Japan (Lonely Planet, 11th Edition) - Chris Rowthorn [318]
Our Nara-kōen walking tour (see the boxed text, opposite) is the best way to take in all the major sights in a day.
NARA NATIONAL MUSEUM
The Nara National Museum (Nara Kokuritsu Hakubutsukan; 22-7771; 50 Noborioji-chō; admission ¥500; 9.30am-5pm) is devoted to Buddhist art and is divided into two wings. The western gallery has a fine collection of butsu-zō (statues of Buddhas and bodhisattvas), while the new eastern gallery displays sculptures, paintings and calligraphy.
A special exhibition featuring the treasures of the Shōsō-in Hall, which holds the treasures of Tōdai-ji, is held here in May, as well as from 21 October to 8 November (call the Nara City Tourist Center to check, as these dates vary slightly each year). The exhibits include priceless items from the cultures along the Silk Road. If you are in Nara during these periods and are a fan of Japanese antiquities, you should make a point of visiting the museum, but be prepared for crowds. Enter by 4.30pm.
KŌFUKU-JI
This temple was transferred here from Kyoto in 710 as the main temple for the Fujiwara family. Although the original temple complex had 175 buildings, fires and destruction as a result of power struggles have left only a dozen standing. There are two pagodas – three storeys and five storeys – dating from 1143 and 1426, respectively. The taller of the two is the second-tallest in Japan, outclassed by the one at Kyoto’s Tō-ji by a few centimetres.
The Kōfuku-ji National Treasure Hall (22-7755; 48 Noborioji-chō, Kokuhō-kan; admission ¥500; 9am-5pm) contains a variety of statues and art objects salvaged from previous structures. Enter by 4pm.
ISUI-EN & NEIRAKU ART MUSEUM
This garden (25-0781; 74 Suimon-chō; admission museum & garden ¥650; 9.30am-4pm, closed Tue & year-end/new-year holidays), dating from the Meiji era, is beautifully laid out and features abundant greenery and a pond with ornamental carp. It’s without a doubt the best garden in the city and well worth a visit. For ¥450 you can enjoy a cup of tea on tatami mats overlooking the garden.
The adjoining art museum, Neiraku Bijutsukan, displays Chinese and Korean ceramics and bronzes (admission is included in garden entry).
There is no English sign outside the garden; look for the imposing wooden gate.
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NARA-KōEN WALKING TOUR
Start: Kintetsu Nara Station (Map)
End: Kintetsu Nara Station
Distance: about 5km
Duration: half a day
This walk meanders through the pleasantly wooded hills of Nara-kōen, taking in some of Nara’s most important sights along the way. Start at Kintetsu Nara Station. Walk straight up Nobori-Ōji, passing Kōfuku-ji (opposite) on your right (you can visit it now, or leave it until the return leg). After Kōfuku-ji, go left and visit Isui-en (opposite), one of Nara’s finest gardens. After enjoying the garden, walk north from the garden entrance and take the next major right after about 100m and walk east. This brings you out in front of Tōdai-ji. Go right to inspect the the massive Nandai-mon, the main gate of Tōdai-ji (above). Stop in the gate to admire the Niō guardians and then continue to the temple.
After visiting Tōdai-ji, exit via the southeast exit, take a hard left and walk along the temple enclosure. Just past the pond, take a right up the hill following the stone-paved path. This leads to an incredibly atmospheric stretch that takes you up to an open plaza in front of Nigatsu-dō and Sangatsu-dō halls Click here. Climb the steps to Nigatsu-do to enjoy the view from the verandah, which takes in the graceful curves of the Daibutsu-den and most of the Nara plain.
Return to the plaza and exit the plaza heading south, passing between a log-cabinlike structure and gaudy Tamukeyama-hachimangū. Follow the broad path through the woods, descend two staircases and follow the signs reading ‘Kasuga Shrine’. You’ll come to