Is Nara Good for Kids? Our Honest Take
If you've been following our blog, you've probably picked up that Jackson is a real animal guy - so of course, Nara with kids was a hit. Here's exactly what we did, deer bites and all.
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Instant best friends.
Nara's Famous Deer - What to Actually Expect
Jackson loved the deer in Nara Park so much that he started giving out hugs. Watch out for this, and maybe actively discourage it because I found a tick on him later that day (still crawling, thankfully, not stuck, but gross either way).
Many of the deer are used to being fed by tourists and genuinely expect it. Be mindful of this if you're eating anything nearby, and especially if you purchase deer crackers - be prepared to hand them out quickly, or you'll be swarmed. Not that they'll attack you, exactly, but they will absolutely crowd you, and a few even sampled us directly. Honestly, they were a hoot and a lot of fun but just know that not all of them are docile little things patiently waiting their turn.
Probably, where the tick came from…
Renting Bikes in Nara
We decided to rent bikes while in Nara, and it ended up being one of the more fun experiences of the whole trip. Jackson rode along with Matt, and both bikes were electric, which let us cover a lot of ground. We rode for a while along a path that followed a river, then made our way back toward the temple.
Riding bikes around Nara was truly one of the highlights of our 14 days in Japan.
Downtown Nara
We spent some time in downtown Nara too, where we watched mochi being pounded in person at Nakatanidou,and it was a fun, lively thing to see. There are also plenty of shops to browse in this area.
Mochi from Nakatanidou - fun fact, it is naturally gluten free due to the ingredients used at this shop.
Todai-ji Temple and the Great Buddha
The temple itself was beautiful, and the Buddha statue inside was genuinely magnificent. At the time of our visit, you had to pay cash to enter the grounds where the Buddha sits. Otherwise, you can still get a good view of the structure itself from outside, for free. The entry fee was fairly inexpensive though, and worth it for a view of Buddha.
A few facts that made the visit even more impressive once we knew them: Todai-ji was originally built between 745 and 752 CE, commissioned by Emperor Shomu, and its Great Buddha Hall (the Daibutsuden) is still the largest wooden building in the world today, even after being rebuilt smaller than the original following two devastating fires. The Great Buddha itself stands about 15 meters (49 feet) tall and its open hand alone is roughly the size of an adult human. The whole site is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The Food
We had some of the best pizza in Nara - I know, we were in Japan, but gosh, it was so yummy. If you're gluten-free and into that sort of thing, be sure to check out myGluten-Free Japan Guidebook for the details.
So, Is Nara Good for Kids?
Overall, we really enjoyed our time in Nara. I highly recommend it as a day trip, or even a half-day trip if you skip the bike rental. We were able to do everything we did in a single day and still make it back to Osaka in time for dinner. Truly, the bike rental was a highlight of the entire 14 days so if you have the time I recommend it!
Two practical tips: be sure to check your kids for ticks after visiting, and arrive early. We did, and it was still crowded but it got very crowded by the time we were leaving.
More From Our Japan Trip
This is one piece of a full 14-day trip through Japan. For the complete picture of what we spent on our Nara day trip, check out our Nara cost breakdown.
For the complete route, see our14-Day Japan Itinerary, or check out the full trip cost breakdown.
Want the exact plan we used, hotel-by-hotel and day-by-day? Grab our 14-Day Japan Guidebookfor our full itinerary, transportation, hotels, timing, and planning logistics, built from this exact trip.
