Nara Day Trip Experience: AONIYOSHI, Nara Park, Todai-ji, Kyoto Smart Coffee, Kyoto Yakiniku Hiro Senbon Sanjo Main Store
After experiencing the Kyoto Day Trip on the first day, we headed to Nara early the next morning. If you enjoy interacting with animals, this will be an interesting day for you.
Kyoto ⮕ Nara
🔗At Kyoto Station, you can see numerous signs advertising Nara's deer, which are very tempting.
From Kyoto to Nara, you can choose to take the regular Kintetsu train, which usually takes about 45 to 60 minutes, depending on the number of stops. We chose to take the AONIYOSHI sightseeing limited express train, which reduces the travel time to 34 minutes. The biggest difference, besides the time saved, is the comfort and experience.
Sightseeing Limited Express Train AONIYOSHI
🔗Operated by Kintetsu Railway, the luxurious sightseeing limited express train connects the main tourist routes between Kyoto and Nara. Named after Nara's ancient name AONIYOSHI, this train aims to provide passengers with a luxurious and culturally rich journey. Since all seats on this train are reserved, tickets must be purchased in advance. For more details, please check here.
The seats on AONIYOSHI are more spacious and comfortable, and the interior decoration is more refined, incorporating traditional Japanese aesthetics. Services: Passengers can enjoy high-quality services, including exclusive seat reservations, beverage services, sightseeing information, and a display area showcasing Nara culture on the train. This experience is more like a luxurious tour rather than just a means of transportation. As for the price difference, it depends on personal preference. We chose to take AONIYOSHI for the outbound trip and switched to a regular train for the return trip.
Reserved seats are available for two people or groups of three to four. When purchasing tickets, you need to choose both the seats and the corresponding number of tickets. If you want to sit alone, an additional fee is required. Initially, I thought that only tourists would take this kind of carriage, but I also saw a local businessman who seemed to be on a business trip traveling alone.
Nara
🔗In the 8th century, Nara served as the ancient capital of Japan. The Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara are a UNESCO World Heritage Site located in Nara City, Japan. These heritage sites include Todai-ji, Kofuku-ji, Toshodai-ji, Yakushi-ji, Kasuga Taisha, Heijo Palace, Gango-ji, and the Kasugayama Primeval Forest. Each site reflects the religious, architectural, and court culture of the Nara period, such as the Great Buddha Hall and the Nara Daibutsu at Todai-ji, the Five-Story Pagoda at Kofuku-ji, the Chinese-style architecture of Toshodai-ji, and the sacred lanterns of Kasuga Taisha. These cultural properties not only demonstrate Nara's significance in Japanese history but also profoundly reflect the far-reaching influence of Buddhism on Japanese culture. Visiting these sites allows one to deeply understand the ancient culture and religious beliefs of the Nara period and experience the unique charm of Japan's ancient capital.
Nara Park
🔗This is probably the primary destination when visiting Nara. Even if you haven't been here, you know that Nara has a park full of deer XD. Nara Park is vast and includes attractions such as Todai-ji, Kofuku-ji, and Kasuga Taisha.
Walking from the station towards the park, you will gradually see vendors selling deer crackers. We immediately bought a pack to start feeding the deer.
The deer on the advertisement signs have smooth fur, but in reality, many of them look like they just woke up.
If you have deer crackers, the deer will really swarm towards you, so be cautious if you're afraid. According to online tips, it's best not to tease the deer to avoid aggressive behavior. Additionally, the deer tend to take big bites, so a pack of crackers can be quickly consumed.
Before coming to Nara, I didn't do much research about the deer, and I was puzzled as to why the deer in Nara love to nod.
Nara deer are famous for their unique "nodding" behavior, which is a form of social interaction and food solicitation. These deer frequently interact with visitors in Nara Park, forming a habitual behavior. By nodding, the deer establish social relationships, which is a way of interacting within their group, showing friendliness and acknowledgment. When the deer see visitors, they nod to attract attention, mainly because they are accustomed to being fed, especially with deer crackers. This behavior has become increasingly common among the deer and is also liked and encouraged by visitors. Over time, nodding has become a way for the deer to show goodwill to visitors.
However, there is another explanation that the nodding is actually an attempt to use their antlers to attack. But because the deer in the park have their antlers trimmed for visitor safety, the deer still exhibit similar antler movements when they intend to attack, which humans misunderstand as nodding.
This sounds a bit alarming. If you want to feed the deer, it's better to nod a few times and then feed them directly to avoid teasing and chasing, which can prevent unnecessary danger.
The park exudes a leisurely and relaxed atmosphere. You can take a walk here or sit on a bench to enjoy the natural light and the unique scenery of deer roaming around.
Next, on the way to Todai-ji, we took a break to have lunch. I must say, this affordable fried rice set was very delicious, so I had to document it.
Todai-ji
🔗On the way to Todai-ji, you will continue to see deer, but we had already run out of deer crackers. 😂
After purchasing the entrance ticket, you still need to walk a bit to enter Todai-ji. Even from a distance, you can feel the grandeur of Todai-ji. Since photography is prohibited inside, there are no pictures of the Great Buddha.
The Great Buddha's Nostril (Daibutsu Passage Hole)
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Inside the Great Buddha Hall of Todai-ji, there is a famous hole called "Daibutsu no kugurinuke ana" (大仏のくぐり抜け穴), with a diameter of about 45 centimeters. This hole is located at the base of a pillar in the Great Buddha Hall and holds deep symbolic significance for believers and visitors. According to legend, passing through this hole is believed to bring Buddha's blessings and fulfill wishes. This act symbolizes devotion to Buddha and prayers for the future. The hole's design might also be related to the architectural structure of the Great Buddha Hall, possibly serving to reinforce the building.
After visiting, we bought a pudding with a Great Buddha design from a nearby shop. After a short rest, we headed back to Kyoto.
Nara ⮕ Kyoto
🔗Since we had to head to Osaka the next day, we decided to fully experience Kyoto in the evening, so we bought express tickets to return to Kyoto.
After returning to Kyoto, we leisurely strolled around and chose to visit Kyoto Smart Coffee to try their highly-rated French toast.
Kyoto Smart Coffee
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Around 4 PM, there were quite a lot of people, and we had to queue. If you want to try it, you might need to go earlier to avoid wasting time. After enjoying coffee and desserts, we prepared to return to our accommodation, as we had to head to Osaka early the next morning. The evening plan was to have a good meal and rest.
Kyoto Yakiniku Hiro Senbon Sanjo Main Store
🔗For dinner, we decided to choose a restaurant close to our accommodation so that we could go back to the hotel immediately after dinner to rest. Kyoto Yakiniku Hiro Senbon Sanjo Main Store is a well-known yakiniku restaurant in Kyoto, located about a 5-minute walk from Nijo Station on the Tozai Subway Line, making it very convenient. The only regret is that, since we don't understand Japanese, we weren't sure which part of the beef we were actually eating. 😎
It was so delicious! Although there are various yakiniku restaurants in Taiwan, in my experience, most of them are heavily seasoned, making it hard to taste the original flavor of the food. But this place is different. I highly recommend it. After eating and drinking to our heart's content, we will head to Osaka tomorrow.
Conclusion
🔗This trip to Nara was very satisfying. In Taiwan, it's hard to find a place like Nara that has vast open spaces and a harmonious coexistence with natural wildlife. Besides the deer, the overall pace in Nara is slower, and with its many ancient temples, it's perfect for a leisurely day of walking and savoring the sights. If I have more money in the future, I will definitely come back and buy a ton of deer crackers to feed these deer. 😎
Alvin
Software engineer, interested in financial knowledge, health concepts, psychology, independent travel, and system design.
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