Nara 奈良 (city)
Japan’s largest Buddha & lots of deer
Historic Nara, the first permanent capital of Japan, is an extremely fun place to visit. Less than an hour from Osaka and Kyoto, it’s easy to drop by on a day trip - but there’s plenty of accommodation here too.
Overnighting, it’s easy to combine a visit to Nara with a walk on the highly recommended Yamanobe-no-michi Trail.
Kids (and big kids!) will love wandering around Nara Park (Nara Kōen), with its large number of wild deer, many of whom will try to cadge food, some right out of your pocket. The top spots to visit are around the park.
Make sure to go to the Tōdai-ji, home of the incredible 15m tall Daibutsu (Big Buddha). The Daibutsuden (Big Buddha Hall), held the record as the world's largest wooden building, despite the fact that the present reconstruction of 1692 is only 2/3 of the original hall's size.
Kasuga Taisha, Nara’s most celebrated Shinto shrine, is home to the February Setsubun Mantōrō festival and an easy walk away through the park.
Nara city and Nara prefecture have some amazing cherry viewing spots.