Last Updated: Dec 27, 2023
Overnight in Nara
Why a Day Trip to Nara Just Isn’t Enough
Unfortunately, most overseas visitors to Japan only ever experience Nara as a day-long excursion from Osaka or Kyoto. As soon as these travelers arrive in the city, they make a beeline for attractions like Todai-ji’s Daibutsu and the venerable Kasuga Taisha. While these locales are indeed great and I do encourage you to check them out, there’s so much more to Nara than just these iconic destinations. Alas, seeing more than the mainstream allures will require that you budget for additional time in Nara. Of course, the best way to do this is to book your accommodations in the city itself.
Below, you’ll find five reasons why you really ought to spend a night in Nara. Even if you just head down in the early evening after exploring Osaka or Kyoto, being able to start the day already in Nara will give you a lot more leeway when it comes to sampling what else the city has to offer. Moreover, if you want to explore more of the prefecture than just the capital city, the following advice will also be of use. In either case though, just remember that there’s so much more in this part of Japan than what most tourists usually see.
