Nara 2019: Arrival in Nara

My second big day trip from Osaka took me east to the town of Nara. From around 710 to 784 Nara was the capital of Japan and in the old part of the city is a large public park with many historic temples. Nara Station is only about a half mile from the park and after arriving in Nara I exited the station and began walking towards the first temple that I was going to visit that day. There are buses that run from Nara Station to the city’s historic area but for me the park was close enough that it didn’t seem worth it to pay for a bus ride. Much like Kyoto Station, Nara Station is in the modern part of town, so if you’re expecting to be greeted by ancient Japan right upon exiting the station you’ll be disappointed, however with just a few minutes walk or bus ride you’ll see why Nara is such a popular tourist destination.