Would you like separate days for exhibitions and shrine worship?
Spend a day at the Great Buddha Hall and museum, another on the shrine approach, then day 3 outside the city. Use JR Nara as the base for Horyuji’s wooden architecture, or the Kintetsu-Nara area for Asuka’s tomb. Walk around Naramachi on the final day if time remains before departure.
Choose a 3 nights, 4 days itinerary
Two Nara Park days and a Horyuji day
Give the hall/museum, shrine worship and Horyuji a day each. Stay near JR Nara for three nights and walk Naramachi on departure day.
Two Nara Park days and a Horyuji day →3 nights, 4 days BTwo days in Nara City and an Asuka return trip
See exhibitions and walk the shrine approach, then visit Asuka’s tomb. Stay near Kintetsu Nara for three nights, giving the hall/museum and shrine a day each.
Two days in Nara City and an Asuka return trip →Two Nara Park days and a Horyuji day
Give the hall/museum, shrine worship and Horyuji a day each. Stay near JR Nara for three nights and walk Naramachi on departure day.
Day one: Great Buddha Hall and museum
Start at JR Nara Station. Transport to the starting station and airport transfers are excluded.
- JR Nara Station → Todaiji approach
Take a bus from JR Nara stopping at Todaiji Daibutsuden/Kasuga Taisha-mae, then walk about five minutes to Todaiji. Add grounds walking and queues to reach the hall reception beyond this approach estimate.
- Great Buddha Hall reception → Great Buddha Hall and chosen museum visit
Choose the JPY 1,200 adult joint ticket for the hall and museum, checking museum operations separately. Museum hours are 09:30–17:30 in April–October, last admission 17:00; November–March uses 09:30–17:00, last admission 16:30. They differ from the hall’s hours, so check notices for your date.
Todaiji official visitor informationTodaiji official visitor information
- Great Buddha Hall and chosen museum visit → JR Nara and booked accommodation
Have a meal near the park and take a JR Nara-bound bus, then continue to booked accommodation. For a late arrival, reduce visits rather than forcing both facilities into the day. Check city bus times and fares for your date officially.
Check the hall and museum’s operations separately. Reduce visits if JR Nara bus journeys and both facilities leave too little time.
Day two: Kasuga Taisha worship
- JR Nara Station → Kasuga Taisha approach
Search a Kasuga Taisha Honden-bound bus from JR Nara and alight at the terminus. Follow signs to the ordinary worship area. Do not use the botanical garden’s three-minute access estimate for grounds walking and waiting after this stop.
Access information in EnglishKasuga Taisha official worship and access by exit
- Kasuga Taisha ordinary worship area → Kasuga Taisha worship area
Use the free ordinary worship area, open 06:30–17:30 in March–October and 07:00–17:00 in November–February. For main-sanctuary special worship, check JPY 700 admission, 09:00–16:00 hours and ritual suspensions. Choose a meal nearby afterwards.
- Kasuga Taisha worship area → Starting station and the same accommodation
Return to the same accommodation by JR Nara-bound bus. Use ordinary worship only if special worship is suspended. Treasure museum and botanical garden are excluded from the basic cost. Check return bus times and both boarding points for your date officially.
Access information in EnglishOperations and suspension dates in Japanese
Match the Honden-bound bus from JR Nara with your return. Distinguish ordinary worship from special worship and its ritual suspensions.
Day three: Horyuji
- JR Nara Station → Horyuji South Gate
Take a Yamatoji Line service from JR Nara stopping at Horyuji. Walk about 20 minutes from the north exit to the South Gate. Choose return trains for your date in JR’s official search.
Tourist information centre access routes by exitJR official journey plannerStation platform information
- Horyuji South Gate → Horyuji visiting areas
Adult joint admission to the Western Precinct, Great Treasure Gallery and Eastern Precinct costs JPY 2,000 cash. Hours are 08:00–17:00 from 22 February to 3 November and 08:00–16:30 from 4 November to 21 February. Reception ends 30 minutes before closing; late arrivals may miss some facilities. Allow extra grounds walking and visiting time beyond the South Gate.
Nara Prefecture’s official Horyuji fees and seasonal hoursHoryuji official joint ticket, cash payment and admission deadline
- Horyuji visiting areas → Starting station and the same accommodation
Exit towards the South Gate and return to JR Horyuji. Check Nara-bound return trains and fares for your date in JR’s search and return to the same accommodation near JR Nara. If using the south-exit bus, check its date-specific times and fares separately.
Tourist information centre access routes by exitJR official journey plannerStation platform information
The 20-minute South Gate approach is one-way walking from the station. Add temple visits, meals and the return walk before choosing your JR service.
Day four: Naramachi and departure
Take a short street walk if time allows. For an early departure, skip it and go directly to the station.
- Accommodation near JR Nara → Naramachi streets
Explore Naramachi around Gangoji (Gokurakubo) at 11 Chuincho. Official walking estimates of about 20 minutes from JR Nara and 15 from Kintetsu Nara describe temple access, not a whole neighbourhood walk. Temple interiors are excluded from the basic cost.
Temple’s official access informationNara City Tourism Association hours and fees
- Naramachi streets → Return towards the departure station
Go from your walking endpoint to the departure station. Finish with enough time for station access and boarding.
Allow time from your walking endpoint to the departure station.
Included: The total includes JPY 1,200 for the Great Buddha Hall and museum joint ticket, JPY 2,000 for Horyuji and free ordinary worship at Kasuga Taisha (JPY 0).
Extra costs: The total excludes JR trains, city buses, Kasuga Taisha special worship, the treasure museum, botanical garden, Gangoji interiors, accommodation, meals and final onward travel.
Adult admission totals JPY 3,200, or JPY 3,900 with the JPY 700 special worship option. JR, city buses, accommodation, meals, treasure museum, botanical garden and final onward transport are excluded. Check trains, buses and fares for your date separately.
Todaiji official visitor informationNara Prefecture’s official Horyuji fees and seasonal hoursOperations and suspension dates in JapaneseHoryuji official joint ticket, cash payment and admission deadline
Two days in Nara City and an Asuka return trip
See exhibitions and walk the shrine approach, then visit Asuka’s tomb. Stay near Kintetsu Nara for three nights, giving the hall/museum and shrine a day each.
Day one: park and Todaiji exhibitions
Start at Kintetsu Nara. Transport to the starting station and airport transfers are excluded.
- Kintetsu Nara Station → Todaiji approach
Walk towards Noborioji from Kintetsu Nara for about 20 minutes to Todaiji. Add grounds walking and hall reception queues beyond this approach time.
- Great Buddha Hall reception → Great Buddha Hall and chosen museum visit
Choose the JPY 1,200 hall/museum joint ticket. Museum hours are 09:30–17:30 in April–October, last admission 17:00; November–March uses 09:30–17:00, last admission 16:30. They differ from the hall, so check date-specific notices.
Todaiji official visitor informationTodaiji official visitor information
- Great Buddha Hall and chosen museum visit → Booked accommodation near Kintetsu Nara
Have a meal near the park or station and continue to your booked accommodation near Kintetsu Nara. Check museum operations and seasonal hall hours separately; reduce visits for late arrivals.
Check both hall and museum hours. Choose one if a late arrival leaves too little time for both.
Day two: shrine and rest
- Kintetsu Nara Station → Kasuga Taisha approach
Walk about 25 minutes from Kintetsu Nara towards Kasuga Taisha. This estimate is shrine approach time. Follow signs to the ordinary worship area, allowing extra grounds walking and waiting.
Access information in EnglishOperations and suspension dates in Japanese
- Kasuga Taisha ordinary worship area → Kasuga Taisha worship area
Use the free ordinary worship area. Main-sanctuary special worship costs JPY 700 and runs 09:00–16:00, subject to ritual suspensions. Check suspension notices and reception times before adding it.
- Kasuga Taisha worship area → Starting station and the same accommodation
Have a meal or break nearby, then retrace the route to accommodation. If changing to buses, check date-specific services and fares separately.
This day uses a shrine return walk from Kintetsu Nara. Add special worship only if hours and ritual conditions allow; check bus alternatives separately.
Day three: Asuka tomb return trip
- Kintetsu Nara Station → Kashiharajingu-mae Station
Take Kintetsu from Nara via Yamato-Saidaiji to Kashiharajingu-mae. Check date-specific train connections separately.
- Kashiharajingu-mae east-exit stand 2 → Ishibutai bus stop
From east-exit stand 2, take an Asuka Station-bound bus stopping at Ishibutai. Check return services in the weekday or weekend/public-holiday timetable for your date. From Nara City, allow time after the train to reach the bus stand too.
Village’s official 2026-09-01–2027-03-31 timetableNara Kotsu current information
- Ishibutai bus stop → Ishibutai Tomb
Walk about three minutes from Ishibutai stop to the tomb. Open 09:00–17:00, with last admission at 16:45. Visit and have lunch.
National park’s revised 2026 Ishibutai fees and walking accessAsuka Tourism Association’s current Ishibutai fees and hours
- Ishibutai Tomb → Starting station and the same accommodation
Return to the stop for a Kashiharajingu-mae-bound bus, then take Kintetsu back to Nara accommodation. In wind and rain, swap with a city day, rechecking the new date’s bus timetable and operations.
Nara Kotsu current informationVillage’s official 2026-09-01–2027-03-31 timetableNational park’s current informationAsuka Tourism Association’s current Ishibutai fees and hoursNational park’s revised 2026 Ishibutai fees and walking access
Do not use Asuka weekday bus times unchanged on weekends or holidays. Match Nara return trains and the Kashiharajingu-mae east-exit bus stand for your actual date.
Day four: street walk before departure
Take a short street walk if time allows. For an early departure, skip it and go directly to the station.
- Accommodation near Kintetsu Nara → Naramachi streets
Explore Naramachi around Gangoji (Gokurakubo) at 11 Chuincho. Official walking estimates of about 20 minutes from JR Nara and 15 from Kintetsu Nara describe temple access, not a whole neighbourhood walk. Temple interiors are excluded from the basic cost.
- Naramachi streets → Return towards the departure station
Go from your walking endpoint to the departure station. Finish with enough time for station access and boarding.
Allow time from your walking endpoint to the departure station.
Included: The total includes JPY 1,200 for the hall and museum joint ticket, JPY 500 for Ishibutai, free ordinary shrine worship (JPY 0) and buses between Kashiharajingu-mae’s east exit and Ishibutai at JPY 440 each way: JPY 440 × 2 = JPY 880 return. Replace the return bus fares with JPY 750 if choosing the eligible day ticket.
Extra costs: The total excludes Kintetsu trains, city buses, Kasuga Taisha special worship, the treasure museum, botanical garden, Gangoji interiors, accommodation, meals and final onward travel.
Adult admission and Asuka return buses total JPY 2,580, or JPY 2,450 with the eligible bus day ticket. Special worship adds JPY 700. Kintetsu, accommodation, meals, city buses and final onward travel are excluded. Tomb hours are 09:00–17:00, last entry 16:45, with a three-minute stop walk. Check rail connections for your date separately.
Todaiji official visitor informationNational park’s revised 2026 Ishibutai fees and walking accessNara Kotsu current informationOperations and suspension dates in Japanese
Frequently asked questions
Does the hall–museum joint ticket also cover Hokke-do or Kaidan-do?
The JPY 1,200 individual joint ticket for junior high school pupils and older covers only the Great Buddha Hall and museum. Other halls, including Hokke-do and Kaidan-do, charge separately. The two included facilities also have different seasonal hours and last-entry times; check them before choosing your visit order.
Does the Asuka bus day pass cover Kintetsu trains from Nara?
No. The Asuka sightseeing bus day pass covers buses; Kintetsu trains and tomb admission are extra. Adult return buses between the east side of Kashiharajingu-mae and Ishibutai cost JPY 880, or JPY 750 with the eligible day pass. Change from your train to a bus on arrival, and use the bus and a Nara-bound train separately on return.
Official sources and confirmation dates
- Todaiji approach ·
- Todaiji official visitor information ·
- Operations and suspension dates in Japanese ·
- Access information in English ·
- Tourist information centre access routes by exit ·
- Temple’s official access information ·
- Nara City Tourism Association hours and fees ·
- National park’s current information ·
- JR official journey planner ·
- Station platform information ·
- Nara Kotsu current information ·
- Village’s official 2026-09-01–2027-03-31 timetable ·
- Kintetsu ·
- Asuka Tourism Association’s current Ishibutai fees and hours ·
- National park’s revised 2026 Ishibutai fees and walking access ·
- Nara Prefecture’s official Horyuji fees and seasonal hours ·
- Kintetsu lines and interchange stations ·
- Todaiji official visitor information ·
- Tourist information centre access routes by exit ·
- Kasuga Taisha official worship and access by exit ·
- Asuka sightseeing bus official section fares and day pass ·
- Horyuji official joint ticket, cash payment and admission deadline ·