Leisure / Outdoors Spots in Nara Area

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Nara
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Category

Leisure / Hobbies

Leisure / Outdoors

Nara Park

4.5

69 Reviews

Leisure / Hobbies

Nara Pref. Narashi Zoushichou · Kasugano Town, Noborioji Town, Takahata-machi other

Nara Park is located directly next to the famous temples and shrine of Todaiji Temple, Kasuga Taisha Shrine, and Kofukuji Temple, as well as the Nara National Museum. The park is inhabited by sika deer, designated as a Natural Monument, and visitors can observe these wild animals up close. Throughout the year important buildings in the park are lit up at night, which engenders a magical atmosphere very different to that of the daytime.

If you have an opportunity, hike from Shinyakushiji to Wakakusa Hill. Its a trek in a thick forest. Peaceful, non touristy and great fun.
Manyo Botanical Garden (Kasugataisha shrine Garden)

4.0

70 Reviews

Leisure / Hobbies

Nara Pref. Narashi Kasuganochou 160 inside Kasuga Taisha

A spacious three hectare botanical garden which first opened in 1932. The garden is planted with some 300 varieties of plants which appear in the poems of the ancient Man'yoshu poetry anthology; the wisteria blossoms which appear from late April to late May are particularly stunning. You can enjoy viewing the elegant, light purple blossoms at eye-height.

Nara is the sort of place that you have a timetable of things to see or you just wander it. If youve read my other stuff, you know we wandered it! In that wandering we found the Manyo Botanical...
Nara Prefectural Umami Kyuryo Park

4.0

51 Reviews

Leisure / Hobbies

Nara Kitakatsuragi-gun

A park sitting astride Koryo-cho and Kawai-cho, Kitakatsuragi County. The park is dotted with ancient burial mounds and equipped with large fields, large play areas, a botanical garden, and a cafe. A variety of flowers bloom throughout the seasons including plum trees, roses, and azaleas, and in April they hold the Umami Tulip Fair.

第8回馬見チューリップフェア（4月3日-11日）直前（3月29日）に訪問しましたが《桜》と《チューリップ》を十分に楽しむこと出来ました。こちらのチューリップは関西最大級（60万株）で単にチューリップ畑の規模だけを比較すると [砺波（富山）]に負けますが園内のあちこちで《チューリップ》に加え《桜》を重ねた景観に会え印象的です。更に[中央口]に近い[睡蓮の池]周囲に《桜》の木が...
Naramachi Mechanical Toy Museum

4.0

76 Reviews

Leisure / Hobbies

Nara Pref. Narashi Inyouchou 7

Located inside a traditional Naramachi townhouse, this hands-on museum allows guests to touch and play with toys from yesteryear. The museum's permanent exhibits feature reproductions of mechanical toys from the Edo and later periods which guests can play with. It also hosts events including seminars where participants can try their hand at making toys.

The mechanical toy museum is a must! Its free, which feels weird after having enjoyed our visit so much. The lady who was showing us around was very pleasant and spoke good english. Personally we...
Nara National Museum

3.5

2 Reviews

Leisure / Hobbies

Nara Pref. Narashi Noboriojichou 50

This is a museum which opened in Nara City in 1895. The “Nara Buddhist Sculpture Hall (in the main building)” which was designed by the court architect, Katayama Tokuma is a Western-style architectural structure from the Meiji period and has been designated as an Important Cultural Property. There are four exhibition halls in the museum, with the museum’s collection focusing on Japanese Buddhist art from the Asuka period up until the Kamakura period. In addition, a great number of National Treasures and Important Cultural Properties are among the artifacts held and exhibited at the museum. The museum is famous for opening an exhibition of “Shosoin-ten” (Exhibition of Shosoin Treasures) in Autumn every year.

国立博物館に所属する建物で現在は仏教美術資料センターの名称になっていますが、文化財としての名称は旧奈良県物産陳列所で国の重要文化財に指定されている建物です。竣工は明治35年。外観を眺めるだけでも、ちょうど咲いた桜がとてもきれいでした。
Irie Taikichi Memorial Museum of Photography Nara City

4.0

44 Reviews

Leisure / Hobbies

Nara Pref. Narashi Takabatakechou 600-1

This is a photo gallery next to Shin-Yakushi-ji Temple in Takabatake Town, Nara City. The gallery possesses the entire 80,000 item collection of photographer Irie Taikichi, known for capturing the various Yamato scenery around Nara, and holds exhibitions based around these works and also the work of amateurs. The building itself, a work of architect Kisho Kurokawa, is another highlight and represents the importance of harmony with the environment.

Located slightly away from the main sights, this photography museum hosts temporary exhibitions throughout the year. At the time of my visit it was showing two interesting exhibitions:Irie...
Kashihara City Museum of Insects

3.5

21 Reviews

Leisure / Hobbies

Nara Kashihara-shi Minamiyamacho 624

A museum in Minamiyama-cho, Kashihara City. On display are insect and fossil specimens and in the butterfly greenhouse you can observe butterflies from the Yaeyama region of Okinawa. Besides regular themed exhibitions, special events including observation parties are held to help you learn all about insects.

Im not an insect enthusiast, but I was taken here as part of a tour. The butterfly greenhouse was the most interesting part; I also enjoyed the social interaction in making origami insects.
The Museum Yamato Bunkakan

4.0

21 Reviews

Leisure / Hobbies

Nara Pref. Narashi Gakuenminami 1-11-6

The Namako-style walls of The Museum Yamato Bunkakan are evocative of the architecture of the Momoyama Period. Its corridors are supported by imposing wooden framework reminiscent of the kitchen of a Zen monastery, while the soft light from the paper screen doors gives the interior a dignified atmosphere. The museum's collection, which centers primarily on paintings, writings, sculptures, ceramics, lacquer work, metalwork, textiles, and glasswork from Japan, China, and Korea, includes four National Treasures, 31 Important Cultural Properties, and 14 important art objects. The museum also holds exhibits on various themes and is a place where beautiful seasonal flowers can be enjoyed all year long.

Yamato Bunkakan is a museum of cultural objects and fin arts. It is neither too big, nor too small, and as it is usually not crowded, you can appreciate the exhibit in a tranquil ambience. It is just...
Shouhaku Art Museum

4.0

19 Reviews

Leisure / Hobbies

Nara Pref. Narashi Tomigaoka 2-1-4

The Shouhaku Art Museum is located close to the Obuchi Pond in Tomigaoka 2-chome, Nara City. It was opened in 1994 thanks to works donated by Shoko Uemura and Atsushi Uemura. The collection of Nihonga (Japanese-style paintings) on display spans three generations from Shoen Uemura who was the first woman to receive the Order of Culture, to Shoko Uemura and Atsushi Uemura.

This museum is supposed to house a collection of works by Uemura Shoen and her family. I imagine this is the reason most people visit. Beware to check the exhibit before visiting. On my visit the...
Murou Art Forest

4.5

15 Reviews

Leisure / Hobbies

Nara Pref. Udashi Murou Miami 181

This park is located in Murou, Uda City features a number of monuments created by Israeli sculptor Dani Karavan, known for his outdoor pieces that blend into the natural environment. This outdoor art gallery was intended to represent harmony with the surrounding nature.

An hour drive from OSAKA or NARA, in the middle of a forest is the location of this unique Muro Art Forest. It is the size of 5 football fields surrounded by wonderful mountains and trees. In the...
Futakamiyama Furusato Park

4.0

18 Reviews

Leisure / Hobbies

Nara Pref. Katsuragishi Shinzaike 492-1

This is a nature park at the foot of Mt. Nijyo, a mountain with two peaks, commonly referred to as “male” and “female.” It is a lovely, peaceful park, with flowers blooming throughout in all seasons. There is a grassy meadow suitable for picnicking in the middle of the park. In the eastern part is Wanpaku Plaza, an area wiih large numbers of wooden playground equipment, and to the west is an observation deck. These features make the park a popular spot for families.

公園の中にとても傾斜のある長い階段があります。運動したい人にとってはとてもいい運動になります。営業時間があるので、夜などは入れません。
Hoshi no Yu

4.0

14 Reviews

Accommodations / Hot Spring

Nara Yoshino-gun Totsukawamura Hiradani 909-4

At this recuperative hot spring bathhouse, you can enjoy nine varieties of baths filled exclusively with free-flowing spring water, including an outdoor bath, porcelain bath, hinoki cypress bath, and cascade bath. The waters of the bathhouse' sodium hydrocarbonate spring are said to beautify the skin and treat such ailments as cuts, burns, rheumatism, and nerve pain. The day-use plan is particularly recommended and includes bathhouse usage as well as a meal consisting of an abundance of Totsukawa delicacies. Lodging is also available.

玉置神社の参拝のランチでこちらに立ち寄りました。コロナ対策万全でランチの会場では席の距離をかなりとりました。宿内がきれいで温泉が源泉掛け流し、西村京太郎サスペンスの十津川刑事の名前がこちらの村から命名したという案内板もあり、短時間滞在でしたが楽しく過ごせました。玉置神社へのアクセスもいいので、出来ればここに宿泊出来たら良かったと思いました。
Daijo-in Temple Garden Heritage Center

4.0

28 Reviews

Leisure / Hobbies

Nara Pref. Narashi Takabatakechou 1083-1

This Heritage Center is a museum in the Garden of the Former Daijo-in Temple, which is located along National Route 169 in Takabatake-cho in the city of Nara. It contains materials connected with Daijo-in Temple, which was founded in 1087 and abandoned during the anti-Buddhist movement in the early Meiji Period (the middle of the nineteenth century). Open to the public free of charge, this museum displays a reconstructed model of what the temple looked like. A teahouse and conference rooms are available to rent.

The people working here are wonderful. We were there when a group of women were serving tea and cakes. They were so welcoming and eager to talk with us.
Uda Animal Park

4.5

25 Reviews

Leisure / Hobbies

Nara Pref. Udashi Oudakoutsuke 75-1

Uda Animal Park contains not only a community plaza but also an animal study center and a scenic viewing area. Visitors (subject to certain age limits) can milk cows, ride ponies, feed goats or sheep, and have other encounters with animals, as well as practicing crafts such as churning butter. They can view panel displays about animals, participate in question and answer sessions with Park employees, and enjoy other fun activities that teach them about animals.

土曜日で多分混んでるかと思いきや、コロナウイルスの影響で、人影はまばらです。餌やり、有料の体験も全て中止です。一応一回りは見れます。チョツト物足りないけどノンビリ出来ました。駐車、入場料の無料は家族連れには良いですよ。コロナが治まつたら再訪します。
Nara Prefectural Museum of Art

3.5

29 Reviews

Leisure / Hobbies

Nara Pref. Narashi Noboriojichou 10-6

This is an art museum along Prefectural Route 754 in Noborioji Town, Nara City. They opened in 1973 based on the collection of Japanese-style paintings, ukiyo-e wood block prints and handicrafts of Edo Period donated by Kanpo Yoshikawa, a student of study of folklore history and Japanese-style painter. Since then through donations from all over they have collected around 4,100 pieces of art and crafts from the Kamakura Period to the modern day. They hold special exhibitions related to the history of Nara, and art exhibitions as exchanges with international art museums.

The National museum was closed for more than 1 month due to exhibit change over. We were sent here instead which had a super show on a well known Japanese painter with an all inclusive one man...
Tenri University Sankokan Museum

4.0

22 Reviews

Leisure / Hobbies

Nara Tenri-shi Morimedocho 250

A museum along the Minami-Oji Road in Morimedo-cho, Tenri City. Their collection includes nearly 300,000 pieces related to everyday culture and classic works of art from around the world. Their permanent exhibition includes part of the collected centered around the twin themes of World Culture and World Antique Art. They also hold special exhibitions, themed exhibitions, lectures, and workshops.

Tenri Sankokan About a 20-minute walk from Tenri Station is the Tenri Sankokan, a museum where we can meet the cultures of the world and ancient art. When you enter the museum, a colossal stone head...
Ikoma Sanjo Amusement Park

Leisure / Hobbies

Nara Pref. Ikomashi Nabatachou 2312-1

A long-standing family-oriented amusement park which was established in 1929 and which occupies the top of Mt. Ikoma 642 meters above the ground. The park can be reached by riding the Ikoma Cable Line from Ikoma Station. The park is filled with attractions to delight children and parents, including a merry-go-round, flume ride, and the oldest “flying tower” plane ride in Japan. Park visitors can also enjoy spectacular views of Osaka City, the Akashi-Kaikyo Bridge, Nara, and Kyoto; in summer, the park is open at night, and the night view is considered superb. Park entry free.
Shimokitayama Sports Park

4.0

9 Reviews

Leisure / Hobbies

Nara Pref. Yoshinogunshimokitayamamura Kamikehara 1026

This sports park's facilities, including an auto camp, make it well suited for overnight group activities such as training sessions and sports training camps. It offers reasonable rates for people who love sports and outdoor leisure. The park even has a campsite located 110 meters directly below Ikehara Dam, making it a great base for mountaineering or black bass fishing in the Ikehara and Nanairo area.

友達と泊まりましたが。コスパがとてもよかったです、田舎の宿泊施設という事で、全く期待してませんでしたが、食事も良く（田舎なので周辺に食事施設があまり無いようです）おいしかった。部屋も広くお手洗いもついていて、よかったです。近くの温泉施設木こりの湯のチケットもついていて、施設内に大浴場もあり満足でした。
Tenri Municipal Kurozuka Kofun Museum

4.0

17 Reviews

Leisure / Hobbies

Nara Pref. Tenrishi Yanagimotochou 1118-2

This museum is situated in Yanagimoto Town, Tenri City, Nara Prefecture. It is focused on the “Kurozuka Kofun”, keyhole-shaped tomb, from which a number of artifacts were excavated, including the 33-sided “Sankakuen shinjukyo” bronze mirror excavated in 1998, which has the most sides of any bronze mirror discovered in Japan. Inside, you’ll find a replica of the tomb’s pit rock chamber as well as replicas of the artifacts. There are also many materials and panel displays on the Kofun period, the Kurozuka Kofun, and the excavations. The view of the rock chamber from the second-floor stairwell is breathtaking.

There are so many kofun tombs in this area, so this museum made it a lot easier to understand what they are all about. The life-size reproduction of the burial chamber allows us to see what the...
Ikaruga Cultural Property Utilization Center

4.0

16 Reviews

Leisure / Hobbies

Nara Pref. Ikomagunikarugachou Houryujinishi 1-11-14

This is a cultural property examination and research center located in Horyuji-nishi 1-chome, Ikaruga Town. It spreads information regarding the preservation and display of cultural properties, and promotes the study of the Fujinoki Tumulus and Ikaruga's history through images and exhibits of Fujinoki Tumulus burial accessory replicas.

凄いお宝を持つ藤ノ木古墳の資料館だと思っていたのに小さい。とにかく小さい。たまたま秋季特別展で出土品は三点しかなかったにしても、レプリカでいいからもっと出土品を味わいたかった。本物は国立とかハイレベルな博物館に持って行かれちゃったのだろうが、レプリカでいいからもっと見せて欲しかった。周りのコスモスは11/09でもいっぱい花が咲いていて良い感じ。

Nara

Nara City Ikaruga / Yamatokoriyama Asuka Kashihara Yamanobe Road / Sakurai Yoshino Tenkawa Village / Totsukawa Village Ikoma

Leisure / Hobbies Leisure / Outdoors

Amusement Park / Theme Park Pool Beach Park / Green Space Aquarium Museum / Science Museum Zoo Orchard Art Museum Art Gallery / Gallery Botanical Garden Event Complex Facility / Commercial Facility Camping / Auto Camping Hiking / Walking Boat Pier Fishing / Fishing Pond / Managed Fishing Ground Fishing Equipment / Fishing Bait Shop Other Leisure Facility / Other Outdoors Facility

Nara Areas

With a reputation almost as stellar as that of Kyoto, Nara is a must-visit for those searching for the remains of "traditional Japan." The largely green Nara city holds the majority of the prefecture's treasures, such as the iconic Todai-ji Temple, in which a 15-meter tall Great Buddha sits, and Nara Park, where deer flock to befriend passersby. While mountains are by no means hard to come by in this area, for hiking with a reward, head to the Kii Mountains' Yoshino district in spring, when the hillsides put on an impressive display of white and pink cherry blossoms.