Do you know of the most famous spot to see the sunset in Nara?
Mt.Wakakusa is a 1112 ft tall mountain in Nara where you can overlook the border of Nara and Kyoto. If you’re traveling in Nara, (or in Japan in general), you might know that it involves a lot of walking. Nara in particular includes a lot of walking up slopes and stairs while dodging deers who might follow you if you have any trace of food (or in some instances paper) in your pockets! Mt.Wakakusa is popular amongst both locals and tourists because you can see almost the entirety of Nara prefecture alongside the Nara deer. It’s a great way to appreciate the Kansai region, but can be a bit tiring to hike.
For those who aren’t up for a hike, you can also get to Mt.Wakakusa by bus.
Hiking Mt.Wakakusa by Foot
Hiking up to Mt.Wakakusa includes some steep stairs and inclines, but for more experienced hikers, it might take only around 30 minutes from the entrance. On average, especially if you like to take your time, it can take up to 45 minutes or even an hour. Once you reach the summit of the mountain, you’ll be greeted by many Nara deer basking in the ambiance. Hiking down is of course faster, but if you stay for sunset, it may start to get dark and cold.
| Starting Place to Mt.Wakakusa Summit | Estimated Time Taken |
| Kintetsu Nara Station | 1 hour~ |
| JR Nara Station | 1 hour 20 minutes~ |
| Nara Park | 45 minutes~ |
| Todaiji Temple | 1 hour~ |
The entrance is located here:
Getting to Mt.Wakakusa by Bus
If you want to get to Mt.Wakakusa, the Perfect Nara Park Tour bus takes you through the main tourist attractions of Nara City with several perks along the way. This half day afternoon tour covers three main areas: Todaiji Temple, Kasuga Taisha Shrine, and Mt.Wakakusa.
The schedule is as following:
📍12:30 PM Depart at JR Nara Station
📍12:35 PM Depart at Kintetsu Nara Station
📍12:45 PM~ Arrive at Todai-ji Temple
📍2:00 PM~ Arrive at Kasuga Taisha Shrine
📍3:30 PM~ Arrive at Mt.Wakakusa Summit
📍4:25 PM Drop off at Kintetsu Nara Station
📍4:30 PM Drop off at JR Nara Station
After riding this bus, you also get a complimentary unlimited 2 day Nara Yamatoji bus pass for local buses in Nara (all the way down to Tanzan Shrine!) and a cute deer handkerchief. It’s a great deal if you planned to spend several days in Nara, as many stores and restaurants tend to be spread out as soon as you leave the main city area by the stations.
Spacious Seating on the Bus
The buses were quite spacious and came with a charging port and even a light! Each seat is also covered with cute Nara designs, making it fun and easy to remember which seat you sat at.
The Perfect Nara Park Tour bus can be reserved online in advance or bought up to 10 minutes before departure time. You can make an appointment at the JR Nara Station Bus Information Center (directly in front of the train station entrance), or the Nara Kotsu Sightseeing Bus Information Center (located right across Kintetsu Nara Station). The rate includes entrance fees to the temples, a deer fortune at Kasuga Taisha Shrine, crackers to feed deer with, and the transportation/guide.
Check the available dates and book in advance: here
📍Starting the Day in Nara
Since I was aiming for Mt.Wakakusa around sunset, I decided to explore the areas around Kintetsu Nara Station and eat lunch. There’s plenty to do here from watching the high speed pounding mochi man, walking the old shotengai (Japanese traditional shopping streets), or enjoying light souvenir shopping. Streets such as Higashimuki Shopping Street, to my surprise had a blend of both traditional and more modern facilities. By the Kintetsu ticket center, I also found a bunch of Gatcha machines featuring the Nara City’s mascot, Shikamaro-kun.
Around the area there were many stylish jazz cafes, tea houses, sandwich & crepe restaurants and even a well stocked record store (for any audiophiles out there). After eating lunch, I headed towards the Nara Kotsu Sightseeing Bus Center and waited for the bus. The bus info center has indoor seating and a bathroom so you can sit as you wait.
Nara Kotsu Sightseeing Bus Information Center
This information center is packed with information about places you can get to from Nara such as Nagoya and Shinjuku. You can also purchase one or two day bus passes here.
12:30-12:35 Depart from JR Nara Station or Kintetsu Nara Station
Around 12:35, the bus came to pick me up and to my surprise, I was also luckily greeted by this cute deer mascot!! It was so cute as it waved us goodbye. After passenger check up, the bus left on schedule with a few greetings from the bus driver and the guide on the bus.
12:45PM~ Arrive at Todaiji Temple Parking Lot
First stop: Great South Gate (Nandaimon)
First on the stop is the Nandaimon, the gate before entering Todaiji. Here is where you make your first encounters with deer. Walking with the guide, you get priceless information regarding the history of the gate, structures, and even the deer. (I’ll keep it a secret though). After a brief introduction about the gate, we reached the ground of Todaiji Temple.
Arrive on Todaiji’s grounds and meet the Great Buddha
Entering the grounds of the temple is almost breathtaking. Todaiji is known as one of the biggest wooden temples in Japan, but that description doesn’t suffice to seeing it in person. The temple itself is massive–its size towers over every visitor walking up to it. And that’s only a prefix to what’s inside.
Greeting you directly at the entrance of Todaiji is a 500 ton bronze Buddha statue (almost 100 elephants for your perspective). One the Great Buddha’s nostrils alone is 1 meter long (around 3 ft) and his massive height leaves you starstruck. The inside of the temple is cool and there are many other activities to do such trying to gain protection by squeezing yourself through a pillar (don’t underestimate yourself!), or meeting a statue that grants you healing congruent to the body part you touch.
Squeeze your way through the darkness for good luck 🍀
2:00PM~ Arrive at Kasuga Taisha Shrine
Make your way through the moss lantern forest
Before reaching Kasuga Taisha Shrine, you’ll make your way through rows and rows of moss lanterns shaded within a cool forest. Walking through the lanterns almost felt like being transported through a different dimension, as there were deer guarding the lanterns and bowing at you as you pass.
Reach the Kasuga Taisha grounds
Once reaching the grounds, you can learn about the ancient history surrounding the base of the mountain the shrine is enshrined upon.
Enjoy the lanterns and the sacred shrine of Nara
Kasuga Taisha is lined with hundreds of golden and bronze lanterns which change color over time. You can also enjoy seeing the lit lanterns in a dark room.
Test your luck with a Deer Nara Fortune
Before departing, you will get the opportunity to draw Omikuji (fortune) from the shrine. Each fortune has a different range of luck from bad to excellent. Each fortune includes detailed information about each part of your life including love, work life, and even what is your lucky direction! It’s a fun way to test your luck and is completely included in the bus/tour fare.
3:30PM~ Arrive at Mt.Wakakusa Summit
Reach the summit peak
Finally, we made our way towards Mt.Wakakusa. As you head toward the summit from the parking lot, you start to notice deer of all sizes lounging peacefully, enjoying the fresh mountain air. The summit area itself is a large and vast park, and as you step closer to the summit, the mass panoramic view of all of Nara starts to emerge before you. When joining this bus, you get crackers to feed the deer with, so you can spend your time mingling with the deer while enjoying the view!
Take in the views of the mountains + deer
From the mountain summit you can see the top of Todaiji and even the border of Kyoto. The top is not so cold, and instead there is a really soft breeze which makes it a wonderful and more intimate experience.
After feeding the deer, the bus heads back down to Kintetsu Nara Station (~4:25 PM) or JR Nara Station (~4:30 PM). If you want to be dropped off at Kofuku-ji Temple, then the bus can also drop you off here. Before departing you are handed your 2 day Nara Yamatoji Pass and deer handkerchief!
Where you can go with the 2-day pass
Tanzan Jinja Shrine
Tanzan Shrine is home to a unique 13 story, 17 meter (55 ft) high pagoda and stunning fall foliage that rivals the overly crowded Ruriko-in Temple in Kyoto. The shrine is beautiful all year round as its quiet location is completely surrounded by nature in the mountains.
Kashihara City
Kashihara is a quiet town in southern Nara known for its charming old styled streets, vast Kashihara Jingu (shrine) and in the fall time, their giant field of cosmos flowers at Fujiwara Palace Ruins. Right next to Kashihara City is also the Asuka area, famous for its deep history and stunning nature views.
Overall thoughts
The Perfect Nara Park Tour bus is quite convenient and time flew by faster than I thought. It’s a great way to bypass crowds, save time and energy, and learn something new! I think the tour is suitable especially for families, but they are very inclusive if you go alone. I personally went alone and not only the guide but the guests never let me feel left behind!
It was reasonable considering the fare included crackers, the bus pass, entrance fees, and fortune that you get included with the tour. The 2-Day Nara Yamatoji Pass gifted to us was especially useful and I used it multiple times to go to spots more spread out from the station. Nara afterall is a huge area with so much to see past the area of the tour.
