Separate days for exhibitions and shrine worship
Give the Great Buddha Hall/museum and shrine approach a day each, then take a side trip on day three. Base near JR Nara for Horyuji's wooden architecture or near Kintetsu-Nara for Asuka's tomb. Walk Naramachi on the final day if time before departure allows.
Choose an itinerary for 4 days, 3 nights
Two days in Nara Park and one at Horyuji
Give the Great Buddha Hall and museum, shrine worship, and Horyuji separate days. Stay three nights near JR Nara Station and walk Naramachi on departure day.
Two days in Nara Park and one at Horyuji →4 days, 3 nights BTwo days in Nara City and an Asuka round trip
See exhibitions, walk the shrine approach, then take a trip to Asuka's tomb. Stay three nights near Kintetsu-Nara Station, giving the Great Buddha Hall/museum and shrine a day each.
Two days in Nara City and an Asuka round trip →Two days in Nara Park and one at Horyuji
Give the Great Buddha Hall and museum, shrine worship, and Horyuji separate days. Stay three nights near JR Nara Station and walk Naramachi on departure day.
Day 1 · Great Buddha Hall and museum
Start at JR Nara Station. Travel to this local station and airport transfers are excluded.
- JR Nara Station → Todai-ji approach
From JR Nara Station, take a bus stopping at Todaiji Daibutsuden–Kasugataisha-mae, then walk about five minutes to Todai-ji. This time describes access to the temple. Allow separate time to follow signs through the grounds to the Great Buddha Hall ticket counter and wait.
- Great Buddha Hall ticket counter → Great Buddha Hall and optional museum
Use the ¥1,200 adult combined ticket for the Great Buddha Hall and museum, checking the museum's operation separately. Museum hours are 9:30 a.m.–5:30 p.m. April–October, with last admission at 5 p.m.; 9:30 a.m.–5 p.m. November–March, with last admission at 4:30 p.m. Its hours differ from the hall's, so check visit-day notices.
Official Todai-ji admission guideOfficial Todai-ji admission guide
- Great Buddha Hall and optional museum → JR Nara Station and your booked hotel
Eat around the park, then take a JR Nara Station-bound bus and continue to your booked hotel. If arriving late, shorten the visits around operating hours rather than fitting in both facilities. Check your date's city bus times and fares in the official guide.
Check the hall and museum's operation separately. Shorten sightseeing if the JR Nara city bus trip leaves too little time for both facilities.
Day 2 · Kasugataisha shrine visit
- JR Nara Station → Kasugataisha approach
Check and board a Kasugataisha Honden-bound bus from JR Nara Station, getting off at the terminus. Follow signs through the grounds to the general worship area. The three-minute botanical-garden access estimate does not cover walking and waiting from this bus stop to the main sanctuary.
English access guideOfficial Kasugataisha worship and access by exit
- Kasugataisha general worship area → Kasugataisha worship area
Visit the free general worship area, open 6:30 a.m.–5:30 p.m. March–October and 7 a.m.–5 p.m. November–February. To add special worship at the main sanctuary, check the ¥700 admission, 9 a.m.–4 p.m. access, and ceremonial suspension dates. Choose a meal nearby afterward.
- Kasugataisha worship area → Your starting station and same hotel
After worship, take a JR Nara Station-bound bus back to the same hotel. If special worship is suspended, choose general worship only. The National Treasure Hall and botanical garden are excluded from the basic cost. Check both bus directions and their boarding points for your date in the official guide.
Match the JR Nara Station Honden-bound bus and return service first. Distinguish general worship from the separately charged special worship and its ceremonial suspension conditions.
Day 3 · Horyuji
- JR Nara Station → Horyuji South Main Gate
Take a Yamatoji Line train from JR Nara Station that stops at Horyuji. Leave Horyuji Station through the North Exit and walk about 20 minutes to the South Main Gate. Choose both trains for your date in the official JR planner.
Tourist information center: access by station exitOfficial JR journey plannerStation platform guide
- Horyuji South Main Gate → Horyuji admission areas
An adult combined ticket for the Western Precinct, Gallery of Temple Treasures, and Eastern Precinct costs ¥2,000 in cash. Hours are 8 a.m.–5 p.m. February 22–November 3 and 8 a.m.–4:30 p.m. November 4–February 21. Reception ends 30 minutes before closing; late arrivals may miss some facilities. Leave separate time for walking and visits beyond the South Main Gate.
Official Nara Prefecture Horyuji admission and seasonal hoursOfficial Horyuji combined ticket, cash payment, and reception cutoff
- Horyuji admission areas → Your starting station and same hotel
After visiting, leave toward the South Main Gate and return to JR Horyuji Station. Check your date's Nara-bound train and fare in the official JR planner, then return to the same hotel near JR Nara Station. If using the South Exit bus, check that date's times and fares separately.
Tourist information center: access by station exitOfficial JR journey plannerStation platform guide
The approximately 20-minute walk to Horyuji's South Main Gate is one-way from the station. Add temple visits, meals, and the return walk when choosing your JR return train.
Day 4 · Naramachi and departure
Take a short street walk if time before departure allows. For an early departure, skip it and head straight to the station.
- Hotel near JR Nara Station → Naramachi streets
Walk Naramachi's streets around Gangoji (Gokurakubo) at 11 Chuin-cho. Official estimates of about 20 minutes from JR Nara Station or 15 minutes from Kintetsu-Nara describe access to Gangoji, not an entire neighborhood walk. Temple admission is excluded from the basic cost.
Official temple accessNara City Tourism Association: hours and admission
- Naramachi streets → Return toward your departure station
Head to your departure station from wherever your walk ends. Finish with time to walk to the station and board your train.
Leave time to reach your departure station from the endpoint of your walk.
Included: Great Buddha Hall/museum combined ticket ¥1,200 + Horyuji ¥2,000 + Kasugataisha general worship ¥0
Additional costs: JR trains, city buses, Kasugataisha special worship, National Treasure Hall, botanical garden, Gangoji admission, lodging, meals, and final departure
Adult admission totals ¥3,200, or ¥3,900 if you add Kasugataisha special worship for ¥700. JR trains, city buses, lodging, meals, National Treasure Hall, botanical garden, and final departure transportation are excluded. Check train and bus times and fares for your date separately in the official planners.
Official Todai-ji admission guideOfficial Nara Prefecture Horyuji admission and seasonal hoursJapanese hours and suspension datesOfficial Horyuji combined ticket, cash payment, and reception cutoff
Two days in Nara City and an Asuka round trip
See exhibitions, walk the shrine approach, then take a trip to Asuka's tomb. Stay three nights near Kintetsu-Nara Station, giving the Great Buddha Hall/museum and shrine a day each.
Day 1 · Nara Park and Todai-ji exhibitions
Start at Kintetsu-Nara Station. Travel to this local station and airport transfers are excluded.
- Kintetsu-Nara Station → Todai-ji approach
Walk about 20 minutes toward Noborioji from Kintetsu-Nara Station. This estimate describes access to Todai-ji. Allow separate time to follow signs through the grounds to the Great Buddha Hall ticket counter and wait.
- Great Buddha Hall ticket counter → Great Buddha Hall and optional museum
Choose the ¥1,200 Great Buddha Hall/museum combined ticket. Museum hours are 9:30 a.m.–5:30 p.m. April–October, with last admission at 5 p.m.; 9:30 a.m.–5 p.m. November–March, with last admission at 4:30 p.m. Its hours differ from the hall's, so check visit-day notices.
Official Todai-ji admission guideOfficial Todai-ji admission guide
- Great Buddha Hall and optional museum → Your booked hotel near Kintetsu-Nara Station
Eat around the park or station, then head to your booked hotel near Kintetsu-Nara Station. Check the museum's operation and the hall's seasonal hours separately; shorten visits if arriving late.
Check both facilities' hours. If a late arrival leaves too little time for both, choose one.
Day 2 · Shrine and rest
- Kintetsu-Nara Station → Kasugataisha approach
Walk about 25 minutes from Kintetsu-Nara Station to Kasugataisha. This estimate covers access to the shrine. Follow signs to the general worship area, adding time for walking and waiting within the grounds.
- Kasugataisha general worship area → Kasugataisha worship area
Visit the free general worship area. Special worship at the main sanctuary costs ¥700, available 9 a.m.–4 p.m. but subject to ceremonial suspension. Check that day's notices and reception times before adding it.
- Kasugataisha worship area → Your starting station and same hotel
After a meal and rest nearby, return to your hotel along your approach route. If replacing walking with a bus, check your date's service and fare separately.
This day uses a walking round trip to the shrine from Kintetsu-Nara. Add special worship only when its hours and ceremonial restrictions allow; look up bus alternatives separately.
Day 3 · Asuka tomb round trip
- Kintetsu-Nara Station → Kashiharajingu-mae Station
Travel from Kintetsu-Nara via Yamato-Saidaiji to Kashiharajingu-mae Station. Check train connections for your date separately.
- Kashiharajingu-mae Station East Exit stop 2 → Ishibutai bus stop
From East Exit stop 2, take an Asuka Station-bound bus that stops at Ishibutai. Check both directions in the weekday or weekend/public-holiday timetable for your date. If arriving from Nara City, allow time between train arrival and reaching the bus stop.
Official village timetable: September 1, 2026–March 31, 2027Current Nara Kotsu guide
- Ishibutai bus stop → Ishibutai Tumulus
Walk about three minutes from Ishibutai stop to the tomb. Hours are 9 a.m.–5 p.m., with last admission at 4:45 p.m. Visit the tomb and have lunch.
National park: revised 2026 Ishibutai admission and walking accessAsuka Tourism Association: current Ishibutai admission and hours
- Ishibutai Tumulus → Your starting station and same hotel
Return to the stop for a Kashiharajingu-mae-bound bus, then take Kintetsu trains back to your Nara hotel. In wind and rain, swap this with a city sightseeing day, checking the new date's bus day category and operation again.
Current Nara Kotsu guideOfficial village timetable: September 1, 2026–March 31, 2027Current national park guideAsuka Tourism Association: current Ishibutai admission and hoursNational park: revised 2026 Ishibutai admission and walking access
Do not use the Asuka weekday bus timetable unchanged for weekends or public holidays. Match the actual connection between Nara trains and Kashiharajingu-mae's East Exit bus stop to your visit date.
Day 4 · Street walk before departure
Take a short street walk if time before departure allows. For an early departure, skip it and head straight to the station.
- Hotel near Kintetsu-Nara Station → Naramachi streets
Walk Naramachi's streets around Gangoji (Gokurakubo) at 11 Chuin-cho. Official estimates of about 20 minutes from JR Nara Station or 15 minutes from Kintetsu-Nara describe access to Gangoji, not an entire neighborhood walk. Temple admission is excluded from the basic cost.
- Naramachi streets → Return toward your departure station
Head to your departure station from wherever your walk ends. Finish with time to walk to the station and board your train.
Leave time to reach your departure station from the endpoint of your walk.
Included: Great Buddha Hall/museum combined ticket ¥1,200 + Ishibutai Tumulus ¥500 + Kashiharajingu-mae East Exit–Ishibutai bus ¥440 each way, ¥880 round trip (replaced by ¥750 with the applicable route's day pass) + Kasugataisha general worship ¥0
Additional costs: Kintetsu trains, city buses, Kasugataisha special worship, National Treasure Hall, botanical garden, Gangoji admission, lodging, meals, and final departure
Adult facility charges and the Asuka bus round trip total ¥2,580, or ¥2,450 with the applicable bus day pass. Special worship adds ¥700. Kintetsu trains, lodging, meals, city buses, and final departure are excluded. The tomb opens at 9 a.m., with last admission at 4:45 p.m., about a three-minute walk from Ishibutai stop. Match railway connections for your date separately.
Official Todai-ji admission guideNational park: revised 2026 Ishibutai admission and walking accessCurrent Nara Kotsu guideJapanese hours and suspension dates
Frequently asked questions
Does the Great Buddha Hall/museum combined ticket include Hokkedo or Kaidando?
The ¥1,200 individual ticket for junior high school students and older covers only the Great Buddha Hall and museum. Other halls, including Hokkedo and Kaidando, charge separately. The two covered facilities have different seasonal hours and admission cutoffs; check them before choosing your visit order.
Does the Asuka bus day pass cover Kintetsu trains from Nara?
No. It covers the Asuka loop bus; Kintetsu trains and tomb admission are separate. The adult Kashiharajingu-mae East Exit–Ishibutai bus round trip costs ¥880, compared with ¥750 for the applicable day pass. Arrive by train from Nara, change to the bus, and use the bus and Nara-bound train separately on the return.
Official sources and check dates
- Todai-ji access ·
- Official Todai-ji admission guide ·
- Japanese hours and suspension dates ·
- English access guide ·
- Tourist information center: access by station exit ·
- Official temple access ·
- Nara City Tourism Association: hours and admission ·
- Current national park guide ·
- Official JR journey planner ·
- Station platform guide ·
- Current Nara Kotsu guide ·
- Official village timetable: September 1, 2026–March 31, 2027 ·
- Kintetsu ·
- Asuka Tourism Association: current Ishibutai admission and hours ·
- National park: revised 2026 Ishibutai admission and walking access ·
- Official Nara Prefecture Horyuji admission and seasonal hours ·
- Kintetsu routes and transfer stations ·
- Official Todai-ji admission guide ·
- Tourist information center: access by station exit ·
- Official Kasugataisha worship and access by exit ·
- Official Asuka loop bus segment fares and day pass ·
- Official Horyuji combined ticket, cash payment, and reception cutoff ·