cherry blossom season from March to April 2024. You can find all posts related to this trip under the Sakura 2024 category. You can also check out our Takayama, Shirakawa-go, Osaka, and Hiroshima visits.

Before you go, I hope you can like, follow and share my social media pages – Facebook and Instagram. This will help me increase my reach; it will also keep you up-to-date with the latest blog posts, itineraries and flight reports on this website. Thank you and see you next time!

PS. Photos were taken using my OnePlus 9 Pro.

Japan Highlights 2019: NARA – A Morning Visit To The Deer Park

After 36 hours in Tokyo, 48 hours in Nagano, a day being a kid at Universal Studios Japan & a lovely day around Kyoto, I accompanied my sisters to spend their last morning in Japan with the deer in Nara. This is the last city my sisters & I visited before they flew back to Manila the same evening. I’ve been to Nara in 2016 & I was delighted to go back & bring my sisters this time.

Our main reason for visiting Nara was to see & play with the deer. We really go there to explore everything Nara has to offer. I’ll probably put that as something to do in a future Nara trip. Let me share with you some details about this short but fun morning trip to Nara Deer Park.

Transportation & Access

As discussed in my previous Nara post, the city is accessible by trains from Osaka. The JR Yamatoji & Kintetsu Nara Lines connect the city to various points in Osaka. We took the JR Yamatoji line train from JR Shin Imamiya Station to Nara Station. I forgot how much the train fare costs because we used our IC cards in the trip. Journey takes about an hour per way.

We got off at JR Nara Station & walked towards Sanjo-Dori Street. This walking street full of souvenir shops, restaurants & cafes takes the visitors to the deer park. We dropped by a temple along this street before heading off to the park premises.

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Kōfuku-ji

Kōfuku-ji is a Buddhist temple found along Sanjo-Dori Street & is one of the must-see places in the city. It is also one of Nara’s Seven Great Temples that played an important role in the history of the city, especially during the time of the Fujiwara clan. Make sure to check out the 5-storey pagoda within the temple grounds plus the various halls around it.

Tōdai-ji

Tōdai-ji is the most famous temple in the city. It is located just by the deer park & it houses the world’s largest bronze Buddha statue. This temple also has a large wooden gate at its entrance called Nandaimon Gate. Entrance to the main hall of this temple costs ¥600 per person. My sisters & I opted not to go inside the temple because of time constraints.

Nara Deer Park

Nara Deer Park is the place to see & play with the deer. These deer are considered sacred creatures in the Shinto Religion & are allowed to freely roam around the park. The deer do not bite or hurt the tourists but they tend to become really playful. The deer know how to ask for crackers from the visitors & know how to bow. They also know how to pose for selfies.

My sisters & I spent about an hour going around the park, feeding & playing with the deer. There were moments when we ran around the park because these deer don’t stop asking for food. Some of them, maybe those who are already full, just sit or lie down in one area & ignore all the people around.

Japanese Street Food

Right outside Tōdai-ji is a long row of stalls offering street food for reasonable prices. They have takoyaki (octopus balls), pork & beef sticks, yakisoba, ice cream sundae, chicken tenders, etc. My sisters & I dropped by for a snack. I got myself a pack of freshly-cooked takoyaki for ¥500.

This pretty much sums up our short but fun morning visit to the small city of Nara in Japan. It was a perfect morning side trip to see & play with the sacred deer. We rushed back to Osaka, had lunch in Ichiran, got our stuff from New World Inn Osaka & went straight to Kansai International Airport. My sisters flew back to Manila the same night while I flew to Fukuoka for an overnight stopover.

Have you been to Nara in the past? How was your visit? Did you enjoy feeding & playing with the deer? Are there other interesting places I should visit when I go back in the future? Let me know in the comments below & let’s engage in a discussion. If you want to be anonymous or if you have a question, you can also send me an email to contact@thewkndtravel.com. Don’t forget to follow me & please please please also help me in promoting my social media channels – Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.  Many thanks!

Watch out for my next post about the short stopovers in Matsumoto & Fukuoka I had for this trip plus the post about the last hostel I stayed with in this trip – Fukuoka Hana Hostel. Thank you for reading & see you next time!

PS. Photos were taken using my HTC U11.