If you’ve already done any research on things to do in Japan, you’ve probably heard of Japan’s amazing deer park.

Nara Deer Park is a top attraction when visiting Japan, as you can get up close and personal with its friendly sika deer. Visitors can feed the deer biscuits and the deer may even bow for them. It really is a once in a lifetime experience.

While in Nara you can also explore the souvenir shops packed with shika deer plushies and key chains, visit the impressive and historical Kofukuji Temple five-story wooden pagoda, or grab a bite to eat at one of the restaurants and cafes.

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Getting to Nara

Like getting to most anywhere in Japan, getting to Nara is pretty simple thanks to Japan’s phenomenal train system. From Kyoto Station, you can take the JR Nara Line all the way to Nara Station. This is a 1 hour train ride that is free with your Japan Rail Pass or 710 yen without a JR pass. This is the route that Erica and I took for our day trip to Nara.

Helpful Tip: You can store your luggage at Kyoto Station if you’re just making a day trip to Nara like us. That night we would be returning to Kyoto Station to take the Shinkansen bullet train to Tokyo for the next leg of our trip, so we stored our large bags and luggage in lockers at Kyoto Station. There are tons of lockers available for use all around the station, just follow the “coin lockers” signs. They come in a variety of sizes and cost between 300, 500 and 700 yen. You can learn more on the Kyoto Station website.

If you are coming all the way from Tokyo, it would be best to take our journey to Tokyo in reverse – taking the Shinkansen bullet train from Tokyo to Kyoto and then riding the JR Nara Line to Nara (a little over a 3 hour trip in total). Wherever you are coming from Google Maps is a great tool to plan your trip with detailed information on the various train system schedules and costs.

Kofukuji Temple

Where: 16 minute walk from Nara Station, 11 minute walk from Nara Park
Address: 48 Noboriōjichō, Nara-shi, Nara-ken 630-8213, Japan
Cost: Entrance to the temple grounds is free!

Kofukuji is a Buddhist temple and is one of Nara’s must-see landmarks as both a beautiful and historical site. The rich history of the temple dates back to the year 669. Kofukuji is home to a collection of buildings across its grounds including a five story pagoda and three story pagoda. The five story pagoda is the second tallest wooden pagoda in all of Japan! It is impressive to behold and commanded the attention of many onlookers and selfie-takers (including us).

Entrance to the temple grounds is free, but there is a fee to enter Kofukuji’s National Treasure Museum and the Eastern Golden Hall. Erica and I didn’t check these out, but apparently the museum houses an impressive collection of Buddhist art. Learn more about Kofukuji Temple on JapanGuide.

If you have more time in Nara than we did, you can also check out Nara’s other temples and shrines. Besides Kofukuji, Nara is notably home to Todaiji which is one of Japan’s most famous temples. Kofukuji and Todaiji are both a part of Nara’s Seven Great Temples.

Nara Deer Park!

Where: Nara Park is a 20 minute walk from JR Nara Station or a five minute walk from Kintetsu Nara Station
Cost: Admission to the deer park is free! Biscuits to feed the deer are 150 yen

Nara deer park is home to hundreds of free roaming, wild shika deer. According to JapanGuide, nearly 1,200 deer to be exact. But Nara Park is much more than a petting zoo or anything of that nature. These deer are considered to be sacred as messengers of the gods in Shinto belief and have since been designated as a national treasure and are protected as such. The deer have also become a symbol of pride for Nara.

The deer are wild animals.

It should be noted that the deer are not tame, although they are often quite docile and friendly. These deer are still technically wild animals and there are signs posted around the park to make visitors aware of this. Deer can become aggressive if provoked (please be nice to the deer) or even if they think you have a cracker that you aren’t sharing. Sassy deer.

In our case, Erica and I were visiting during mating season… Many of the male deer were on edge, fighting one another to win the lady’s hearts. Just be aware of the body language of the deer around you and use common sense and you will be fine. They’re generally super friendly!

What is the cost of visiting Nara Deer Park?

Since the deer are completely free roaming – walking though the streets of the city and park without care – there is no admission fee of any kind. However, if you’re feeling generous and want to make a dear deer pal (see what I did there?), you can buy a pack of biscuits to feed the deer for only 150 yen which is about $1.50 USD. Stands selling these deer cookies can be found throughout the park.

With so many visitors feeding the deer each day, some deer aren’t as hungry as others. Just keep offering them cookies and eventually one will take the bait, literally. Some deer are even trained to bow for the biscuits! So polite.

Feeding the deer up close and personal is an incredible experience that I truly recommend. Erica and I easily went through 3 packages of these cookies in the few hours we spent at the park and it was well worth the small cost for the memories that we made with these sweet deer.

How big is the park and is it crowded?

According to the Nara Park Wiki page, “the official size of the park is about 502 hectares (1,240 acres)”. So it isn’t hard to imagine how you can easily spend hours here exploring the park, walking up and down the tree-lined paths, and interacting with the friendly deer that call this park home.

Besides feeding the deer, Erica and I personally enjoyed people watching. It was fun to see people from around the world come together to visit this national treasure of Japan.

On that note, keep in mind that the park is often decently crowded. This is a famous landmark and locals and tourists alike come to enjoy it. There are plenty of deer for everyone though! The areas near the entrances of Nara Park were the most crowded and we found just by walking a ways into the park we had entire areas (and deer) to ourselves.

Trying Okonomiyaki in Nara

After a long day exploring Nara and adoring the shika deer in Nara Park, we were ready for a bite to eat. Erica and I grabbed dinner at a delicious okonomiyaki restaurant where we could see the chef preparing our Japanese pancake.

What is “okonomiyaki”, you may be asking? Only a super delicious, savory Japanese pancake. Specifically “okonomiyaki” translates to “grilled as you like it”. It generally consists of flour, egg, shredded cabbage, containing ingredients like shrimp, squid, pork belly, or vegetables and topped with okonomiyaki sauce, bonito flakes and Japanese mayo. But there are many varieties and you can get it, well, “grilled as you like it”. Osaka in particular is known for okonomiyaki and since Nara is nearby, we figured this could be a good opportunity for us to try the dish.

Explore & Shop in Nara

While in Nara you can also explore the souvenir shops packed with deer plushies and key chains. As I mentioned, Nara holds great pride in being home to the national treasure of these sacred shika deer. This is evident throughout the town in the form of street decorations, events, and shops. Grabbing an adorable deer souvenir is the perfect way to remember your time in Nara. I ended up purchasing a historical-Japan themed washi tape at one shop to use in my travel journal. Besides souvenir shops, there are also tons of clothing stores, arts and crafts, and more. Learn more at VisitNara.

On our way back to the station we also happened to catch a traditional parade. I’m sorry to say that I don’t know what this particular procession was for, but I can say that it was beautiful. I feel so lucky that we stumbled across it! For blocks, men, women, and children dressed in traditional Japanese garments walked past in an orderly line. Many carried banners, decorated fans, and even what appeared to be historical instruments. May you be so lucky as Erica and I during your visit to Nara. See a list of upcoming events and festivals in Nara on JapanExperience.

What are some other things to do in Nara, Japan? Are you planning a visit?

Of course there is much more that Nara has to offer including an array of other historical temples and shrines. This is how we spent our single day in Nara, but don’t be afraid to mix things up to suit your own visit and interests.

If you enjoyed this post, share it with your travel buddy using the social share buttons below. Or use the Pinterest image to save it to refer back to when you’re planning your own trip to Japan! Because you definitely have to check out Nara and its Deer Park if you’re visiting Japan (unless you don’t like adorable deer).

Thanks for stopping by my blog! See you again soon for more posts from my Japan trip as I slowly catch up the blog. In the meantime, you can watch all the Japan trip videos and more over on my Youtube channel. Consider subscribing, I would really appreciate it!

Have you ever been to Nara deer park? Do you have any questions about it that I didn’t answer in the post? Let me know in the comments below!