Explore Nara

Nara is where Japan began. Before Kyoto, before Tokyo, there was Nara (Heijo-kyo). Stepping off the train here feels like stepping into a Studio Ghibli movie. The city is dominated by Nara Park, a sprawling green expanse at the foot of Mount Wakakusa where over 1,200 wild sika deer roam freely. They bow for crackers, they steal maps from back pockets, and they are considered sacred messengers of the gods.

But the deer are just the welcoming committee. The true scale of Nara hits you when you walk through the Nandaimon Gate and see the Todai-ji Temple. It is the world’s largest wooden building, housing a Great Buddha (Daibutsu) so massive that a human can crawl through its nostril (or rather, a pillar with a hole the same size). The smell of incense here is ancient, mixed with the earthy scent of the deer and the damp forest floor.

Unlike the polished grid of Kyoto, Nara feels more organic, integrated into the forest. Moss covers stone lanterns at Kasuga-taisha, and roots buckle the ancient pathways. It is a place of deep spiritual resonance. While most tourists do it as a day trip, rushing through the main sights, the real magic of Nara reveals itself at 5 PM, when the day-trippers leave. The lanterns flicker on, the deer settle down in the grass, and the silence of the 8th century returns to the valley.

The food here is rustic and refined—kakinoha-zushi (sushi wrapped in persimmon leaves) and fresh mochi pounded at lightning speed. Nara is a reminder that nature and civilization were once inseparable in the Japanese consciousness.