We visited Nara for a day trip from Osaka, an easy hour’s trip by train. It was a great day in Japan’s first permanent capital, enjoying the easy tourist trail down the main street and being bumped into by cheeky deer in the park!

There are around 1200 tame deer in Nara-koen and you feel like you see nearly all of them (Tom even managed to get a photo of the rare Siamese deer!) Most visitors buy shika-sembei, biscuits to feed them, we avoided the shika-no-fun (deer poo) chocolate souvenirs.

Visiting Todai-ji temple was a highlight. It is the largest wooden structure in the world, the present building the third one built in the same location after previous ones were burnt in fires. The girls enjoyed squeezing their way through a hole in a wooden column to ensure enlightenment (no chance for grownups to fit, I did try!) which is exactly the same size as the Daibutsu’s (bronze Great Buddha), nostrils.

We had lunch on the main strip near the train station (pleasant, but the first time of many where I was only offered a bowl of white rice as a gluten free option). When temple and shrine fatigue kicked in we found a rooftop café for an afternoon snack in quiet Naramachi before wandering through the covered market and back to the train station.

It probably deserved a night’s stay, but given its easy proximity to Osaka it made sense as a day trip.